I would love to get a weighted blanket to help me with my sleep problems, but they’re so expensive. I saw one today that sounds like heaven (breathable soft fabric to keep you cool, coverlet to add to keep you warm if needed), but it’s $249.
Most weighted blankets I see are at least $100. Does anyone have a weighted blanket they can recommend that isn’t soooo pricey?
Buy a cheap moving blanket (harbour freight) get a duvet cover for it…get a nice cover…it will be great
Try eBay. If you’re willing to take a used one, I’m fairly certain you can find a lower priced one. You may even be able to find a new one that is made to order from Eastern Europe or Asia.
There are also instructions online for making these yourself, if you have access to a sewing machine, or know anyone who has one. They aren’t that difficult. You might be able to get a local tailor to make one for you, as another option.
Depending on your reason for a weighted blankie you may consider a mummy sleeping bag. It does offer the feeling of being around you, making up for the hugs one should have received while one was a baby (yes I know someone who uses this for that exact purpose and it works)
What are you using now?
I just took a look on Amazon and everything I see is in the $100-$200 range. The reason I ask is if you’re just using a standard cotton or poly fill comforter at the moment, you might try moving up to a down or fake down comforter. I’ve never liked them, always thought they were way to heavy (it was actually the heat I was worried about, don’t mind the heavy), but finally gave in a few months ago and got a goose down alternative duvet and duvet cover. After 35+ years of sleeping with poly fill, those first few night felt like a mattress on top of me. I got used to it, but maybe you don’t want to get used to it. It still feels much heavier than a regular comforter though.
Anyways, the point is, it was $43 for a king size duvet (+ the cover).
If that’s something that you’d even consider, you could buy one and return it if you don’t like it.
Can you crochet? A blanket of worsted-weight yarn in double crochet is going to be pretty heavy.
I get the weight I like by putting two throw blankets on top of my comforter. I think I got them at CostCo for maybe $10 each. My son uses “real” weighted blankets, which is why I had the whole list of suggestions above. His blankets can run to 15 pounds or more. I tried one for a few nights. I found that much weight uncomfortable, but he likes it.
:dubious:weighted blanket?:dubious:
Pretty much what it sounds like. A blanket with weights inside, usually stitched into little sections and filled with stuff like the insides of a beanbag toy. They’re used for children with sensory issues (common on the autism spectrum among others) where they are “Sensory seeking” and find comfort in constant physical contact such as the weight of the blanket pressing on them. I’m sure they’re not only used for that but that’s where I’m familiar with them from.
I hope it’s not considered hijacking if I ask about the whole concept of using a weighted blanket to go to sleep. I’ve heard of this as a thing, but has anyone personally used it and seen a significant difference in their ability to go to sleep? Just wondering, because after seeing this thread I did a bit of Googling, and all I can find is some vague studies essentially saying that weighted blankets can reduce anxiety in people with autism, and that it may help people sleep but more research is needed. The stuff I’ve found says that it simulates a hug, which is a little weird for me to comprehend since I find it much harder to fall asleep if someone is trying to cuddle with me. Of course, that probably has more to do with body heat, limited mobility, and perhaps uneven pressure (which is precisely the opposite of the weighted blanket), but it still makes me curious to know if people have actually found this helpful.
Obviously this is purely anecdotal, but I tend to sleep much better with a heavy down comforter in the winter then the light blanket/quilt I use in summer. Something about the weight keeps me relatively in place without so much tossing and turning so it seems the quality of sleep is improved.
A summer weight box stitched comforter might work for you. It depends how heavy you want it and how sensitive to heat you are.
I worked at a group foster home and Bed Bath and Beyond donated a pile of these things. They were fairly thick and heavy, but not necessarily hot. A lot of the kids with sleep issues found that the weight made them feel “safe” and “snuggly.”
We have a blanket made out of (very processed) bamboo. While not a weighted blanket, it is heavy enough to qualify. And it is like sleeping under a sheet of flexible metal, a fan makes it colder than no blanket at all. A light coverlet makes it quite warm. It is an interesting blanket. We have gotten so we like it, but it takes some getting used to.
This thread is so serendipitous to me! I’ve thought for the past week or so “I wonder if they make weighted blankets?” and lo and behold this thread comes to life!
I currently sleep under my comforter with another blanket wrapped all around me (Ms. Cups lovingly calls it my cocoon) and the looseness of my cocoon always bugs me. I’ve often thought I wish it would press on me just a bit more, it would make me so much more comfortable. I’ve always wished I had something like that too. I’m a (generally) healthy adult that’s not anywhere near on the spectrum, but I’ve always felt most comfortable sleeping in a a tight burrito that any mummy would be jealous of.
Remember Malcom in the Middle? Malcom’s sickly black friend would sleep in what is essentially a vacuum seal…I always wished I had that. Maybe a weighted blanket is the answer for me.
I know I mentioned spectrum disorders as part of explaining what a weighted blanket was but I certainly don’t think the only reason to want one is a spectrum disorder. I think most people like to sleep with the sensation of some sort of covering and someone can desire heavier weights without it being otherwise meaningful. Even in the summer, we keep the bedroom cool and the fan on so we can sleep with a light blanket simply because we prefer the comforting feeling over sleeping “bare”.
I don’t think you were reacting to my statement directly but your comment was as good a point as any for clarification.
I’ve heard of weighted blankets, and I totally get the “why” behind them for some people, but I’ve always cringed a little at the thought of using one. I hate to feel confined and weighted down, and have no problem sleeping sans covers in the summer.
In conclusion, brains are weird, man. 
Not nearly heavy enough to qualify as weighted - any regular blanket will weigh as much but not give the all-over pressure that the OP is seeking.
For what it’s worth, weighted blankets are frequently used for people with sensory issues - I first heard of this kind of thing when my son was diagnosed with autism. There’s something about the all-over pressure that can be extremely soothing. I know that when I was much younger, I would sleep under multiple blankets even in the summer; it’s only the past 5 years or so that I could even sleep without a sheet.
A mummy-type sleeping bag would similarly not do the trick. They might be heavy - but not as much as a weighted blanket, and the concept of having my feet trapped in that small space is just about enough to send me shrieking across the room even now (even in the dead of winter, my feet have to be outside the covers until I am almost asleep).
I’ve never used a weighted blanket but I think it would have much the same effect as an all-over low-pressure massage, with all the relaxation that entails.
When my son was in preschool, one of the things they had on hand to help the kids was a weighted vest. They had varying weights that went into pockets on the bottom. We even had one made to use at home (we later donated it to the school).
I googled weighted blankets just now and whatever one might get, please do NOT buy from the place that says theirs helps ADHD, ASD, and “the wiggles”. Argh!!
Not that I’m in the market for a weighted blanket but why not?
We bought a weighted blanket for our son since he responses well to deep pressure touching and other stimuli but he didn’t actually care for the blanket. He actually prefers to sleep on top of it and feel the filled bumps press against him that way because, sure, why not 
Just me being snippy about listing “the wiggles” as a condition the product will help ;).
Thanks for all the tips, guys. I’ll keep an eye out on Etsy and Amazon.