Weighted Blankets for Kids

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If you are considering a weighted product for yourself, a friend, family member or child: Please make sure you are well educated on the right weight to use, and whether use of a weighted product would be safe in your specific situation. If you are at all uncertain, please consult a qualified medical practitioner. Material provided on this site is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for qualified medical advice (more info about that here).

Are you asking yourself if It’d be a good idea to lend your weighted comforter to your kid? Or maybe you are planning on buying one for him?

Let me help you know everything you need to know when buying weighted blankets for kids.

Please note, blankets at an adult weight are probably not safe for children.

Is it Ok to Get Your Kid a Weighted Blanket?

Well, I’ll tell you about a kid I knew when I was younger, he was addicted to his blanket, and couldn’t go anywhere without it, he built a deep connection with it and whenever he lost it, he used to go into a crazy spiral of depression…

Linus and snoopy

Yeah ok, it’s Linus. You probably guessed it, and it’s highly unlikely that your kid becomes as dependant on a blanket as he did. But trust me, he can probably enjoy having it just as much.

A weighted blanket could be your secret weapon when it comes to making your kid sleep better (which means you’ll sleep better too), calming him when troubled so he can feel secure, or even if you are having problems with making him sit still.

This is because weighted comforters can help solve the disability of both body and brain, to calm down.

Of course, this would all depend on your kid’s personality, but you know him better than anyone, and we’ll talk about that later in this post.

Benefits of Weighted Blankets for Kids

Some people say that weighted blankets work like magic on their kids.

Let alone the fact that weighted blankets have many therapeutic uses, especially for non-neurotypical kids. Occupational therapists suggest that you are very likely to get benefits from one if your kid belongs to the autism spectrum.

What does this mean?

Well, if your kid is not neurotypical then he’ll probably have sensory stimulation deficiency, he won’t be able to obtain the typical stimuli that other kids can easily receive.

And weighted therapy is one of the most popular ways of dealing with that deficiency nowadays.

But even if he doesn’t, Weighted blankets and clothing are a well-researched non-invasive way to give your kid the stimulation he needs but can’t get because of his rejection towards physical touch and hugs from loved ones.

When getting weighted blankets for kids, you must know that they are actually safe, as long as you buy a good quality one and stay within a few guidelines, for example; you shouldn’t get one that’s too heavy if you want it for your toddler.

If you want to know about how to choose the proper weight for your kid click here.

At first glance, it seems like these cozy partners are totally worth their price (a good quality one can be around $80 to $200+) when it comes to the benefits they can provide. They can help in a wide variety of ways.

I also wrote a little about their cost, and why they are so expensive, in here.

At GentleWeight we’ve got some in-depth guides to the benefits they can provide for your kids (and also adults) on the next areas:

Restless Sleep and Night Terrors

You already know this:

It’s highly disrupting for your day when you can’t sleep properly, and let’s be clear, if your kid has trouble sleeping, you also will! So how can a weighted blanket help?

Well, it turns out that they have this little feature called “deep pressure touch stimulation” which, in a few words, soothes and relaxes your kid’s muscles, while at the same time makes him feel happier because of serotonin production. Thus allowing help to sleep better.

Click here to read more about weighted blankets’ benefits for sleep disorders.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD/ADD)

If your kid has ADHD/ADD, you should know that a weighted blanket won’t influence him directly, and won’t cure his disorder.

But it is well known that a huge portion of hyperactivity and lower attention spans are related to sleep depravity. And as we said –and I personally know– weighted blankets will certainly help out with that.

Click here to read more about weighted blankets’ benefits for ADHD.

Sensory Processing Disorders

You may not know exactly how SPD works, but I’ll make it simple; it’s when someone has a really hard time processing and responding to sensorial stimuli, this is something frequently seen alongside other disorders (like autism).

And even though that may be a little hard to understand, the way for weighted blankets to provide a benefit, is making the kid feel safe, granting a consistent but gentle touch that comforts him, while at the same time it allowing him to feel in control.

Click here to read more about weighted blankets’ benefits for SPD.

Autism Spectrum Disorders(ASD)

This is really a challenge for both parents and kids, and as Autism disorders are so complex, and there are so many ways to treat it, the only thing I’m focusing on here is on the properties. And again, I’m gonna say that the key is “deep pressure touch stimulation” as it is the main point of using weighted therapy blankets to calm the autistic child, allowing him to produce more serotonin or helping him get a better sleep.

Click here to read more about weighted blankets’ benefits for ASD.


If you like the idea already and would like to have a look at some popular weighted blanket options, here are some to begin with, and there is a more in depth summary of weighted blanket manufacturers on this page:

Image

Name

Fabric

Filler

Decorations

Prices & Details

Moonbow

Bamboo and polyester

Micro Glass beads

2 colors

Fun and Function

Soft Plush  cotton / polyester

Polypropylene pellets

1 color

Luxome

Ultra plush minky or luxury bamboo

Glass beads (certified lead free)

Many colours available

Mosaic 486x600

Mosaic Weighted Blankets

Cotton, minky and textured fabric choices

FDA compliant plastic pellets

Widest range of colors and patterns

Will Your Kid Like His Weighted Blanket?

You’ve been there, and have done it several times, for right or wrong.

You have tried to buy something for your kid, probably surprise him with a gift.

Or maybe just giving him something he saw on tv and then never stopped crying because he’s a little spoiled, and you know that when you buy it, you’ll receive a fair share of infinite love for a whole ten minutes.

And now, you want to get him a weighted blanket, whether it is because you know it will help him with a condition, or you just want to help him sleep better.

But as always, there’s the risk that what you got for your kid wasn’t quite what he expected, and if he didn’t expect anything then you might have completely missed the point, and end up buying something that’s going to end up in a dark corner of his closet.

And you definitely don't want that to happen.

You know how our little ones can be kind of unforgiving --sometimes even ferocious-- when it comes to receiving the wrong gifts.

So...

How Do You Know if Your Kid Will Like It?

There are some things to watch out for before buying a weighted blanket for him, and I’ll go through all of them so you can gauge if it’s the right choice, you may have an idea right now of if he would love it, and if you don't, you can try showing him some pictures of other kids using them and talk to him about how they feel. Just to be sure that he'd be ok trying it.

So let’s get to it:

Is it Going to Actually Make Him Feel Better If He Uses it?

The main concern here; if you are considering to buy a weighted blanket for him is because you feel like he needs it, don't you?

Well, if you feel like you should get one for him it probably is because of him having sleeping disorders, or any kind of condition, it might be wise to research a little to know for sure if this is going to help him get better.

After all, weighted comforters are a tad expensive to be treated as toys, and if you are getting it for your kid, you must look at it as a health investment.

Does He Like Contact?

Some human beings are just made that way, we call them kinesthetic or tactile learners, and all of us used that way of feeling the world while growing up.

But some of us are more inclined towards touching than others, and your kid might be one of them.

If you see that your kid grabs things a lot, loves playing with his toys all day, and loves his little stuffed pal, chances are he is the touchy type.

A perfect fit for a weighted blanket.

Does He Like Being Hugged?

This doesn’t apply to all kids, and it could not be the case of yours, because they might not love being hugged by people, but they can still be very receptive towards objects.

Especially if your kid has a condition belonging to the autism spectrum. These kids probably won’t enjoy human contact as much. And weighted blankets are a great way to provide them with the sensory stimuli they don’t because of the lack of that contact.

Anyway, if your child’s a hugger, there’s a strong chance he’ll love having a weighted comforter, since it’s the closest thing you’re going to have to make him feel hugged during a whole night.

Does He Get Himself Into Tight Spaces?

Pay special attention to this one:

Some children love crawling and hiding in tiny spaces, and just staying in there. They are all the opposite from claustrophobic, and will often hide inside cabinets, closets, under the bed, etc.

They do this because they feel comfortable by being surrounded, more accurately, they feel safe.

Guess what? That’s exactly what weighted blankets will provide for them.  

Does He Have Problems to Stay Still?

This is more like a solution than a measure of kid’s liking towards a weighted blanket, but it can also help him out.

When kids never stop moving it might be caused by anxiety, or the excess of energy they have.

Your kid won’t stop moving because he wants to do it.

But what if you provide them with a way of relaxing, and just caress their growing muscles, while stimulating their serotonin production?

Yep, it's a great match. Just please, don’t throw the blanket to them while they are running to try to stop them.

Be gentle and nice, and let them see for themselves that once the excessive-activity-time is over, he’s going to have that comfy blanket waiting for him to just stay still and rest.

Does He Like Blankets?

This one is a no-brainer, if he loves carrying his little blanket around (he's probably not going to be carrying the weighted one, but he might just stay quiet and close to it), or if he likes sleeping under a thick blanket, or several layers of them. He’s going to totally love it.

But you already knew that 😉

But Wait, is it Really Safe to Give my Kid a Weighted Comforter?

It's important to educate yourself about the potential harms of using weighted blankets with children. Everything has its risk, and the final decision must come down to the parent about whether they are willing to accept that risk or not.

It is really important to remember that they are indeed heavy, and the close-to-10% body weight recommendation exists for a reason. If you place a 15 lb blanket on a 50 lb kid she'd feel trapped, have a really hard time trying to move, and it could cause soreness or suffocation.

And when it comes to toddlers, you must be really careful, and never let them sleep under a heavy blanket, not even a really small one. It doesn't mean they can't use them, just that it isn't safe for them to sleep under any kind of weight. If children are using weighted blankets they should be used with supervision.

Help your friends and family learn about the amazing benefits of weighted blankets!
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