Security blanket or suffocation risk??

[pen73]

A friend gave my DD some lovely 'silkies', 20cm squares of satin with a soft cotton backing to put behind her head to stop the hair wearing off in the early days and to then become a 'transitional object', security blanket type thingy. She has slept with it since 3 months but now at 7 months I'm getting increasingly worried about the risk of suffocation it might pose. DD is a thumb sucker and for the last months or so, she has incorporated rubbing her hand on the silky surface and often grabs the corner between her fingers. The kind of things you see plenty of kinds doing, and I myself had a satin edged blanket I used to rub against my top lip whilst thumb sucking until around aged 4, but she's just little still. The square isn't huge, there is only a bit that protrudes around her head that she can get hold of but I am worried that as she is becoming more mobile, she is twisting over and sometime grabs it with the other hand too. Sometimes she gets it over her thumb and into her mouth. I try to remind myself that she can easily fall asleep with a mouthful of boob and still breath on, but I'm getting anxious about it. Especially wondering what happens when she starts rolling right over and could it cover her face. I've taken it away tonight and she spent about 10 mins rubbing her hand furiously back and forth along the sheet trying to find it and swapping sides, one thumb then the other. The only thing that stopped her getting really agitated and waking was that she's really tired. I'm worried she won't be able to self-settle during the night without and that we'll have nights of hell ahead, just when sleep is finally going well. Should I leave it and let her have her comfort or is it a silly idea to risk suffocation even if a small risk? The friend who made it used it with both her DDs but they weren't thumb suckers. Your experiences and thoughts please!

[lazycow]

Is there any way you can cut a smaller piece for her to use in the cot - that way she can still hold it but it won't be big enough to cover her face?

[DLI]

My son is just over two. He has sucked a blanket since being very little. I took it off him and he just sucked his cot sheet - still doing it now.

[pen73]

She's so unhappy without it that I'm giving in and trying not to worry. It seems to be such a common thing for babes to do and no-one has reported problems. I guess my next battle will be with keeping it in the cot, for sleep times only.