Well, I just had one of those moment as a mom that scare you so much you can't even fully wrap your mind around it.
I had just gotten home from purchasing supplies to make Layna a Christmas poodle skirt (oh, yeah!) and went to sneak into her room to grab one of her current skirts to use to measure. She was stirring as I opened the door, so I froze and waited for her to be still. As she calmed down, she reached up and pulled the muslin blanket off of the side of her crib and let it fall right onto her face.
Now, we have done many a test to make sure she is quite capable of removing blankets from her head before we even let one near her in her crib. So, I felt confident that she would swat it off and carry on slumbering peacefully without any commotion. I slowly shut the door to give her a second to carry out my expectations only to re-open it and find her sound asleep with it wrapped around her face.
I actually had to tug at it to get it free. Which, of course, woke her up. I gladly picked her up, held her and rocked her back to sleep. I needed to hug her!
We only allow breathable material in her crib just in case of an instance like this. But, I am so thankful we did not have to find out for sure whether or not she would have been able to receive enough oxygen underneath the layers of muslin. Most likely, had I not been there to witness this, she would have rolled over and pulled it off herself at some point. But, I don't want to think about what else could have happened.
This could have ended so differently. If I had not been there to see this, I can't imagine what would have come of it. It may have been nothing, but the "what if" of any alternative scares me to the core. If that had been a heavier or fuzzier blanket, it could have caused unthinkable damage or even death to our precious little girl.
Health officials don't warn us about these things for no reason... they are real threats and we should take them seriously. Layna is old enough and capable enough to handle sleeping with a blanket, but even she experienced a potentially dangerous situation.
Those cute little baby "comforters" that come with that perfect little bedding set? Keep it on the rocking chair or hang it on the wall or fold it and save it for much later. It's just not worth the risk. Nor is any blanket, for that matter!
Sleep sacks are amazing!! We love them, still! Please, please think twice before you allow your child to sleep with a blanket of any kind. And, especially don't EVER leave one draped over the side of the crib!
