The answer to what is blanket training lies in the name itself. You are using a blanket for your baby to help him get access to the things on it. It’s a way to train your little one’s self-control and encourage obedience, unlike a receiving blanket that warms a newborn.
This article will enlighten you about the essential things behind blanket training. It’s a good read for all parents alike, especially those who are just new to parenthood. Furthermore, you want to find out if there are drawbacks to remember when you’re blanket training your baby.
Everything You Need To Know About Blanket Training
What is blanket training?
Blanket training is a method of using a blanket to teach your baby self-control and obedience. You’ll place your child in a blanket and only allow him/her to use what’s in the blanket. The time interval varies, and parents use different disciplinary tactics or positive reinforcements when their child leaves the blanket.
However, some parents are not enthusiastic about this training method because it initially used corporal punishment or physical force when children moved out of the blanket. Nonetheless, you don’t have to include force in training because you can also do blanket training with positive reinforcement instead. This means praising your child when he/she only uses the toys in the blanket or stays on it.
What are the benefits of blanket training?
Teaching your child about the limitations of toys and activities in the blanket will enhance his/her self-control. It’s expected to lead to a more obedient child and a lesser need for control on the parent’s part later on. However, the parent’s choice is whether they’ll use corporal punishment or positive reinforcement to discipline the child.
Punishment vs reinforcement
To help you decide whether you’ll go with punishment or reinforcement, you must know how the two differ. While both can either be positive or negative, punishment aims to decrease a behavior while reinforcement aims the opposite and increase it instead. For blanket training, parents more often use positive reinforcement and praise their child when he/she stays on the blanket or only uses the activities inside.
But in the early days, parents who did blanket training used physical punishment to decrease the behavior of going out of the blanket or using the toys outside of it.
What Is The Point Of Blanket Training?
To teach boundaries
The whole point of blanket training is to teach boundaries and self-control. It was a controversial method because it originated from the book To Train Up A Child. Previously called The Pearl Technique, the process requires the parent to punish the baby if it crawls outside the blanket.
How does blanket training differ today?
The modern version of blanket training removes the punishment aspect and rewards the child instead. It can be practiced 5 minutes daily and then increase the intervals as the child progresses. Besides toys that the child doesn’t usually have access to, parents also use treats.
Should you try blanket training?
Once the child mastered self-control, they can apply it to other practices and public places outside of the home. It will allow parents to lessen their worries as kids will stay put throughout the duration they requested. However, it is in the parents’ assessment if they think blanket training will help raise their child.
What Is The Blanket Method Of Discipline?
The blanket method of discipline is what Michael and Debi Pearl promoted in their book, and it is the origin behind blanket training. It is done at a very young age to instill obedience in the child. According to this method, the parents must hit the child when he/she leaves the blanket.
What is the opinion of a children’s psychologist about this method of discipline? A concern behind this technique is it will leave the question of “why” still unanswered by the child. Remember that children must always understand the purpose of what you teach them and not just why they must stay in the blanket.
Do The Duggars Use Blanket Training?
It is unclear which Duggar children have used blanket training, but Michelle practiced a similar method she calls “quiet and still.” According to her, it’s practiced twice or thrice a day to teach them self-control and obedience. On the other hand, Amy King prefers her son to be more curious than being trained at a very young age.
What Is The Pearl Method Of Discipline?
As we have briefly mentioned, blanket training has its roots in the Pearl method. But because of the physical disciplinary procedures recommended for it, many parents have condemned using it for their children. The punishments reported including hitting with belts or spoons and even exposing children to cold weather.
Remember never to physically punish children of any age as it wouldn’t help them learn valuable lessons. They won’t find the reason why they’re being hurt and will only feel pain.
Conclusion
Did you know that blankets are also used for teaching children? Knowing more about what is blanket training in this article, you have understood that it aims to teach children self-control. He/she must never go out of the blanket or use toys that are outside of it.
However, you should always consult with your child’s doctor regarding your little one’s appropriate disciplinary methods. Your child must always understand the reason behind reinforcement or punishment.