Smelly blanket

It should be fine. Just wash it first thing in the morning after he wakes up so there's enough time to dry before nap time. If it needs to air dry, you will need to get a second similar blanket and hope it does the job temporarily.

You could wash it overnight after he's fallen asleep. Put it in a hot room and it will dry overnight.

My daughter uses a blanket to sleep and comfort herself and she's obsessed. We wash it all the time (so does daycare) and she doesn't care. I would get him used to it being washed as soon as you can! When they start getting sick all the time you're going to want to be able to wash it often.
We bought her a second replacement blanket and she knows the difference but she doesn't mind having two. She calls one her soft blanket and one her spikey blanket lol. Can you tell which one was washed a lot? Hahaha

It’s so hot at the mo it would probably dry really quickly in between his naps x

I would ask your father in law what kind of yarn he used before you wash it and google how to wash that particular type of yarn. Acrylic washes different than cotton and the texture can come out kinda weird after a few washes.

Agreed to check the fibre content before washing. If you want it to be less nasty but still have the right smell, try washing it in just water (whatever temp is appropriate for the yarn's fiber content), then roll it in a towel and lay it out flat.

I have a blanket like this, but that belongs to a cat, so when it gets really nasty, I just run it through the dryer on a low setting to get the grime off of it without "ruining" it for her.

rolling it up in a towel and stomping on it, and then unroll to air dry will help it go faster. Could be a fun activity for the kids to help with too 😂

Wash either once they’re sleeping for the night or as soon as they wake up. Failing that you can get sprays from dettol and fabreze that are suitable for clothing/soft toys that kill germs and refresh the smell. It might not be as good as washing it, but might be easier time wise and dependent on ur meant to wash it due to yarn etc.
I generally use the sprays on soft toys or the carpet once I’ve cleaned up any spillages.

also dunno how long ago it was that it originally got knitted but could a spare be made so u can replace when washing it or heaven forbid u ever misplace it.

Sounds cruel but you'll just gonna need to wash it and try and occupy another way while it's gone x x

I’d just wash it whilst he is asleep x