Am I mean?

I have a 2 1/2 year old dcb. He brings his blankie to my house everyday. It has a spot that is easily accessible to him so he can get it out for a snuggle when he wants to. Problem is, he leaves it laying all over the house and gets mad if the babies touch it. Its also a tripping hazard. He knows where the blanket belongs & if I do find it on the floor I ask him once to put it away. If its not put away it goes in my hall closet until naptime or home time. He's usually pretty good about it but today when I asked him to put it away he said "put it in the closet". So that's where it went which was fine until he wanted to cuddle it. He had a complete meltdown - taking off his pants, throwing toys. Needless to say, he did not get his blanket back until naptime. I feel mean though - since it's s comfort object. Would you handle this situation the same way?

Ha ha....I must be really mean because I would never have the blanket out at all!!! It would stay in his bed for napping only!

You are not mean at all. I am with wonderwiper. Blankets go upstairs to the sleeping area and stay there. No exceptions.

Interesting, Wonderwiper. I am considering putting it away except for naptime as well - I am so sick of finding it everywhere.

Start by making a place for it such as the couch that he can go to to have it but no toys while there just the blanket and blanket can not leave the couch. The more he gets comfortable the more he will start leaving it there - in sight as needed, but not in hand. Then it moves to bed only.

I have a one year old with a soother and this bunny cloth thing he drags around and chews on and it drives me crazy. I have started letting him have them till nap and then during nap but after I put them up so he can have a snack and don't give them back (out of his eyesight) unless he gets absolultely beside himself. He is developmentally suffering I feel from them since he doesn't even babble with his mouth stufffed and can't play or hold on to stand or use two hands to cross the midline type of thing in play. I tell myself I am doing him a service.

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Originally Posted by Wonderwiper

Ha ha....I must be really mean because I would never have the blanket out at all!!! It would stay in his bed for napping only!

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Exactly this! No specialty items are allowed unless it is for nap time and they don't get it until nap time, period!

I had a child completely attached to his blankie and I had the same rule as you - naptime only. You are not mean. You or one of the other children could trip on it which makes it a safety hazard that has to be kept out of the way in case the parents ask about it. As far as the child is concerned, he must learn the rules and he will.

Same here .... All comfort items are for naptime only!

naptime only. Problem solved.

Soothers, suckies, blankets, thumbs.... for comfort, not for play!!
I don't hate the idea of a lovey, but there is a time and a place. And that is NOT during play or snacktime!!

You all make great valid points. Ahhh the newbie always learns by mistake right? My very first client had a dcg ( 3.5 at the time she started) that had this rather large brown blankie. I was so grateful to get my first client, it never occured to me the problem her lovie (blanket) would create allowing her to carry it all over the daycare :blink: Should have nipped it in the bud from day 1. But nope. Now I know better :rolleyes:

And that damn blankie stunk of pee 3 out of the 5 days of the week. Her mum only washed it once a week. Disgusting.

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Originally Posted by mom-in-alberta

Soothers, suckies, blankets, thumbs.... for comfort, not for play!!
I don't hate the idea of a lovey, but there is a time and a place. And that is NOT during play or snacktime!!

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These are my rules too. It's pretty funny that we are the ones who wean children off things like this. I had a boy start here in the summer who had his soother 24/7 and he was almost 2 1/2 years old!!! I weaned him off the soother within a month and talked the parents into following suit at home by pointing out that he can't form words properly because he learned to talk with that thing in his mouth. I still can't understand him but we're making progress.

HAHAHAHA... He threw a fit and took his pants off. I can picture it.

I have an 18 month old that's attached to the blanket. It only comes out for nap time too. Some days he gets really upset and stands at the door and cries for it. I simply ignore it and before long he has moved on to something else.

Thanks everyone! I think I'll start working on weaning him off the blankie except for naps. He comes the occasional half day and he doesn't even bring his blankie those days and he's fine - out of sight, out of mind! :)

The trick is getting the parents to bring it IN the bag and not child holding it in the car making you the meanie that has to yank it out of his hands - totally out of sight out of mind so he doesn't even know it came to your house but it is there in an emergency if child is having one of those days it can magically appear.