The sleep midwife's thoughts on weighted blankets for toddlers
My name is Karen, and I work as a sleep counselor at @centerforsoevn. I am also a trained midwife and Child Health Counselor. I run the Instagram profile @modersoevn where I share advice for tired parents of children from 0-5 years old.
Weight on the body helps to reduce stress hormones and increase the amount of oxytocin (love hormones) in the body. A weighted blanket will therefore be experienced by many as an aid to falling asleep faster, less restless sleep at night, but also actually a better regulation and body sensation during the day. The weight can therefore help to give both better nights and better days.
If you want to fall asleep, you actually have to lie still. We adults know that it is not while we rotate from right to left side for the 28th time that we fall asleep. It is when we lie still and “wait for sleep”. Then it will come. But children do not know that. And many children, especially during periods of motor development, will spend the last minutes (hours) of the day practicing this new skill. If the child is a little overtired, it will immediately get an extra gear with the help of hormones. Gravity can help the child feel themselves and lie more calmly, so that the brain has the opportunity to shut down. It is the reptilian brain that needs to be turned off so that the rest of the brain can rest. And the centers that are located here need to be shut down, because they are responsible for everything that has to do with ACTIVITY. Hunger, fear, excitement, desire, motivation, excitement. We really want to have a calm mind and body. This is where gravity comes into the picture.
"Gravity can help the child feel themselves and lie more calmly, giving the brain the opportunity to shut down."
An important element of a weighted blanket is temperature. When we as humans go to sleep, our body temperature needs to drop. If we are too hot, we cannot fall asleep. You can probably recall the restlessness on a hot summer evening when you toss and turn and cannot find peace. It is therefore very good to have the weight from a blanket, but not the heat. Many weighted blankets are soft and the weight is hidden behind a soft material. This is wonderful in many ways, but many materials also warm. The blanket from Lalatoto provides weight without heat. It is therefore ideal for naps in the stroller on summer days and evening naps when the child is restless. If more warmth is needed, the child can have a regular blanket over the weighted blanket or simply wear an extra layer of clothes. This also does not matter if the blanket is kicked off during the night.
"When we as humans go to sleep, our body temperature needs to drop. If we are too hot, we cannot fall asleep."
Many children enjoy being swaddled for the first 3-5 months of their lives. After this, the child gains more strength and wants to be able to move around during sleep. After this age, the child does not lie still during sleep. The composition of sleep changes, and the child must learn to sleep with all the limbs that a person has. Here I recommend that you slowly transition from swaddling to weighting in baby steps over a few days. You open up the swaddle a little and give more freedom, but at the same time you can put the weighted blanket over the lower part of the body. Slowly less swaddle. Slowly more blanket. The weighted blanket from Lalatoto wraps itself really well around the child, regardless of how the child is positioned. Whether in bed, in the stroller, in your arms or over the legs on the sofa for some cozy reading.
"The weighted blanket from Lalatoto wraps itself really well around the child, regardless of how the child is positioned. Whether it's in bed, the stroller, in your arms or over your legs on the sofa for some cozy reading."
It is important that the duvet is as quiet as possible. This can actually be a challenge with weighted duvets without soft filling, because the materials rub against each other. The duvet from Lalatoto is made of “Natural Stone” and is actually surprisingly quiet. It is super good.
It can be confusing to find your way around. the difference between weighted blankets, chain blankets, ball blankets, etc. What I really like about the blanket from Lalatoto is that it actually combines some of the elements. It has quite a lot of weight on it. It is not warm. But the natural stones are right behind the fabric, and this means that the sensory stimulation that occurs when the skin meets the material is stronger than with a lined weighted blanket. Ball blankets, which have a fairly high stimulation of the skin, are particularly good for sensory stimulation, but this blanket is very large, makes more noise, and in my experience works worse in a stroller, etc. Weight in this way therefore provides a milder sensory stimulation, but still has an effect on restlessness, motor restlessness, etc.
"It can be confusing to find your way around" the difference between gravity duvets, chain duvets, ball duvets, etc. What I really like about the duvet from Lalatoto is that it actually combines some of the elements.
It takes time to get used to a weighted blanket . It can be nice to start by sitting with it over your legs or shoulders on the sofa. The child can bring the blanket with them to play with teddy bears or sit on it. Put it over yourself so that the child can see that you enjoy it. It is a misconception that children who do not like stimuli on the skin do not need it. But it must be developed slowly at the child's pace. The sense of touch, which picks up touch, pressure, etc. on our skin, creates a kind of "noise" in the brain. For some children, it becomes too much for their integration of stimuli. But slowly you can start to use weight, nuzzling, pressure, massage, hugs, etc. as good "noise" in the brain, which pushes out some of all the other unrest (a bit squarely put).
Therefore, it may actually be the children who have the most resistance to gravity who may end up enjoying it the most. Therefore, introduce it slowly and with patience. If the child can just lie with it for 30 minutes in the evening, that's great as a start. Feel free to let the toes stick out from under the covers so the child experiences a little more freedom of movement.
"Therefore, it may actually be the children who have the most resistance to gravity who may end up enjoying it the most."
