Weight vs Weighted blankets

Did you know a blanket with weight is totally different from a weighted blanket?

Weighted blankets that are made with a filling are actually quite dangerous. The filling is often glass beads or sand and they are heavy with the average weight range from 2-13kg.

Weighted blankets are heavier than normal blankets and designed to use pressure therapy that can help minimise anxiety and encourage a deeper sleep. The deep pressure from the blanket’s extra weight mimics that feeling of being hugged or held.

Are weighted blankets safe?

They are certainly NOT safe for children under two years.

The weight of the blanket can restrict breathing when draped over a baby or toddler’s chest and could be a very real hazard if it ends up over a baby or toddler’s face. Beans or sand from the blanket could also mold around your child’s nose and mouth restricting breathing which could even result in suffocation.

Some of these blankets are also wool or polyester which is unsafe to use as bedding for your baby or toddler.

Most manufacturers recommend young children under the age of 10 and pregnant women shouldn’t sleep with weighted blankets, and those with sleep apnea, asthma or claustrophobia should consult their doctors first.

A weighted blanket should be no more than 10% of the person’s body weight if sleeping with it on.

Do you own a Save Our Sleep blanket??

Save Our Sleep blankets, which also provide weight, are safe. They are a safe weight and will not restrict a baby or toddler’s ability to breathe.?

The Save Our Sleep blankets are made from a bamboo and cotton blend and are 100% breathable if a baby or toddler gets one or more over their face.

Why you need a Save Our Sleep blanket

There are two important things to know when it comes to blankets on your baby: your baby likes both the warmth and the weight of the blankets.

I know myself, and it’s probably the same for a lot of adults, that I love, and sleep better with, heavy bedding on me. Something about the weight makes me feel very secure and comfortable, and it is the same for your baby. He likes the weight on his body just as much as we do. This is why I recommend using what might seem like a high number of blankets. It’s not just the warmth, but the weight and security that the blankets provide for your baby.

Bamboo blankets provide weight and this weight gives a baby the feeling off being hugged and also helps them to feel full, in the past we put babies on their tummies to make them feel full but I have designed the Save Our Sleep blankets to give a safe amount of weight to help a baby feel full and minimise anxiety and encourage longer sleeps.

The Save Our Sleep blankets give the right amount of weight but not too much warmth.

The warmth of a blanket is measured in TOG. TOG is a measure of the thermal insulation of a fabric. Doonas and duvets have a TOG rating, for example 1.5 TOG to 4.5 TOG (lightweight) to 15 TOG (extra warm). The doonas, duvets and blankets we have on our beds as adults are usually rated between 12 and 15 TOG. That’s a lot! If you remember we are trying to replicate the warmth of the womb, then you’ll understand that your baby needs lots of blankets to be warm enough.

I recommend 0.6 TOG bamboo/cotton mix blankets for your baby’s bedding.

Bamboo/cotton blankets boast superior temperature control capabilities, meaning they will provide the warmth in winter as well as the coolness in summer which makes them an excellent choice for those who live in warmer climates, or particularly coming into warmer weather where you would like to add the weight without the warmth.

I have found that other types of blankets, such as wool, polyester or fleece, can make babies and toddlers too hot and sweaty, and some are not breathable, which is why I don’t recommend them.

Please note: I do not recommend using a doona, duvet or quilt in a cot.

There are maximum amounts of blanket layers that I recommend parents do not exceed. I recommend that the maximum number of blanket layers that should be used for a baby from newborn to 12 weeks of age, in a cot or mini-crib, is 12. For a baby 12 weeks and over in a cot or mini-crib, the maximum is 16. For a baby sleeping in a bassinet from newborn to 12 weeks of age the maximum amount of blanket layers that I recommend is 10, and from 12 weeks old in a bassinet the maximum is 12.

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