Before I had kids, I thought that you only lost sleep the
first six weeks after a child was born.
Boy, was I naïve! I never
realized that sleep problems continue and change as children grow and their world expands.
My first born Jonas is already three. He used to be a great sleeper, and then last
summer the nightmares started. First he
was scared that a truck was going to drive into his room, then later he had a
horrible fear of elephants. In addition
to this, his blankets were always falling off his bed and he would call out a
few times a night, “Mama, tuck me in!”
The bedding issue was more complicated then it sounds. Three year olds are picky! Jonas has three blankets, one fleece, one
fake down blanket and one crocheted. He
needs to have them on in that order, too.
Like I said, three year olds know what they want.
I finally decided to make him a new blanket that combined
what he loved about the other three. I
knew that I would have to sell it well, or he wouldn’t accept it, so I worked
hard at making it perfect. I got blue
fleece for the underside of the blanket and construction vehicle material for
the other side. I put a slit on the
bottom where a down blanket could be put in for more warmth in the winter and
added a piece of extra material that could be tucked under the mattress so that
the blanket wouldn’t fall off.
Luckily, the nightmares have gotten a bit better as he has
started to understand the difference between reality and dreams and he’s not
waking up as often as he used to. Jonas also loves his new blanket. He is entirely capable now of tucking himself
in, although he prefers to do it with one leg always on top of the blanket and
one underneath. I don’t mind, as long as he falls back asleep.
I also decided that since I had the sewing machine out, I might as well make a blanket for Lukas, too. He is now getting old enough to like a blanket and be capable of keeping one on at night. Lukas's blanket is a bit smaller and can also be used as a duvet-cover, only I did not add the extra flap on the bottom. As you can see on the pictures, both boys loved their comfy blankies.
How-to:
2. Now, sew the
bottom end of the fleece and the flap of the top material by folding over the
edges of the material twice and making a nice seam.
3. Lay the two pieces
of material on top of each other with the good sides facing each other. Pin all edges. First sew the bottom of the fleece where you
have made the seam to the top material about 10 inches in on both sides. This hole is where you can add the duvet
later when the weather gets cold. You
can add snaps if you want so that the duvet stays inside. Then sew the other three sides of the blanket
together and turn back righ-side-in. For
a finishing touch, iron the blanket flat and sew around the edges from the
outside one more time. Your blanket is
finished! Good job!
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