pillow / blanket / duvet - what should i use for toddler?

[rozza]

Hi Ladeez,

I hope you dont mind me picking your brains as I wondered what the conventional wisdom is on when to use a pillow or blanket / duvet for my lo. 

He is 18 months now and has always had a grobag since we stopped swaddling and is fine with that however he's about to grow out of them and i wondered if we should transition to blankets / duvets?  The grobags are great but quite pricey and I guess we wouldnt use them once he's in a big bed as they arent great for walking around in!

This might sound crazy to those of you that have always used blankets but i'm worried about him wriggling out from underneath and getting cold or worse still getting stuck under it.  He moves around A LOT at night in his cot.  What works for you? Blankets / duvets?

Also, he's never had a pillow but recently when he was ill we were snuggled on the sofa and he drifted off on one then when i put him to bed that night he asked for a pillow.  When I resist he tosses and turns on his front to get comfortable but if I relent, he lays back as if he were floating on air and falls asleep really easily on the pillow.  Even his naps have got better which is amazing as he's never been a good napper!

Actually, it's not that odd when i think about it as DH is obsessed with his pillows and making sure they are just right... i couldnt give two hoots so long as there is somewhere to lay my head.

Anyway - sorry if this all sounds a bit trivial especially if you are going through toddler sleeping troubles.. trust me we've been there too; i'm just worried about smothering etc

Any words of wisdom?

xxxx
 

[*Mona*]

hi

we've been using blankets, pillows and growbags from the very beginning.
at first very light, regular cloth diapers'ish blankets, then heavier ones.
Maja started sleeping in her big bed sometime between 18 and 20 month, I don't remember well- she jumped out of her crib and we decided to move her immediately. she never ever tried to walk out of the bed in the grobag BUT once we took her out, she would walk in it no problems.
now, she doesn't want to sleep in her grobag anymore [she's 2years 7 months old].

so, well, no 'words of wisdom' - just sharing my experience

[15milner]

Andrew is in a grobag that is for 18-36months old.

We switched Matthew to a duvet when he was 2 and a bit, when we made his cotbed into a toddler bed.

[lilmonkey]

DD had a pillow & knitted blanket since 12 mos.  Once she moved into a bed (18mos) she has a duvet.  DS has a pillow and same knitted blanket since 14 mos.  Once he's in a bed I will give him a duvet as well.  I'm not too concern aobut the smothering as the blanket is knitted.  Both dd and ds move a lot in their sleep so the blanket is not meant to keep them warm (I keep their room fairly warm) However dd is learning to not move as much now in her sleep.

[linfran]

DS is 2 and has a cot bed.  We use a pillow and a regular size 4 tog duvet - light enough so he doesn't fry under it and big enough that he can't chuck it off the bed.

[rozza]

thanks so much- this is really helpful! Think i'll stick with a small pillow and get a blanket for him to get used to in his cot along with a bigger grobag.

You guys are the best.