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November 25, 2021 5 min read
How a weighted blanket can help your child sleep
The sun is well past set, it’s getting late, and you’re ready to hit the sack. It’s been a long day. You yawn your way down the hall, and imagine curling up in your king-size comforter, resting your head on that plush pillow. The day is over. But before you can escape to blissful sleep, you have one last thing to do. A nightly battle inevitably waits for you to arrive at the frontlines.
But what you really want to do is pull out a book, stretch out, and . . . put the kids to sleep.
Have you been there?
For some families, this battle is a nightly adventure, complete with tears and fits, and exclamations of solidarity. Kids versus parents. Who will claim victory?
Well, even if your bedtime isn’t quite that melodramatic, there’s still usually the dilemma hanging over parents’ heads of “how can I get my kid to go to sleep?”. At the very least, kids seem to grow even more awake just as mom and dad are getting sleepy.
It’s really not fair.
Established bedtime routines can change as kids grow, summer and weekends kick kids info opposite schedules, and every kid tends to have their own patterns and sleep preferences as they grow up. another issue is sleep cycles, which can be interrupted when kids are addicted to their phones. As a result, they choose social media and viral videos over going to bed at a realistic time...help!
Is there anything that can help regulate their sleep cycle?
Setting all drama aside, if you have kids and haven’t tried a weighted blanket, you are in for a really nice surprise.
A weighted blanket for your child can be your child’s best buddy for settling into a healthy sleep routine. While most studies on weighted blankets focus on the benefits they provide for sleep in general, or specifically for children with autism, ADHD, there are also numerous studies on how a weighted blanket can benefit any child at bedtime.
For any parent going through a period of restless sleep for their child, you know what a blessing this benefit can be! Each child responds differently to stimuli and has their own needs and preferences when it comes to bedtime. Weighted blankets have been known to immediately quiet a child’s imagination, and make them feel comfortable and safe if they are fearful about the dark, have nightmares, etc. Regardless of what is throwing off your child’s sleep schedule, the calm induced by a weighted blanket can encourages a child to fall asleep as soon as they crawl under their blanket buddy.
Our customers, among many parents who have tried out weighted blankets for their kids, have reported not just seeing improvements in their child’s sleep schedule but also increased sleep duration. After all, not every child struggles with falling asleep. Sometimes staying asleep is the real trick. Do you have a child who crawls into bed with you soon after you sang them to sleep in their own room?
The theory is that if your kid is getting in bed with you nightly after they fall asleep in their own bed that if there is something warm, cuddly and solid in bed with them, they will stay out of the parent's room. If they can snuggle into their weighted blanket with the right blanket weight for comfort, it can help them stay asleep rather than running to mom or dad. This can mean that everyone will sleep in their own room, which means everyone has a better chance of getting a great night sleep.
This is not as uncommon as you might think. Anxiety in children can be so difficult for a parent to watch. All you want to do is hold them and console them so that they know they are safe. Studies on weighted blankets for anxiety typically tend to focus on adults, but as we mentioned earlier in this article, children with Autism and ADHD, can experience similar benefits. Talk to your pediatrician about using a weighted blanket as a natural sleep aid for your child. To make sure you purchase the right kind of weighted blanket for your child, check out our weighted blanket buying guide.
Like a favorite stuffed animal or toy or lap pad, if your child tends to gravitate towards an object for comfort and security, a weighted blanket can also serve this purpose. Choosing a regular blanket that matches your child’s interests, personality, and preferences will encourage your child to want to use their weighted blanket.
What type of fabric you choose can make or break your child’s first weighted blanket experience. Some things to consider before selecting your weighted blanket:
Everything we’ve discussed about heavy weighted blankets for kids can also apply to teens. It provides all the same benefits if your teen is struggling with sleep. While sleep is important for all of us, teens are among the most affected subset of the population when it comes to poor sleep. Studies show that only about 15% of American teens get enough sleep, affecting their ability to focus at school. Depending on the size bed, some teens will enjoy a larger weighted blanket for their bed, up to a full queen, queen sized weighted blanket, queen king, or a king sized weighted blanket, if they sleep in a king sized bed. At 76" X 80 inches our blankets do qualify as a California King size.
As weighted blankets (gravity blankets) become more popular and become an accepted lifestyle for sleep, more people are trying them every day. They can help kids and teens unwind from school and day-to-day stresses, and of course, get more rest which makes for a healthier, happier child.
