Can pre-teens sleep safely with blankets around their heads?

[Slipper]

My oldest daughter has started a practice that I find a bit alarming. (Reminder - she has autism, anxiety, non-verbal, limited comprehension so I cannot discuss this with her). She will take a light-weight blanket and press it against her face. It covers her from neck to above her head and all the way around her ears. She likes to roll back and forth to settle herself for bed which means that it continues to bunch around her face. By the time she falls asleep, there is no blanket on her body, it's all wrapped around her face in one big ball. It appears tightly wrapped because it's tucked in on each side.

 

This seemed to start right after her tonsil/adenoid/tube surgery and I was hoping it was temporary but it seems to be getting worse. Last night, I had untucked her but she woke up and re-rolled herself. The other girls noticed it and untucked her but came and got me because her head was hot and her hair was completely soaked with sweat.

 

This doesn't sound like it would be safe and I worry about suffocation. But, I worry about a lot of things so I'm hoping someone here can tell me if this is a legitimate concern?

 

Also, any brainstorming of things to do to stop this would be appreciated. She will do it with sheets as well. The only thing I can think of is maybe this is a sensory thing and perhaps if I make sure it's dark and quiet in her room it will help? I also thought that maybe her ears might still be bothering her (very ear sensitive) since she's had diminished hearing for quite a while apparently and perhaps some ibuprofen before bedtime?

 

I'd love some suggestions.

[celticmom]

It doesn't sound safe to me either but I don't know for sure. You could make something similiar to the sleep sacks that are sold for infants and remove the blankeet and top sheet from her bed. My mother made similiar items for me when I was little after I tangled myself up in a blanket(early '70s long before the sleep sack was marketed).

[Maverick_Mom]

Ds2, who has Asperger's and sensory issues, sleeps wrapped up in a blanket, including his head. It hasn't ever been a problem.

 

I read a book years ago about several children in one family who died mysteriously over a period of years. The mother claimed that they got wrapped up in their blankets and suffocated. (She was later found to have murdered at least one of them.) Anyway, these were not infants. The one whose age I remember was 5. A doctor who testified at the mother's trial said that once you get past a certain age in early childhood, it is very unlikely that you will suffocate from your blankets being wrapped around you. He said that the body has an instinctive will to live and breathe and that it will fight to get the blankets off it, even when you're asleep, to get the air it needs to survive. It's an automatic response, and as long as you have the motor ability to thrash and twist around to get out of those blankets (which an infant might not have but an older child would), your body will make sure you do not suffocate.

 

Not sure if that's helpful or not, and it's certainly not the definitive word, but I thought I'd pass it on.

[athena1277]

If you want to stop her from doing it, you could sew then foot end of her blanket or sheet to the fitted sheet. Maybe even make it a little short, so she can't pull it up to her neck.

[Slipper]

Thanks for the suggestions. I had also heard that at some age then kids will wake up in order to breathe. She does take medication and I'm not sure if that would inhibit that or not (though it's not a lot).

 

I plan to try everything suggested here so please keep any ideas coming. :)

[jeninok]

Could you try giving her a mummy bag type sleeping bag to sleep in? They come up around your head and have a drawstring to tighten it down, that might give the feeling of security without risking her getting all tangled up or hurt.

[Murphy101]

Just a thought since she isn't verbal.

 

When my ears hurt, I sleep with my pillow and or palm firm against my ears. I wonder if she is hurting a bit and sorta trying to get that type of relief?

 

During the day, I can usually ignore it. But at night it's harder to do. Or the ceiling fan blowing against me hurts the ear facing up.

[Slipper]

Just a thought since she isn't verbal.

 

When my ears hurt, I sleep with my pillow and or palm firm against my ears. I wonder if she is hurting a bit and sorta trying to get that type of relief?

 

During the day, I can usually ignore it. But at night it's harder to do. Or the ceiling fan blowing against me hurts the ear facing up.

 

This is part of what we are wondering. She always presses her hands against her ears but for the past couple of years, it was constant. During a tonsil check a couple of months ago they realized that she had significant issues with her ears and that her hearing was greatly diminished.

 

They said the surgery would help her hear clearly (which for her, might be construed as painful). They also said that her ears may hurt for several weeks after surgery (which was about three weeks ago).

 

I have several options for what may be going on. I'll try ibuprofen at night first and perhaps more pillows. I remember when the girls were younger, laying down made ear pain worse.