Weighted Blankets, Overactive Four-Year-Olds, and Sleep (Sweet, Elusive Sleep)
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Update: We still stand by this weighted blanket review (we’ve even raved about weighted blankets for adults)– but you may want to check out some of our more recent stories about bedtime, including our recent post on how to get your kids to sleep.
I’ve seen this article about weighted blankets floating around social media lately, and since we just got one for my eldest, I thought I’d do a little weighted blanket review today. I forget how exactly I found this Forbes article saying that weighted blankets are amazing for all sorts of kids (although they’re most often used for kids with sensory disorders) — probably somewhere in my sleep research.
Bedtime was crazy crazy crazy for us for months (maybe years! taking the fourth side off the crib in January 2014 was what I generally view as the start of his sleep troubles), complete with meltdowns, screaming, and more. We moved his bedtime up, we moved his bedtime back… we set strict routines and stuck to them as best we could with him fighting every step.
{related: what crazy things have you tried to get your kid to sleep?}
Finally I found this article about weighted blankets and decided to give it a try. (It didn’t help that he had a major itchy rash from May 2015 until recently (more thoughts on eczema to come in the future), and would itch like mad at bedtime unless we gave him Benadryl, which only seemed to help enough to help him fall asleep.
Finally, I found this article and decided to give it a try, even though it sounded crazy — putting an 8 pound weight on my son while he slept? But you know what: dang if it hasn’t solved a lot of our sleep problems. The first few nights he refused to use it, and I had to put it on his legs after he fell asleep in hopes that it would help him sleep. Now, after having it for almost three months, he happily snuggles under it at bedtime and knows it helps him fall asleep. Even if he was crazy just a minute before, if we can get him under the blanket for just 20-30 seconds it seems to really help calm him down.
(Note that it isn’t a bed-sized blanket; it’s more the size of our Dream Blanket.) The one downside is that he seems to sleep so well with it that he has more nighttime accidents than he ever did before, so we’ve started taking the blanket off him after he falls asleep. (But then again, he is 4.5, so that’s probably par for the course.) The blankets come in a range of sizes, colors, and weights; we paid around $114 for ours with tax and shipping. The Magic Blanket
{related: what crazy things have you tried to get your kid to sleep?}
Update: The Magic Blanket is now available through Amazon — as are other weighted blankets!
Psst: Stay tuned for a roundup of some of our favorite sleep-related products for babies, toddlers and kids!
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Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- Zappos – 26,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
I’ve been thinking about weighed blankets with my kids (and myself) since reading this post: (which may be where Kat saw the Forbes article, or not, it’s been re-posted on a lot of blogs)
I’m ADHD and have a few ASD spectrum-y traits (not enough to worry or seek a diagnosis, just enough to know that some of the solutions for ASD problems are often worth trying on myself too, and if they work, great, and if not, nothing ventured, nothing gained).
Growing up, there was a really heavy feather quilt at my grandmother’s house that I looooved sleeping under, and eventually it made it’s way to my childhood bedroom. Unfortunately, it has shed a lot of feathers over the years, so it isn’t so heavy, but I always loved sleeping under it and it definitely helped me feel calm and cozy, and I have always wondered in the back of my mind if a weighted blanket would help me sleep better – but not enough to bite the bullet and try it yet, especially for the cost.
FYI for anyone thinking of trying this blanket, don’t forget that it isn’t advised for very young kids – I wouldn’t recommend it for kids under 4 myself, and definitely not for tiny kids who shouldn’t even be using more than a single light blanket yet.
FWIW, I’ve also noticed what Kat points out about bedtime accidents vs heavy sleepers. My oldest is/was a pretty light sleeper and was a thumb sucker, and while he took a while to potty train overall, he has been pretty much night trained as soon as he was day trained – he gets himself up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night as needed, and rarely had any accidents. My youngest has always been a better and heavier sleeper, but is not consistently night trained at 4.5 – if we don’t take him to the bathroom every night at 11-12 pm he will wake up wet in the night at least once a week, often 3-4 times a week.
[Ed. note: This link was deleted because it was broken, sorry!]
Any recommendations for websites / other reaourcesdiscussing food intake for infants/toddlers? My 11 month old is still drinking 5-6 5 oz bottles of formula per day as well as solids two times a day. I’m interested in reading strategies on how to gradually reduce the formula (eapecially as we will be moving to milk soon) and increasing solids. Right now she really won’t eat more solids even if she’s hungry (i.e. we offer before q bottle). I will discuss this with the pediatrician at her one year but would like to know more about what’s typical now. Thanks!
My twins weaned two weeks ago at 18 months. Not sure what advice I’m looking for – I’ve been surprised what a hard time I’ve been having with it. It happened in less than a week and I’ve been really sad about it – it’s like the end of their babyhood. They were combo fed so now they get a bottle of milk before bed. My older son was EBF so he never had bottles and had a sippy of milk instead – that was easier somehow? Any suggestions on how to deal?
I swear I’m not trying to be alarmist, but I remember being horrified about something I read on the internet (I know, I know) about a baby’s death in a daycare being linked to use of a weighted blanket. Improper use, I’m sure; I don’t think these things are intended for <1 year olds, and I can't imagine how they would hurt an older child. I love snuggling up under a heavy blanket (and my 3 year old sleeps under about 4 blankets, so same idea), so why wouldn't a kid?! But anyway, just wanted to mention it in case anyone is considering using one of these for a restless infant.
Any advice on how to finally get rid of cradle cap? My LO had it pretty bad starting around 2-3 weeks and I think we made it worse by not doing anything about it until the pediatrician said it was okay at the 1 mo. appointment so it really grew like pondscum and now he’s almost 3 months and there are still little remnants that we just can’t get rid off on his forehead and under his hair. It’s not too noticeable but I’d like to be done with it already. The internet is full of wonky solutions so thought I’d ask here.
PS: we have tried olive oil and a little plastic comb, which helped, but still getting residuals I can’t ever quite “get.”
Can we talk about medical care for yourself after having a baby? My GP has always been in an inconvenient location (a good 45 minute drive from work/home), and when I got pregnant she basically said I was in the OB’s hands for the next year. Things got crazy during pregnancy and I wound up seeing the OB, a psychiatrist, and an endocrinologist, followed by a surgeon for a random intestinal thing. And now I’m 2 years postpartum (is that a thing?) and haven’t yet taken the time to find a more convenient GP.
I think I would be OK with just the docs I already have and no GP, but then it leads to the question of what to do for “urgent care” situations and annual physicals. Do OBs do annual physicals? Is it appropriate to just use a random urgent care for any non-routine issues? I’ve been using the online e-visit service for things that I can self-diagnose easily (sinus infections, mostly), but what to do about the more complicated things (painful shoulder, lingering stomach bug, etc)?
See, this is why adulthood should come with a user manual.
Am I totally crazy for not using an epidural? I was reading through some old archives here on doulas and it seems like every person used an epidural. Same thing in a book I was reading with lots of mom stories. We are currently deciding between giving birth at the birth center or going to the hospital (but the midwife would be there). I am leaning towards the birth center because I am NOT a hospital person, but there is no epidural there. I feel dumb about deciding to the go to the hospital ONLY because I can get an epidural there, since everything else points me in the direction of the birthing center.
For context, my first birth, my husband’s second (I have a stepdaughter).
I need some anecdata. How much did your child(ren) get bitten at daycare?
My son is in a classroom of 13m – 24m children; about 16 kids to 2-3 teachers at all times. I love his daycare and have no other complaints, but… he’s been bitten three times this week (probably 6 times in all since he moved into this room at the first of the year). The teachers have a protocol for when bites happen, avoiding/discouraging biting, etc. So I’m not even sure what I would ask of them to do differently… this just seems like a lot of nibbling on my kiddo. =(
-Famouscait
After a long and frustrating search, we are bringing in a new nanny on Monday. Woohoo! Although I’ve had several nannies in the past, my most recent experience was so bad, that I feel like I need a refresher. What have you ladies done to set expectations and get things off on a good foot?
Lol at your last paragraph. I see my experience with puppies won’t be that much different from kids. :) My dog learned very quickly that taking a german shepherd’s tennis ball was a bad idea.
Any tricks to get my almost 18 month old to sleep in a little bit so she’s in a better mood in the morning?
She’s waking up between 4:45 and 5:15, with a bedtime of ~ 7:15/7:30 and a 2.5 hr nap after lunch. Based on her behavior in the morning, that’s just not enough sleep for her. If she doesn’t get a short nap before daycare she turns into Miss Cranky Pants mid-morning at daycare. Some mornings I can have her nap at home while I get ready/do some work, but some mornings that’s just not possible.
I have a feeling the answer is ‘you get what you get’ with toddler wake-up times, but I thought I’d ask! Going to bed later doesn’t help. Haven’t tried bed earlier, it would be rough with traffic/work/dinner and I don’t know if she would fall asleep before 7pm anyway.
Over on the regular site there’s a ton of talk about money. For moms, do you have 529s for your kids/for yourself with the intent of using for kid? If so, how old are the kids and how much is in the account? I thought I was ahead but have recently been feeling behind.
we contribute $1k/month which our financial planner told us is very aggressive for one child but not so much for two. when baby #2 (not conceived yet) starts daycare we plan to stop contributions for a few years.
Looking for your thoughts on this. A few months ago, I noticed my toddler-aged daughter was rubbing herself against things (to put it politely). The past few mornings, when I go to shower, she is laying on her back watching TV in my bed, but when I come out from the shower, she is laying on her stomach with her hands hidden under her. She tells me this is very relaxing. I get that this is all normal – it feels good, just like having her back or feet rubbed – so I am trying to figure out how best to respond. I want her to be all body positive, and definitely do not want to stigmatize what she is doing, but I feel like I am struggling. The position has always been, “that’s cool, just do it in your room/in private.” Have any of you experienced this? How have you handled it?
Kat- love this idea! Could you please tell me the specific size and weight of the blanket you got your son? Would you go with the same size/weight in retrospect? I am interested in this for my 3 year old. thank you so much!