HELP! My 4-year-Old Sleeps With a Blanket Over Head
Sleeping with a blanket over the head may seem like a cause of concern for so many parents, but let me tell you it is actually quite a common habit among kids (even in adults).
I understand watching your 4-year-old sleeping with a blanket over his head makes you think of suffocation, so it is necessary to know why he takes on the blanket over his head and what can be done to eliminate such a habit.
Is it safe for 4-year-olds to sleep with the blanket over their head:
Though 4-year-olds can move their blanket away from their head if they feel suffocated, what if the blanket gets tangled badly and does not come off by a 4-year-old?
In that case, it could be extremely dangerous for him and chances are there for suffocation.
As a blanket restricts the oxygen and the airways of a 4-year-old are smaller, it could be harmful to them if they get stuck under the blanket.
So it is important to monitor such kids while they sleep and it is better to work on getting over such habits.
You can switch to a sleep sack (wearable blankets) instead of typical blankets to keep your child from covering his head while sleeping.
Why would a 4-year-old sleep with a blanket overhead?
Let’s find out the reasons why your 4-year-old might be sleeping with his face covered under the blanket.
1- Habit:
Sometimes some habits do not have any background or any solid reason for adapting them.
So maybe your child has simply developed the habit of sleeping with the blanket over his head.
2- To restrict light and noise:
Some kids need complete silence and dark while they sleep, such kids tend to take the blanket to their head to restrict light or noise.
Then certainly it becomes their habit if they continuously hear noise or see light around them.
3- Comfort:
You must have heard that many kids love to snuggle and sleep with a favorite blanket, as it provides them with a sense of security and help them feel cozy and warm. These children enjoy the feeling of being tightly tucked inside the blanket and covering it to their heads.
4- Provides security:
Some children associate security with their belongings, for most of the kids it is their blanket or their favorite bedtime toy. Wrapping around their comfortable belonging help them feel more secure and calm.
5- Fear or anxiety:
Your child may be covering his face with the blanket because he is sacred or anxious. It could be a fear of the dark or waking up from bad dreams, so to feel safer and secure he is covering his head.
6- Copying someone:
If someone at your home has a habit of sleeping with the blanket over the head then maybe your child tries to copy him and after copying someone, sleeping with the blanket over the head becomes his consistent habit.
7- Feels cold:
Taking the blanket over the head is the most common reflex by anyone when the surrounding gets very cold.
Your 4-year-old might take the blanket over his head because he cannot bear the temperature of his room and wants to get snuggled under the blanket.
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Solution:
The perfect solution should be “switch to the sleep sack instead of a blanket”. Let’s discuss all the tips that could be useful for keeping your 4-year-old from sleeping with his head covered in the blanket.
1- Know the reason and work accordingly:
To overcome the habit of your child taking the blanket over the head, first, you need to notice and know the reason why he does that.
Talk to the child and ask him why he takes his blanket to his head the moment he decides to sleep.
Tell him that it is not safe for him to sleep like this and that it is better to sleep with a blanket on his shoulders.
I understand that some kids take the blanket over their heads when they are fast asleep, so for that, you need to see if he is facing any of the reasons mentioned above.
2- Provide alternatives like sleep sacks:
The perfect solution to this problem is a sleep sack.
A sleep sack can be the best replacement for your 4-year-old.
Your child may show resistance to using the sleep sack at first, but you can make the process smooth and fun by involving him in it.
For example, introduce the sleep sack and tell him “See what I am planning to get you”, “A SLEEP SACK”, then ask him to select one for himself.
Once he chooses it, and when it finally comes to your home, incorporate a sleeping sack in your child’s routine slowly and gradually.
Just like changing into night pjs is the consistent routine, ask your child to layer up one more cloth that is a sleep sack.
They use HIGH-quality Australian merino wool with GOTS-certified organic cotton for the outer garment. The breathable Australian merino makes it a good temperature regulator and a perfect fit for all four seasons.
Woolino toddler sleeping sacks come with shoulder snaps and inverted one-way zippers making it easier for parents or care-taker to unzip the child. The foot opening is great for easy walking.
At Woolino Toddler, you can easily find sacks for a 4-year-old child.
3- Provide a safe sleeping environment.
Ensure that the child’s bed is free from any danger or distractions that could cause him to cover his blanket over the head.
If he has mentioned that he is scared of dark or sacred from a specific toy in the room.
Remove it immediately and provide dim lights so that he can easily see around the room.
This night light by Projectables can be the best night light for kids who love cartoon characters.
This light when get plugged up shows the image of your child’s favorite movie character on the ceiling or floor wherever you direct it.
The light it gives is soft and gives a soothing effect in the room.
4- Dress him properly, especially in winter.
If your child is not getting used to sleeping sacks, then dress him properly according to the season and weather of the area where you live.
Control the heater temperature at night when the temperature drops quickly in the late hours.
5- Tuck the blanket in the sides of the bed:
When you see your child has slept after the bedtime rituals, try tucking his blanket under the mattress in a way that it cannot come off easily.
So if your child simply takes the blanket over the head out of habit, he will find it difficult to pull it out in sleep.
6- Consult a doctor to check his nose airways/Sinus issues:
Sharing my personal experience, I used to put on a blanket over my head when I was a child because I had sinus issues.
Keeping the blanket over my head used to keep my breathing normal because in winter the air would dry out my nose to an extent that I could not breathe normally.
In summer the air from Air Conditioner used to block my airways.
So I used to go inside the blanket to keep my nose away from the outer temperature.
So you should get your child checked by a doctor to see if he is facing any issues like me.
