When Do Kids Give Up Their Baby Blankets?

The blankie!  It can be the center of the universe for some kids. It is funny that not all kids get attached to a baby blanket, but those who do are devoted.  My middle child was one of those.  He had a soft blue/white checked baby blanket that was his constant companion.  I felt like the smartest mom in the world when I picked up a spare after much searching.  We then had them in rotation – one could be removed for washing without a major crisis.  One of the keys to success with two blankets is to never let the child see them both at the same time!  

Baby Blanket Attachment

Every nap and nighttime required the blanket.  One night we were at my brother & sister-in-law’s house and realized we had arrived without the precious blanket.  I was able to sneak in their daughter’s identical blanket {that I had given them for a baby shower} – well, it was identical except that hers was pink/white.  Thankfully, it was dark and my covert move was not noticed. When he got older, he started carrying the blanket around like Linus.  It was simply the cutest thing, ever.  Our blanket rules were that it needed to stay in the house unless mom or dad OK’d the blanket trip.  I was worried about losing it.  Reid abided by the rules without problems and we were able to keep both blankets safe and secure.  In fact, I know exactly where they are today even though Reid is 11! Because the blanket use was in the house and not keeping him from play or an item of ridicule, I just didn’t worry about when he stopped carrying it.  He used it mostly for nighttime and that worked for us.  As he got older, it became less of a necessity and more of something comforting.  He was probably around the age of 8 when he completely stopped sleeping with his blanket. I kinda miss it.  There is nothing sweeter than a sleeping child cuddling a blankie!

–I’m not a mom, but I feel fit to answer this.   I am a 25-year-old woman and still sleep with my childhood pillow.

–Does it really matter if they take it to college even?   Comfort is comfort.

–Mine was eight.   If it gives them joy and comfort to have a blanket then let them keep it as long as they want.

–My almost seven-year-old still has a blankey that she sleeps with every night!   We haven’t let her take it out of bed, though, since she was three.

Here are even more great articles about when kids give up their baby blankets:

Here are some resources we found about kids and baby blankets.  Affiliate links support Kids Activities Blog.

Attachment to a Toy or Blanket – This great article from What To Expect explains why this happens and what to do (and not do) about it.

Understanding Children’s Attachment to Security Blankets – This explains some benefits to   having a security blanket and a few misconceptions.   From Livestrong.com