Weighted Blankets for Kids

[Southernmiss]

I put our heavy down blanket on him tonight and 20 minutes later he was sweating and asked to change his PJs... guess I’ll have to crank the AC!

Oops! Created a different problem! I forgot how hot natured little boys can be.

I hope you all rested last night.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I think it's worth a shot.

As for not wanting to sleep alone, does he fall asleep fine and then wake up and come in your room, or can he not fall asleep in the first place?

 

[robndani]

I think it's worth a shot.

As for not wanting to sleep alone, does he fall asleep fine and then wake up and come in your room, or can he not fall asleep in the first place?

He can barely fall asleep if we are RIGHT outside his door (which is what we do). It's a battle. If he wakes up, he comes in. We walk him back to his room and he will fall right back to sleep. This happens a few times each night. The problem is sometimes my husband I don't hear him come in. I know we have to work on the mental reasons (which we're doing) but if something physical can help, then I'm all for that as well! PS I was the same way as a kid... I think I slept with my mom until I was 10! LOL

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

It's threads like this one that has kept me on the Community Board. I appreciate all the insight and different viewpoints, and so many times something will come up and I'll remember all of the useful information I've read here. So, thanks.

Sorry, off topic, but just thought how much I appreciate the Community here and wanted to share.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

A weighted blanket might help and is definitely worth a try. Some kids relax under the weight. Others don't like the feeling and will toss it off. I think you're right about needing to address the reasons why he keeps getting up. It could be true anxiety. It could be learned behavior that he's fallen into (this is just what I do so I'll keep doing it). It could also be attention-seeking behavior that needs to be redirected into something more constructive. Also, does he have screen time close to bedtime (iPad, iPhone?). The light emitted from screens tells our brains that it's time to be awake. Some people have a hard time settling down to sleep after looking at a screen. Others aren't affected by it.

 

[PollyannaMom]

He can barely fall asleep if we are RIGHT outside his door (which is what we do). It's a battle. If he wakes up, he comes in. We walk him back to his room and he will fall right back to sleep. This happens a few times each night. The problem is sometimes my husband I don't hear him come in. I know we have to work on the mental reasons (which we're doing) but if something physical can help, then I'm all for that as well! PS I was the same way as a kid... I think I slept with my mom until I was 10! LOL

I had to do something similar with mine when he was little - started off sitting next to his bed as he fell asleep, then a little further away, then out in the hall, and finally he didn't need it. (I got a lot of reading done in those days.) But it was mostly just the actual bedtime routine. The multiple waking up in the night must be so exhausting!

Possibilities (besides the weighted blanket):
A nightlight, if he's afraid of the dark
"Monster spray" (spray bottle of water with glitter) if that's what he's afraid of
A sound machine if it's too quiet for him
Milk before bed (seems to make some people sleep more deeply - we actually had to avoid it after a certain hour at one point to get over some bed wetting)
Strategies for falling back to sleep - counting things, remembering a poem, hand cream with a certain smell...

Good luck!

 

[Diana Lyn]

This sounds very much what my DD went through starting at about 7 years old, she's now 13. I can say with certainty that a weighted blanked is the single best thing to happen to my family. DD suffers from anxiety that got worse around bedtime. Sure, we worked on finding the real issue, but she didn't know what it was, doctors couldn't find the source, bedtime just caused panic attacks for her. We tried just about everything mentioned in this thread, and nothing worked. There was even a point where she would get up and throw up 2-3 times a week because she could not go to sleep and freaked out. We spoke doctors and specialists and even school guidance counselors and I was desperate, then someone suggested a weighted blanket. For DD, it worked. We got ours from Weight On Me, they have a facebook page. I should point out based on the other comments here, a weighted blanket it nothing like a bunch of blankets piled on each other and it's not at all hot (unless you get a flannel or fuzzy one). We live in FL and have a regular cotton one and she does not get hot sleeping with it every night. They are pricey, but for us, it was definitely worth it.

 

[petlvr1064]

I have Asperger's and my mom made me a weighted blanket a few years ago. I love it. Even though she made it was not cheep by the time we bought the fabric and the poly pellets. I have seen people use other stuff to weigh them down like Rice or beans but i don't think that's the best idea as it could never be washed. She followed a pattern on line but basically she just made indeveal bean bag squares.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I have Asperger's and my mom made me a weighted blanket a few years ago. I love it. Even though she made it was not cheep by the time we bought the fabric and the poly pellets. I have seen people use other stuff to weigh them down like Rice or beans but i don't think that's the best idea as it could never be washed. She followed a pattern on line but basically she just made indeveal bean bag squares.

You can use rice or dried beans as the weights. You just don't see them into the blanket. The best way is to sew rows of pockets across the blanket. You can then put beanbags or rice bags in the pockets. You can add or take out the weights depending on how heavy you want the blanket to be each time you use it. Then you take out all the weights to wash it.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

One of my best friends is nearly 30 and she's developed anxiety over time. She uses a weighted blanket whenever the anxiety gets just too much for her to relax (I don't know what kind though-sorry ). For her it's relaxing that is the issue when it comes to sleep or sometimes just being in her apartment. Just providing an example that weighted blankets aren't restricted to age nor one's own particular issue (autism, anxiety, etc).

OP have you consulted your doctor by any chance? Just wondering if perhaps there isn't anything else that either could be contributing to the issue or whatnot.

What other things have you tried?

Has your son told you by any chance what types of things make it harder for him to sleep?

Is it that he can't shut his brain off so the thoughts just keep going and going?

Is it that for whatever reason he can't get his body to stay still even when he really wants to like perhaps a certain body part? I mention that because I have restless leg syndrome (RLS) that is minor but when it occurs it's difficult to sleep. RLS can impact children.

Is it something that happens at night that has him on high alert?

IDK just thinking out loud.

 

[DisneyOma]

He can barely fall asleep if we are RIGHT outside his door (which is what we do). It's a battle. If he wakes up, he comes in. We walk him back to his room and he will fall right back to sleep. This happens a few times each night. The problem is sometimes my husband I don't hear him come in. I know we have to work on the mental reasons (which we're doing) but if something physical can help, then I'm all for that as well! PS I was the same way as a kid... I think I slept with my mom until I was 10! LOL

I used to have scary nightmares and go crawl into bed between my parents sometimes, up until about age 10 as well. Then it just got too embarrassing.

Bad sleep habits are hard to break, especially if someone else becomes 'responsible' for getting a kid to sleep. Glad you are trying to find the key and looking at the mental issues causing the bad sleep habits. Have you tried melatonin?

 

[jiminyC_fan]

My grandson that is developmentally delayed due to Epilepsy and also has autism had a weighted blanket. Did nothing for him. He just didn't like it.

 

[robndani]

A weighted blanket might help and is definitely worth a try. Some kids relax under the weight. Others don't like the feeling and will toss it off. I think you're right about needing to address the reasons why he keeps getting up. It could be true anxiety. It could be learned behavior that he's fallen into (this is just what I do so I'll keep doing it). It could also be attention-seeking behavior that needs to be redirected into something more constructive. Also, does he have screen time close to bedtime (iPad, iPhone?). The light emitted from screens tells our brains that it's time to be awake. Some people have a hard time settling down to sleep after looking at a screen. Others aren't affected by it.

No screen time before bed!

One of my best friends is nearly 30 and she's developed anxiety over time. She uses a weighted blanket whenever the anxiety gets just too much for her to relax (I don't know what kind though-sorry ). For her it's relaxing that is the issue when it comes to sleep or sometimes just being in her apartment. Just providing an example that weighted blankets aren't restricted to age nor one's own particular issue (autism, anxiety, etc).

OP have you consulted your doctor by any chance? Just wondering if perhaps there isn't anything else that either could be contributing to the issue or whatnot.

What other things have you tried?

Has your son told you by any chance what types of things make it harder for him to sleep?

Is it that he can't shut his brain off so the thoughts just keep going and going?

Is it that for whatever reason he can't get his body to stay still even when he really wants to like perhaps a certain body part? I mention that because I have restless leg syndrome (RLS) that is minor but when it occurs it's difficult to sleep. RLS can impact children.

Is it something that happens at night that has him on high alert?

IDK just thinking out loud.

We’ve tried all different things. I’m pretty sure he has anxiety. I’ve talked to his school counselor to work on it at home before we go further. He doesn’t like being alone in the house. He is fine in public and outside. It has gotten better though. We time him when he has to run upstairs to get something and he will go, unlike a month ago where he wouldn’t. We don’t make a huge deal of it. We speak calmly but don’t baby him. We’ve sat down and had conversations and he gets it, but can’t follow through.

When we’ve used a reward system he’s been able to stay out of our bed but now we’ve explained he needs to do this for him, not for prizes.

Thanks for all the advice. I don’t usually post on community boards but I appreciate the respectful, non-judgemental way this conversation has been going.