Is a 12 LB Weighted Blanket Enough?

If it’s about 7 – 10% of your body weight, it should be enough. However, you can only be sure by using the blanket for at least a week. If you’re comfortable with it after this period, it’s a keeper. If not, return it for a lighter one, but the best way to conclude is after 21 days of use. That’s a sufficient period to achieve conclusive changes in your sleep patterns.

Is a 12 LB Weighted Blanket Too Heavy for a Child?

It depends on your child’s body weight and what they can realistically carry. The best way to determine the proper weight is by consulting a physician. The other way would be to get a blanket that’s approximately 10% of their weight, then add one or two pounds for good measure. Remember, a child’s average weight is below 120 pounds. Five-year-olds weigh 30 – 50 pounds, Seven-year-olds weigh 40 – 66 pounds, while ten-year-olds weigh about 54 – 105 pounds. Hence, a 12 lb weighted blanket will be too heavy for the average child unless they weigh 120 pounds or more.

Do Weighted Blankets Make You Hot?

Unlike electric blankets, weighted blankets don’t have adjustable switches you can turn on or off. But they can make you hot if your space isn’t cool enough, or they’re made of a fabric that doesn’t wick moisture. So, if you don’t want to get hot under your weighted blanket, get one made of superior cooling fabrics and glass beads fillings. Examples of moisture-wicking fabrics are polyester, merino wool, bamboo, acrylic, and almost all synthetic fabrics.

When Should You Not Use a Weighted Blanket?

They’re indeed delightful but not for everyone. Weighted blankets are not ideal for toddlers below three years or weighing less than 50 lb as they could suffocate. The same goes for anyone with some specific medical conditions. These include chronic circulatory or respiratory issues, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, and asthma. Any adult with some form of physical disability should use it cautiously, while children shouldn’t use them at all.

Why Can’t Diabetics Use a Weighted Blanket?

The main challenge for people with diabetes using weighted blankets is that it can affect their blood circulation, especially in their feet. This is dangerous for lengthy periods as it could result in necrosis. That’s why it’s recommended that anyone with a medical condition preventing their use of a weighted blanket should consult their primary physicians for alternative recommendations.

6 Best 12 lb Weighted Blankets Ideas For Deep Sleep [2022]

If you need a simple therapeutic solution to those sleepless, restless nights, consider a weighted blanket. It’s specially made to alleviate sleep problems by applying measured weight over your body. The recommendation for best results is always to select one that’s approximately 10% of your weight. Thus if you’re 120 pounds, you’re best served by a 12 lb weighted blanket.

We’ve conducted comprehensive research on the best 12 lb weighted blankets in the market. This detailed guide shares all the relevant details to make your selection hassle-free. Expect to learn all you need from crucial pointers like the best weight, size, and materials.

Why a Weighted Blanket?

It’s been proven to work with medical conditions affecting restful sleep. Physicians and occupational therapists have for some time prescribed weighted blankets to patients with restless leg syndrome, autism, anxiety, and more. Their success now sees them recommended to anyone with sleep disorders.

A weighted blanket uses deep touch pressure therapy, often described as a hug-like effect that makes you warm and fuzzy. The ultimate impact of this is deep drowsiness leading to an uneventful, sleep-filled session. While using it, remember to keep off harmful habits that would affect your sleep patterns. Such as reading or browsing under the covers (of your weighted blanket).

Selecting the Best Weighted Blanket

Your selection boils down to the correct weight, size, materials, and even design to fulfill your needs. Therefore you must adhere to the specific requirements as outlined below:

Weight

Any weighted blanket that’s heavier than your body weight is a hazard to your well-being. If it’s for a healthy teen or adult, stick to one that’s 7% -12% of the total body weight. For kids, the elderly, and anyone with a medical condition, go for 10% of their exact body weight and add one or two pounds for good measure. However, the best weighted blanket for you or anyone depends on your experience with it.

Size

Weighted blankets are smaller than regular blankets because they’re built for function, not aesthetics. A proper weighted blanket is sized to provide adequate cover from chin to toe without falling to the sides.

Above this, consider user needs. For example, will it be primarily used to sleep, on a bed, on a lounger, or travel? The size should also enhance mobility; hence consider a smaller one for travel or lounging.

Materials

A weighted blanket consists of the covering fabric, padding, and fillings. For adequate performance, the fabric must be soft to the touch, comfortable, and breathable. The padding should have similar qualities to the fabric.

Fillings consist of poly pellets, ball bearings, glass or plastic beads. Some weighted blankets even have sand, beans, and pasta though they’re not recommended due to cleaning limitations. Opt for a weighted blanket with glass fillings because they’re easy to maintain and durable. Poly pellets are practical, too, except for being noisy.

6 Hot Picks: Breathable, Comfortable and Efficient 12 lb Weighted Blankets

BETU Weighted Blanket: Best Weight Distribution

woman sleeping peacefully in bed with grey blanket

Check out this exceptional 12 lb weighted blanket made of breathable, moisture-wicking microfiber polyester fabric and padding. The fillings consist of durable, breathable, and eco-friendly glass beads, all held in place by superior stitching. This stitching has double-wrapped threads to make the stitching firm and long-lasting. There are also eight, six cm long loops around the blanket to hold a removable cover in place.

If you like it but aren’t sure of the fitting, we’ll have you know it comes in full size of 48 x 72 inches and queen size of 60 x 80 inches. On cleaning and maintenance, the instructions say to spot clean. Although it’s best to get a versatile cover that you can hand or machine wash, then air dry or tumble dry.

Pros

The weight is distributed evenly and has extra stretching on the sides so that beads don’t seep through.
The materials, design, and workmanship are high quality to guarantee a durable, efficient weighted blanket.
With all these excellent attributes, it’s a good buy and worth the price.

Cons

Extra padding adds to the warmth, meaning it’s not ideal for summer.

Amazon Basics Weighted Blanket: Best All Seasons

This great 12 lb weighted blanket comes with a 300 thread count, 100% moisture-absorbing cotton sateen out layer fabric. It’s also soft to touch, comfortable, and perfect for regulating your body temperature for optimal sleep. Its quilted design ensures glass beads fillings are in well spaced out pockets.

While the superior stitching ensures they’re always firmly in place. This blanket comes in a queen size of 60 x 80 inches, and despite being weighted, isn’t too heavy, making it ideal for all seasons. This blanket’s fitting is also appropriate for use because it’s measured to cover you from the chin to your feet.

To clean, don’t bleach, dry clean, tumble dry, or iron. Keep it simple but spot cleaning or use it with the recommended removable minky cover sold separately. The cover attaches firmly since the blanket already has ten built-in loops.

Pros

This blanket is lightweight hence suitable for all seasons.
The quilted design ensures the fillings stay in place for even weight distribution.
It’s well priced for the value it delivers.

Cons

It might be pretty heavy for some users, so recheck to ensure the weight and size are suitable for your needs.

Bare Home Weighted Blanket: Best for Kids and Ecofriendly

Plenty of care seems to have been put in the materials and build of this 12 lb weighted blanket. First, there are no harmful chemicals or dyes used to make it. Then, it consists of 100% moisture-absorbing cotton fabric and eco-friendly and ultra-fine glass beads for ventilation. The glass beads are kept in place by an innovative design composed of small pockets, sturdy thread, and reinforced stitching.

To clean and maintain it, the manufacturer recommends hand or machine wash on gentle settings. Drying can either be by fast air drying or tumble drying on low heat. Though to ensure your blanket endures for long, use a removable cover. The blanket has built-in corner loops to help fasten the cover to the blanket, though you’d have to buy the cover separately.

Pros

This blanket is made with utmost care for use by kids and sensitive sleepers.
The weight spreads evenly to deliver the promised effect.
The fabric is soft and comfortable without shifting around while you sleep.

Cons

It seems the 100% cotton has some polyester, which is detrimental for anyone allergic to synthetic fabrics.

Comfort Coolmax Weighted Blanket: Best for Hot Sleepers

If you tend to get hot under the covers, then consider this excellent 12 lb weighted blanket. It comes with two removable covers, one for cold winter seasons and the other for warm and hot situations.

The fabric is a custom-made, moisture-wicking blend by the manufacturer. The design features an innovative seven-layer design with small pockets filled with premium nano-ceramic beads that feel like white sand for even weight distribution.

The design incorporates a 10-point locking system to ensure that indeed the weight distributes evenly. Further, the design helps with better body contouring for any size, shape, and position. The blanket is washable, though to avoid deformation, it’s recommended for use with the two removable covers.

Pros

This blanket offers the best solution for hot sleepers.
Features a seven-layer design with high-quality custom fabric and fillings.
It’s easy to maintain due to the two removable covers.

Cons

The weight tends to shift, and beads are somewhat noisy when this happens.

RelaxBlanket Weighted Blanket: Best for Couples

You don’t want to kill the romance by having separate blankets, so why not opt for this fitting 12 lb weighted blanket? It comes in a queen size 60 x 80 inches which means you can also use it on a king-size mattress. It’s pretty comfortable as it consists of breathable 100% Oeko-Tex certified cotton fabric and non-toxic, eco-friendly glass beads.

The design ensures the beads are evenly held and distributed in small compartments with superior stitching. Also, there are more beads and less fiber filling, which means there’s a better cooling effect. Regarding maintenance and cleaning, you’re better off dry cleaning or spot cleaning due to the heavy weight.

Still, you can machine wash it in low heat, but it’s better to use it with a removable cover that you can clean regularly. This blanket has eight loops to ensure the cover stays in place.

Pros

The design delivers a premium quality weighted blanket.
The size and fitting is ideal for couples
The pricing suits the benefits it delivers.

Cons

The beads fillings are pretty noisy, which might not augur well for a perfectly restful night.

YnM Knitted Weighted Blanket: Best Knitted and Versatile Use

This is the stylish 12 lb weighted blanket you should consider for yourself or a loved one. It’s 100% handmade, with its weight being adjusted by the chunky yarn’s diameter and knitted blanket’s density. The weight is drawn from the chunky yarn, which has 100% hollow fiber. The knitting pattern, in turn, is even for weight distribution and durability.

Wondering how it maintains adequate ventilation? The large loops in the knitting allow for unrestricted airflow, so it doesn’t retain heat. These simple but effective features make it the ideal blanket for your travel or lounging needs. You can use either hand or machine in cold water and air or tumble dry at low temperatures to keep it clean.

Pros

The patterns and colors are aesthetically appealing.
It provides a uniform weight distribution than beaded weighted blankets.
This blanket employs the use of high-quality yarn for heightened effect.

Cons

There are incidents where it reeks of chemicals,s and airing out doesn’t alleviate the issue.
They’re not recommended for hot sleepers or warm weather.

Moisture Absorbing Vs. Moisture Wicking Fabrics

By now, it’s pretty evident that breathable fabric contributes to about 70% of a weighted blanket’s efficacy. You need to check that it’s durable, hypoallergenic, heat absorbent, tactile, among other valuable factors. So if you desire a therapeutic experience from your 12 lb weighted blanket, here’s what you need to know.

Moisture Absorbing Fabric

This type of fabric captures and holds onto moisture. It’s effective at keeping you warm and cool as it releases excess heat into the air. Cotton is the best example of moisture fabric with these qualities.

Although it’s not ideal if you sweat a lot, it is the most popular fabric for a weighted blanket because it’s soft, hypoallergenic, and easy to maintain. Moisture absorbing fabrics are ideal for warm sleepers, anyone with sensitive skin, or a natural preference for natural fibers.

Moisture Wicking Fabric

Unlike moisture-absorbing fabrics, this captures but doesn’t hold onto the moisture. Polyester, wool, fleece, and almost all synthetic fabrics are the best at this. They ensure you remain cool even under intense heat.

Thus, if all you need is a weighted blanket with a cooling effect, look for one with these materials. They’re ideal for hot sleepers, anyone in an all-around tropical climate, menopausal, or experiencing hot flashes. Minky and fleece are exceptionally soft to the touch, comfortable, and cozy.

How to Clean a Weighted Blanket

It can prove tedious trying to figure out how to clean a weighted blanket, especially if it has assorted fillings. So, what’s the best way to do it to ensure durability? Here are some care tips to consider.

The Preliminaries

First, don’t buy any weighted blanket with natural, unprocessed fillings like beans, sand, rice, or pasta. They’re impossible to clean, are easy to rot and mold. Second, every weighted blanket comes with care instructions, so start by reviewing this.

If you’re not convinced, or they’re not exhaustive, start by checking the weight. Because anything over 20 lbs needs professional cleaners. The downside to this is that it will reduce your blanket’s life span. They use harsh, chemical-filled solvents that destroy sensitive fiber and could be irritating to sensitive skin.

Home Cleaning

Home cleaning works for any blanket below 20 lbs, but only if your machine can handle its weight, especially when thoroughly wet. However, it’s always best to start by spot cleaning. Soak it in cold water, then wipe the stain gently with a sponge or cloth doused in mild detergent. You can include white vinegar or a suitable stain remover for those stubborn stains.

For a thorough clean, hand or machine wash (gently cycle) the blanket in cold water with mild detergent on its own. Don’t use bleach or fabric softeners to avoid destroying your blanket’s delicate fibers.

Once done with the cleaning, go for an extra spin cycle to drain off all water. In the end, you’ll discover that the best way to ensure durability is to use a removable cover that you can wash with regularity. This also means that you can limit washing your weighted blanket to every four or six months.

Drying Processes

While the cleaning process is intimidating, the drying one is the easy part of this entire cleaning process. Because The beads aren’t water-absorbent, all you need to focus on is drying out the fabric. You can do this by tumble drying in low heat or laying it out in the yard or large flat surface to air dry slowly.

Flat drying is best since there’s no straining the seams and edges with extra weight. However, be aware that machine drying isn’t recommended for linen blends, Minky, and fillings like Polly pellets, ball bearings, and pebbles. Ironing isn’t advisable either because it can shrink the fabric or melt plastic fillings.

Be sure to dry your weighted blanket to avoid mold forming. This you can do by ensuring you rinse off the soap properly. And also, by letting your weighted blanket out to air frequently outside in the sun, near a heat vent, or by leaving the windows open to let fresh air into the room.

More Care Tips

Further care tips to reduce washes include using a top sheet underneath your blanket. Avoid taking food and drinks to bed as this is the most significant contributor to stains. In case of colors, spot clean them immediately to avoid them becoming a permanent unsightly fixture.
Don’t use your 12 lb weighted blanket as a bedspread. Fold it away after use for use when you sleep next.
Pets shouldn’t sleep under or above your weighted blanket because they tend to shed. If they must, use a removable cover at all times since it’s easier to clean and maintain.

Conclusion

Finding that best 12 lb weighted blanket isn’t rocket science. All you need is factual pointers with details to aid your search and final buying decision. Weighted blankets use therapeutic pressure to bring you relief from anxiety, pain, and stress to enjoy a night of deep relaxing sleep.

The best 12 lb weighted blanket depends on the accurate size, weight, and materials for optimal performance. Never buy a weighted blanket that’s not approximately 10% of your body weight. The size should cover your body adequately on the sides and then chin to fit. Always pay attention to materials and take the time to understand how they’ll impact your needs.

Our preferred best 12 lb weighted blanket from Amazon, is the Comfort Coolmax Weighted Blanket: Best for Hot Sleepers.

Why? It comes with two removable covers for cold and warm conditions. All the materials used to make it are custom made for a heightened cooling effect. Further, the weight is distributed evenly, contours to any body size, shape, and weight, and it’s also pretty easy to maintain.