11 Ways to Stop a Toddler From Kicking off Blankets

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As babies grow older, their muscles become strong enough to kick their blankets off while in bed. But while it is great for babies to develop strong muscles, sleeping without a cover can be undesirable.

When toddlers sleep without a blanket, they are prone to being cold, and the quality of their sleep may drop. Of course, no parent wants this to happen to their baby. So, whenever toddlers kick their blankets off, the parents cover them up again. But this can quickly become a hassle, especially if the toddler keeps kicking the blankets off.

Instead of covering toddlers up each time they kick their blankets off, you can put measures in place to ensure the blankets stay on. But what are these options?

In this article, we discuss 11 ways to stop a toddler from kicking off blankets. We also talk about the reasons toddlers kick their blankets off and much more.

11 Ways to Stop a Toddler From Kicking off Blankets

Cover Your Toddler With a Lighter Blanket

Blankets made with heavier materials will most likely make your toddler uncomfortable. Heavy blankets will apply unpleasant pressure on sleeping toddlers, making them feel crowded. Besides that, heavy blankets will make your child hot, and the child would become sweaty.

Since heavy materials are typically not breathable, the moisture will remain on the child. And this will make the child uncomfortable.

To ensure your toddler’s comfort, opt for lighter blankets. The material should be breathable and lightweight. So, the child will not get hot and sweaty as easily.

You may also ensure that the blanket is stretchy. This way, the baby gets some room to stretch while under the blanket.

Ensure the Blanket Is Clean

stack of clean beige checkered wool blankets on a wooden chest.

This goes without saying, but if your toddler’s blanket is not clean, they will not be comfortable in it. An unclean blanket would most likely smell bad. Of course, the unpleasant odor may drive your child to kick it off.

Besides the odor, an unclean blanket may irritate your child’s skin and cause itchiness. In response to this, the toddler may kick the blanket off.

So, to ensure your toddler stops kicking the blanket off, keep the blanket clean.

Do Not Cover Them up Excessively

In a bid to ensure babies stay warm, parents sometimes cover them up with too many blankets. Obviously, this is counterproductive; toddlers are sure to get uncomfortable when they are covered up excessively. To find comfort, they will kick off the blankets you covered them with.

Blankets are highly likely to be excessive in the first phase of a baby’s sleep since that is when they typically sweat the most.

Cover your toddler with just enough blankets to keep the cold out. Do not go overboard.

Use a Premade Swaddle Wrap Instead

Blankets are sometimes too small to cover babies in the swaddle position, so they loosen on their own. But if you cover your toddler with a premade swaddle wrap instead, you can get past this issue.

Get a Baby Sleep Sack or Sleeping Bag

When toddlers start kicking their blankets off, they may just want some extra space to move their limbs around. To solve this problem, get a baby sleep sack or sleeping bag.

Sleep sacks and sleeping bags typically come with little resistance in the sides. So, toddlers can move their limbs around more readily inside them. Besides, the coziness of sleeping bags and sacks can give a womb-like sensation to babies.

Try Keeping the Blanket off Their Feet

Some babies do not like having a blanket cover their feet while they sleep. So, you may try keeping the cover off your toddler’s feet while they sleep. This method may not work for every child.

Do Not Let Them Get Overexcited Before They Go to Bed

When babies get too excited before going to sleep, there is a high chance that they will kick their blankets off. The excitement might linger beyond their wakeful state – some parts of their brain might remain excited in their sleep, prompting them to kick their blankets and sleep talk.

So, to keep them from kicking their blankets off, do not let babies get too excited before they go to bed.

Turn the Lights in Their Room Off

Ensure you turn all the lights in your baby’s room off when taking the baby to bed. Lights can alter the transition between the sleep cycles, and this can reduce the quality of your baby’s sleep.

With exposure to light, your baby may wake up repeatedly, and when awake, the baby may kick the blankets off.

Do Not Let the Toddler’s Room Get Too Dry or Too Humid

It is easier to sweat under dry conditions. So, if your toddler’s room is too dry, the baby will sweat more easily. Of course, you already know sweating will make babies uncomfortable in a blanket. In response, they may kick the blanket off.

On the other hand, if the room is too humid, sweat will remain on the baby’s body longer.

The longer the sweat stays on the child’s skin, the more uncomfortable the child will get. Obviously, to find comfort, the child may kick the blanket off.

So, ensure that the humidity in the baby’s room is moderate.

Cover Them Fully After They Have Sweated

Instead of covering them up from the start, you can try covering your toddlers after they have sweated in the first few hours of their sleep.

Don’t Bother Covering Them With a Blanket

If you have tried everything and nothing works, you could try not covering your toddlers with a blanket. Some babies will keep kicking the blankets off no matter what you do. But when they grow older, they may come to accept blankets.

If you are going to place your baby in bed without a blanket, ensure their pajamas offer enough warmth. This way, you know they will not get cold.

8 Reasons Toddlers Kick Their Blankets Off

Toddlers kick their blankets off for various reasons, including the following:

They are too hot inside the blanket. Of course, heat is uncomfortable, so the child will eventually kick the blanket off while searching for cooler air.
The blanket is too thick/heavy. A heavy blanket will apply some pressure on the toddlers and deprive them of soothing comfort.
They need more space to move within the blanket. Blankets that restrict movement will eventually be knocked off as the baby moves in its sleep.
Toddlers may kick their blankets off if they have gotten too wet from sweating. The moisture is sure to make them uncomfortable. So, they try to remove the cover to find comfort.
The child may have a super active sleep pattern. So, while asleep, the child will turn, toss, and kick.
Their pajamas may already be warm enough, so the blanket may just be overburdening them.
Their room or sleeping environment is not comfortable. If babies sleep in an area with too much light or noise, their sleep may be disturbed. When their sleep is interrupted, they may toss, kick, and turn over while asleep, and their blanket may be kicked off.
Toddlers may also kick their blankets off if they have a health issue. For one, children with anemia may become irritable. So, they will readily kick blankets off if they get uncomfortable in their sleep. If you notice such in your baby, get the child to a medical doctor.

11 Ways to Stop a Toddler From Kicking off Blankets

11 Ways to Stop a Toddler From Kicking off Blankets