Anyone used a weighted blanket? Any good?

[WingingWonder]

Heard good things about weighted blankets to help kids anxiety and sleep... but they’re £££ anyone used one and found any good?

Can I ask if they are any good for just generally sitting with as opposed to sleeping - if that isn’t a silly question!

My DS has adhd and anxiety but actually sleeps soundly (atm). He is often anxious and can’t settle during the day though. I wondered whether they would help at all for him to sit under? Or not worth the money for that?

( I have really bad insomnia so would be quite happy to steal it if it didn’t work )

Cerebra used to have weighted blankets in their lending library. You could borrow it for a month and see if it's helpful.

I got one for my little boy on Groupon last month and it works brilliantly - he's got complex needs so sleeping before was tough. I'll see if I can find a link.

It was this one: www.groupon.com/deals/gg-mp-comfort-weighted-blanket

@bigmouselittlehouse they are definitely used for settling in the day too - we have a quiet space and we've got a furry blanket there now but we've been recommended to try weighted blankets during the day too.

I agree about safety around anxiety blankets, there's a risk of overheating so they say never to use if you are under the weather, and you have to be careful about not getting one that's too heavy for the child (10-15% of their body weight depending on which website I've looked on).

If you're in any doubt, lycra stretch looks to be safer for younger kids, and you can ask your local occupational therapist for advice - I know around me at the moment they are not recommended for children but widely used as a lot of us have found them helpful if you're careful.

Hasn't anyone got a decent one for around £50? Got a bit of a budget but I really want one!

It has been fantastic for our DS with ASD. I would check the weight carefully though - we have two; one he finds perfect and the other too heavy.

@cleowasmycat you could try Amazon - there are some reasonably priced options there although I can’t vouch for how good they are. I did buy a sensory body sock from amazon which was half the price of those on SEN sites and is brilliant. I think it was despatched from Poland iirc.

I’m sorely tempted to get one. I have ASD, anxiety issues and insomnia so anything that helps would be welcome! When I’m in the middle of a meltdown or anxiety attack the only thing that calms me is wrapping myself up like a burrito in bed so I think I’d respond quite well to a weighted blanket.

I was sceptical but where I live you can get them on prescription. So I have a hospital grade one that has metal chains running through it. My occupational therapist talked me into trying it for a week. After the first night I was prepared to fight to the death to keep it.

Can I ask if they are any good for just generally sitting with as opposed to sleeping - if that isn’t a silly question!

You can get weighted lap covers and weighted jackets that have the same effect as a blanket.

My son has some sensory issues and was going through a phase of taking quite a long time to get to sleep. I bought a £25 compression blanket from eBay and it’s made a real difference - he loves it.

It’s like a tight jersey stretchy tube which goes all round the mattress. Highly recommend.

Mine was in a wowcher code, I got a single as DH gets too got with any sort of blanket on top of the duvet

Massively helps me to sleep, I think it reminds my body of how well I slept as a child when we had shit windows and had half a dozen blankets on top if the duvet

They work by providing deep muscle relaxation I think - they definitely don’t work for some. We’ve got the £50 amazon deal one and I’m glad I didn’t spend more as works well.