Laundry Advice for Son's Blanket

I would buy a couple more blankets and wash them in the same detergent before he gets one. That way it will smell the same as his old favorite.

Try putting baking soda in with the detergent, it'll help keep it clean & fresh (& maybe softer) w/o adding harmful chemicals, especially since he sucks on it! The rash, like someone else suggested, may be due to him just sucking and the dry air. (Like licking chapped lips - it just makes it worse.) And I'd try getting a replacement to alternate w/ maybe he won't use it, but then maybe he will!

For the next baby just buy two or three of the same blankies and alternate them each night so that they age together and keep the same feel and smell and they will last longer.

As far as your 14 month old, this will be a little more difficult, because babies attached to one blankie and want only that one to the exception of all others. Buy another one that is exactly the same and try to wash it and dry it several times to age it, then take the new blanket and try to introduce it during the day at first, rub the old blankie on the new one in an attempt to impart the old smell onto the new. LOL with this; he may have to just tough it out for a few nights. It won't be easy but it's got to be done. When my kids were little we started out with small. silky, lightweight blankets and as they got older and uglier, (the blankets, not the kids), we cut them down a little bit at a time until they got smaller and smaller and finally were down to an envelope-sized piece. They really looked bad, but I saved all three of them, and when I moved I found them up in the closet and showed them to my adult children and one of them said, "oh my blankie and snuggled it under her nose and took it home to put in her attic in a baggie for posterity. It was very nostalgic.

Good luck with trying to replace your baby's lion blankie; I know the one you are describing and it's not all that big to begin with so I think you may have a difficult time leaving just a small piece in the crib; especially since he sucks on it. However, if you buy a new one that is exactly the same and cut and attach a piece of the old one to it,he will still smell that familiar scent and, perhaps, in time, you may be able to get rid of the small piece entirely and the new blankie will reign. Grandma in Westchester

I don't know how to improve the texture of the fabric, but I advise you to buy several more blankets. Rotate them, so each will last longer.

put some white vinegar in the wash. I use about half a cup in every load.

Hi S.,

I am a boutique owner and make my own blankets and snuglies (security blankets) and the advice I give is to wash these soft items in cold water on gentle cycle, then air dry or dry on VERY low. It is the heat of the dryer that is causing his lil blankie to lose it's softness and unfortunately, I don't think that you'll be able to bring it back from scratchy. :(

So sorry I could'nt be of more help. Best wishes : )

R.

I use the Purex Baby. I find it at ShopRite and love it. Buying the 2nd identical blankie may work or may back fire. My daughter had 2 blankets she loved and went every where. A friend gave me another one ALMOST identical to the one and now she has 3 to drag around. I have even tried washing them and hidding one but she understands the concept of 3(she's 2yo) and when she doesn't have all she screams until she gets all 3. A.

The rash may not be from the blanket, but from the sucking itself. My son gets a rash around his mouth anytime he sucks his thumb, just from the moisture. I try to use aquafor as a barrier.

I SO hear you! my dgtr is 28 months old and still sucks on the same blanket. There are 3 she sleeps with - but only one that she will use to suck, suck, suck on until the beautiful off-white blanket with maroon piping has turned into an off white blanket with yellow tinged yuck as an outer border before the maroon piping. I can't get it clean - doesn't smell - but it's ugly!

Make sure you use natural detergents though - especially if he is sucking on it - the brand ones have lots of nasty chemicals in them that aren't great for your skin even (including Tide among all the rest). I try to use a natural detergent - I haven't really noticed irritation around her mouth unless I use something harsh to wipe her face clean - like a baby wipe. He may just have sensitive skin too - use natural and fragrance free. Good luck

My 16 month old has a blankie too! However, I have 4 of them and I rotate them. Also, I wash them in Tide Free & Clear and they are still soft. I suggest you get more of them while you still can. My nephew has a favorite stuffed animal and you can't get it anymore, so there's really a problem there. As long as you can still get the blanket, get it or you'll be sorry later.

Hi,

I use wash w/ no phosphates or detergents as you will find exists in Dreft & Ivory Snow. Perhaps Seventh Generation or Mrs. Meyers will help w/ eliminating the irritants on your child;s wash. My son too is very sensitive and I also had our water checked and found that there were a lot of chemicals in it so I added a shower filter to the shower and a drinking water filter in the kitchen and run a bath through the shower filter & hose. One site for the info is Aquasana.
For his bath, I use a soap you can find online at secretsofsuzanne.com . It is called Grandma's Lye Soap. It worked like nothing else.
Good Luck!

C.

My daughter is three now and with her blankie getting more and more rough around the edges with every wash I could kick myself for mot buying multiples. I would go out and buy two or even three of them if I were you. When you alternate them they will all become equally as used and you always have backup in case you can't wash it right away or if it ever got lost or left somewhere. If he immediately knows the new on is not his own just wash it a couple times.

How would you like a blanket (& clothes) to be washed without using detergents anymore and no need for hot water and saving your hot water for dishes and shower/baths? There is a machine to hook up to your washer and has silver ions in it that actually cleans the water coming into the washer and no need to worry about your clothes fading in color and ruined because of the detergents. When we got it and washed our clothes, we saw detergents soap in the water meaning that the soap was coming of the clothes, towels, etc. So, we were basically wearing clothes and drying our bodies with towels with soap in them. Perhaps the same with your child sucking the blanket with soap in the fabrics....? If you are interested, we have meetings where people can see it done and have a few articles of clothing to show the works of it along with anything else they're interested in. Here is the website to check into it and let me know when you are interested evaluating one of our purifiers for a 7 risk-free evaluations www.ecoquest.com/truax Let me know anything I can help you with. Glod bless and may you receive Jesus's Wisdom in all you need to do for you and your family. I will pray for you and your family.

Try washing it inside a tied-closed pillowcase.

I agree with the other moms - try and buy another blanket, if you can find it. My son also has a favorite blanket that goes with him everywhere. When I figured out it was his lovey, I bought three others to rotate through when one would hit the wash. He doesn't seem to know the difference, or it just doesn't bother him.

If you can't find another blanket, I would perhaps not continue to put the one he has into the dryer. I know it takes longer, but letting it air dry might save it from falling apart.

Good luck to you!

Definitely buy a bunch more and wash them together with the old one. Dont let him know that you have more than one, of course, and switch it in the middle of the night when necessary. I would wash in cold and dry lightly. Use a fabric softener, but an all natural one and sparingly. Detergent sparingly too as he puts it in his mouth. If you switch it in the middle of the night, it will already have his scent on it by morning and he wont notice the difference. Hopefully! Best of luck.

I would just buy another one and keep the old one just incase he doesn't take to it.