How can I prevent my 2 year old from covering her face with a blanket when she sleeps?

Question

For the past couple of months, our two year old has been covering her face (her whole head, actually) with a blanket whenever she sleeps. At night we usually go in after she has fallen asleep and pull it down to her neck. During her naps we don't want to disturb her, so when she wakes up from her nap her face is bright red and her hair is wet (with sweat) like she just had a bath. It's not like she just rests the blanket on her head - she more wraps her head in the blanket.

At first she was using her "blankie" which has a satin side - I was really worried that she would suffocate so we told her not to cover her face or we would take her blankie away. We ended up taking her blankie away but she just started using the blanket/bedspread on her bed. We can't take that away because we live up north and it will be getting very cold at night.

We tried giving her a very small (maybe 6 inch by 6 inch) thin blanket that she could put on her face but she won't use that. We have tried giving her one of those quilts that has a lot of holes in it, but she won't use that either.

We have asked her why she does it but she just says "because".

We tell her every night before bed not to cover her face, but when we go in to check on her, the blanket is wrapped around her head. Sometimes when we try to pull it down she wakes up and puts it back on.

Should I be concerned that she is covering her face? I worry about her suffocating or getting overheated. It is very hard to reason with a two year old. We even tried telling her we would take a toy away from her if she covered her face, but when we check on her later, her face is covered.

We can't get her to stop covering her face - the only thing left that I can think of is to take away all of her sheets and blankets on her bed - but that isn't really an option because of the cold weather.

I'm out of ideas so I am hoping someone here can think of something. Or maybe I'm just over-reacting and I should let her do this?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

As a kid, I slept with the blanket pulled over my head for as long as I can remember.

I remember my parents shared concerns similar to yours, but I simply could not sleep without my head being completely covered.

I'm not sure I know why I did this. Perhaps it was fear of monsters, and the child-logic of "if they can't see me, they can't get me". Perhaps it was just the comfort of being nestled in, or perhaps it was just the fact that it blocked any incidental light. All I know is that it wasn't until I was probably 8 or so that I found I could sleep without the covers over my head (although I continued to prefer being covered until my teenage years).

As far as safety, I never had any issues, and was always able to breathe, no matter how burrowed under the covers I was. The only issue is that I found breathing hot air unpleasant, so for the less-breathable covers, I'd leave an opening by my mouth for cooler air.

Which brings us to your solution: make sure that whatever covers you offer are ones you are comfortable with. I say you, rather than your daughter, as the range of covers your daughter will be comfortable with will probably be greater than what may seem safe to you.

Speaking from experience, just about any sheet will pass enough air for her to breathe. However, if it gives you more peace of mind, find some with lower thread counts.

Loosely woven or knitted blankets will more obviously pass air through, but be aware that if she is like me, blankets that you can see through may be less comfortable for her.

As she gets older, you'll probably feel more comfortable with a wider range of options (if she continues to exhibit this preference).

Multiple light layers will allow her to cover her body more thoroughly than her head, if she is so inclined (if I had multiple layers available, I would typically cover my head with one, and then have more layers covering the rest of my body).

Answer 2

I don't think you need be concerned for a "blankie". A 2-year old who couldn't breath or even wasn't able to clear enough CO2 from the area would awake and thrash around pretty seriously, at which point a "blankie" would come away from her face.

My kids did this, too, though at a younger age. We'd just pull the blanket away from their faces when we went to bed.

A full blanket is potentially more serious, especially if wrapped around so it won't just fall away in a panic situation. The heavier the blanket, the more serious.

Perhaps a compromise... You can have the "blankie" and you can put it over your face but do not wrap it around your head. If you do, we'll take it away again.

Answer 3

I suggest you replace her blanket by a baby/toddler sleeping bag.
I use those for my kid, I ordered them in a shop called Slumbersac (they have different size and warmness for each age and season, and can send yours abroad), but you have a wide choice.
By the way sleeping bags were a recommendation from the Child Health Record I received for my son (there they were said to prevent suffocation or SIDS).

Answer 4

As others have mentioned, the blanket is probably of little concern in terms of suffocation at this stage in her development because she can move around freely (as opposed to an infant that cannot).

Having said that, You might try giving her a thin fabric cap she can wear and pull down over her eyes or one of those nighttime eye masks like some women wear with the elastic sown shorter to fit her. It may be that what she really wants is full darkness and just having her eyes covered is all she really wants. Then, she has what she needs and you aren't worrying over the off chance of entanglement and suffocation.

Good Luck.