In this guide you will find out what makes the ideal weight blanket for children & which models are particularly worthwhile.
Parents often want their children to be able to sleep carefree and restful at night. A trouble-free, good night’s sleep works wonders for family life and wellbeing.
Children diagnosed with developmental disorders often have great difficulty falling asleep.
How can you naturally and effectively support your child and promote sleep? A weight blanket offers the solution.
Weight blankets for children are also known as therapy blankets.
- Weight blankets help children who suffer from ADHD, Asperger’s, Down syndrome, autism and other psychophysical diseases.
- Sleep researchers have been able to confirm the therapeutic effects of weighted blankets for children.
But how do weight blankets affect the body and how do you find the right blanket for your child?
I would like to answer these and other questions for you in this guide.
One of my favorites especially for children is the ANJEE weighted blanket:
Index
How do weight blankets even work?
For me, the idea was initially relatively strange and difficult to understand at first. Why should a weighted blanket be better than an ordinary duvet and at the same time be able to work even more efficiently?
Weight blankets are designed to help children with insomnia :
- The weighted blanket exerts a comfortable and firm pressure on the body.
- The pressure from the blanket is evenly distributed over your child’s body.
- This activates deep-seated receptors.
As a result, the happiness hormone serotonin and the sleep hormone melatonin are released so that your child can fall asleep peacefully.
The weight blanket (also called therapy blanket) makes possible fears and intrusive thoughts disappear and calms the body so that you can sleep through the night.
Info: You can find out more about the function and structure, such as the filling, in the comprehensive guide to weighted blankets .
Why do weight blankets for children have a therapeutic purpose?
Therapy blankets are a synonym for weighted blankets. That might sound a bit strange at first. A blanket that is used for therapeutic purposes?
Weight blankets should help against stress and sleep problems as well as anxiety, ADHD or panic attacks, among other things.
Therapy blankets have already been successful in treating autism (ASD), Asperger’s syndrome (AS) and sensory integration disorders (SID).
Therapy blankets are mainly used in hospitals and other medical facilities, where they are supposed to give children a healthy sleep and recovery.
They are often used especially in the nursing of the youngest patients.
So you are not new. But the use of therapy blankets in the private sector is a trend.
How heavy should a weight blanket for children be?
There is no golden rule for the exact ideal weight of a weighted blanket for children.
- On the one hand, it should of course not be too light, as otherwise the desired positive additional effects of a weighted blanket would fizzle out during sleep.
- On the other hand, the weighted blanket should not be too heavy on your child’s body and appear oppressive in the truest sense of the word.
After all, your child’s sleep should be relaxing and carefree.
Rule of thumb: As a rough guideline, the weight blanket for children should be 10% of the body weight of your son or daughter.
- 3 kg bei ca. 30 kg
- 4 kg bei ca. 40 kg
- 5 kg bei ca 50 kg
- and so on …
A subsequent problem in this matter that should not be despised is, of course, the rapid growth of children’s bodies.
Because for every centimeter of body length gained, your son or daughter will gain weight sooner or later.
What should I consider before buying a weighted blanket for children?
In addition to the weight of the blanket, you should also pay attention to the correct size, the age of your child and the price-performance ratio.
The right size
A few months ago I wrote about the crux of having the right blanket size in the guide “The best cots in the test” .
You can also follow these tips and hints when choosing a weighted blanket. After all, the ceiling shouldn’t be too big or too small.
- In general, the standard size for a children’s duvet is 100 × 125 cm.
- This size is sufficient for toddlers and children between 4 and 10 years of age.
If your child is growing very quickly and even the cot no longer offers enough space, you can also consider weighted blankets for adults.
Then pay particular attention to the weight of the blanket.
From what age are weight blankets suitable?
There are no upper limits in terms of age. Weighted blankets can be used into adulthood in order to use the positive effects for a restful sleep.
But what about the lower end of the age scale? When are weight blankets for children worthwhile?
For babies under 12 months, I strongly advise you to seek advice from a pediatrician.
Important: Do not try any experiments with the weighted blankets and your child. You put your baby in danger by incorrectly storing your weight on your body.
From the first year of life, weighted blankets can be used for children without hesitation.
There are special sleeping bags or swaddling towels for babies and toddlers from 12 months , which produce an effect similar to that of a therapy blanket.
Prices vary a lot
During my research and when comparing the blankets, I particularly noticed the strong price fluctuations between the various models from the manufacturers.
A few basic rules are:
- Heavy and large blankets are more expensive.
- Handmade blankets also cost more and more money.
- There are only a few real children’s designs – the look remains rather neutral.
For my following product test I was able to find some great specimens with childlike motifs at affordable prices.
Now that I’ve hopefully answered the key questions on this topic, I’d like to share with you three of my top recommendations for baby weight blankets.
Recommendation: Great designs for boys and girls
I was very impressed when I compared different weighted blankets from the manufacturer Anjee. The many great motifs in a child-like look are the icing on the cake next to the excellent quality and a low price.
Your child will definitely find a favorite blanket among six different designs (Autowelt, Dinopark, Ocean Dream, Pink Leopard, Pink Cats, Animal Paradise):
But not only the motifs are flexible. You can also choose between three different weight classes.
As an example, I have chosen ‘Dinopark’ with a weight of 2.4 kg. This makes this therapy blanket suitable for small children.
Info: The price differences within the various designs and weight classes are very small.
The material made of 100% cotton ensures better breathability and temperature control so that your child can dream peacefully.
In addition, only environmentally friendly, safe and non-toxic glass beads are used in processing.
In addition to the qualitative arguments, a very remarkable statement surprised and convinced me at the same time:
The manufacturer grants a lifetime guarantee for any quality problem.
Recommendation: Premium weight blankets
Well. I have to admit that I wrote about affordable weight blankets before. A luxury variant actually falls out of the grid because of the high price.
Weighted blanket with butterflies
Nevertheless, I would like to introduce you to a special model for young people:
In terms of weight, this therapy blanket is a real chunk with up to 12 kg. Perhaps less suitable for small children, but much more suitable for teenagers and adults.
- What is interesting about the weight blankets from TherapyDecke is that there are no price differences in the weight classes (4kg, 6kg, 8kg, 10kg, 12kg).
- The price remains the same as the weight increases, and theoretically you save a little money per kilogram of heavier blankets.
This weighted blanket deserves its proud price due to the handcrafted production in Europe and the fact that 100% organic cotton from sustainable forestry is processed.
In addition, it is ideal for allergy sufferers and can also be washed in washing machines at 30 degrees.
Gravity weight blanket
However, there is another model from the same manufacturer with similar high-quality features at a luxurious price:
This therapy blanket for children has a summer cover. You can make your child’s sleep more comfortable by reacting to the time of year and the associated temperatures.
If, in spite of this, your budget does not allow for a big leap for a therapy blanket, you can make it yourself.
Make weight blanket yourself
Of course, you also have the option of sewing a weighted blanket yourself.
In addition to a minimum level of talent in handling textile production and the necessary tools, the time factor is a prerequisite.
On a rainy Sunday afternoon it will not be enough to sew a weighted blanket yourself. You have to spend a little more time and patience for this.
You will need these tools if you want to sew a weighted blanket for children yourself:
- Many pieces of fabric, each varying in size
- Solid cotton fabric, e.g. an old bed sheet or upholstery fabric
- Rice or glass beads (weight of the child x 0.10 = required amount)
- Scissors, pen, pins, sewing machine
- rug
Tip: You can use colored scraps of fabric as well as ready-made patchwork fabric packages.
At www.familie.de you can read through a simple description that is also suitable for beginners and put it into practice step by step.
Alternatively, www.crafting-cafe.de has very detailed instructions for a colorful weighted blanket for children.
Practical: weight blanket that grows with the child
In principle, products for children that grow with the child describe a trend that manufacturers have recognized and are making use of.
Children’s products that grow with the child adapt to the growing condition of your child over several years.
The same applies to weighted blankets for children that grow with them:
- They can be adjusted as you gain weight.
- In this way, the 10% rule can also be continuously met with body weight.
If you choose one of these therapy blankets for children with the addition “grows with them”, the blanket will not at some point be too small for your child or too big for the blanket.
Weighted blankets that grow with the child have both a longer shelf life and an extended period of use.
Of course, this benefits the parents and the often tight budget on the one hand.
Certain children’s products therefore have to be bought much less often and one or two euros can be saved as a result.
The children are also happy when the blanket adapts to them:
- Because they have got used to their ceiling over the years and don’t have to adapt to a new one.
- Sometimes children find it difficult to separate emotionally from their favorite blanket.
With a therapy blanket that grows with the child, you can flexibly adapt the blanket to the growth of your child for several years. The weight of the blanket can increase over time.
Conclusion: weight blankets make sleep easier for your child
A weight blanket for children doesn’t have to cost a lot. But it can. The price differences mostly do not justify the slight differences in quality.
- Therapy blankets can produce great results in children with sleep problems and dysfunction.
- Even if your child does not suffer under any special circumstances, therapy blankets are beneficial for your child’s sleep.
My recommendation: try the Anjee model (the manufacturer offers you a 30-day worry-free guarantee):
I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.