The best weighted blankets for kids for calm bedtimes and sweet dreams

While Oodie might be known for their hoodie blankets, they've also got a selection of weighted blankets that include some fun colours and designs, including Barbie, Inside Out 2, and Garfield. The ultra-soft, plush fabric adds to the comfort offered by the weighted beads, which are eco-friendly glass beads. Our tester, Mother&Baby's Rebecca Lancaster's 10-year-old son, loved the softness of the blanket. "Unlike cotton, this feels like a hug - it's silky and soft, so the texture makes it feel even more cocooning," she said. She noted that compared to others, it might make a better winter-weighted blanket due to the fabric.

Compared to other kids' weighted blankets, the Oodie is a sizeable 198x121cm, making it large enough to cover our tester's small double bed. It's only available from 4.5kg, so it won't be suitable for younger children, but our tester's 10-year-old loved the weight. Rebecca felt that "he slept so much better with this across his legs at night - he dropped off to sleep quicker, and although he still woke at the normal time, I feel like he got a better night's sleep." The size of this makes it one that Rebecca could see being shared by the family as it's large enough for adults or children, whereas some of the others we tested are only large enough for smaller children.

While the size is a plus when it comes to comfort and effectiveness, it does make it harder to wash. Oodie suggested hand washing or a gentle machine wash, but Rebecca chose to use the washing machine as it would have needed washing in the bath by hand! It's probably more effective to spot-wash when needed rather than washing regularly.

It comes in a handy cotton drawstring bag, so it can be stored easily when not in use.

If your little one loves unicorns but struggles to sleep, this might be your answer to better night times. This Happy Linen Company Space Unicorn Anxiety Weighted Blanket is designed to help reduce restlessness and aid relaxation at night time; it’s made using non-toxic glass beads to add gentle weight to the soft blanket. It features a lovely unicorn design on the front, complete with colorful stars and a pink backdrop on the reverse side. Our tester, Rebecca's daughter loved the design, especially once she'd spotted that the unicorns glow in the dark!

This blanket is available in 3 different weights for different ages - 1.3kg, 2.3kg, and 3.3kg - offering options for your child. Again, the blanket should be no more than 10 percent of your child’s weight for safety reasons and not for use with children under three years. This blanket measures 90cm x 120cm, smaller than the Silentnight and Oodie blankets, but still a good size for a toddler bed or as a lap blanket; Our tester, Rebecca, found it was perfect for her 6-year-old "to cosy under on the sofa or have over her as she falls asleep," but she went onto say that "its too small for my 10-year-old which is where the Oodie or the Slumberdown blankets are better."

One element that sets this blanket apart from others on the list is the removable cover. Rebecca particularly liked this, noting, "It makes it easier to wash than other blankets I tested as you can just remove the cover (which is 55% Polyester / 45% Cotton) and pop it in the machine. However, she did point out that, "while there are ties inside to keep the blanket in the cover, it does come away slightly at the edges so doesn't sit flush in the cover at all points." The removable cover also comes in different designs, giving you the option to change the covers if using it with a child who prefers dinosaurs or animals, for instance. It all comes in a sturdy storage case, and there are also matching duvets, curtains, bean bags, and other bedroom accessories.

Rebecca was also particularly taken with the mini cover that comes with it—a small matching piece of fabric so that your kid's favourite toy can have its own matching blanket. "My daughter's delighted—she can snuggle under her blanket and tuck her teddy in under his own every night too—it's a lovely part of a bedtime routine," she said. She pointed out that "it's the level of thoughtfulness that you get with a small company, and I really appreciate that."

The Rosmarus Kids weighted blanket is beautifully designed and features space themes. It also comes in 3 other fun designs and 2 plain designs. It's filled with hypoallergenic microglass beads and quilted at 4x4" intervals to keep them in place.

Our tester, Rebecca, loved this blanket, noting that "the beads stay in place as you'd expect, but the design is the real winner here. It's an imaginative space theme, but the colours are really calming." She thought it was fairly gender-neutral as the blue background also has elements of purple, red, and orange to appeal to all space fans.

It's made of 100% cotton, so it is more breathable than polyester and should keep children cooler. The different weights available -2.2kg and 3.6kg come in different sizes, so they should be better suited to the different ages. Rebecca thought it was a good size - she tested the 2.2kg and found it was the same size as the Happy Linen Company blanket, so it's a small size but fine for younger children like her 6-year-old. One upside of the smaller blanket Rebecca found is that it can be folded easily and taken on holiday or to relative's houses if needed.

Like the Slumberdown weighted blanket, this can't be machine-washed but can be washed by hand if needed.

The Slumberdown Wellbeing Kids Weighted Blanket weighs 4kg, so it is suitable for children weighing 40kg and above. Based on the recommendation to use a blanket of no more than 10 percent of your child’s weight, it measures 150cm x 100cm, so it is a great size for a single bed or for cosying up on the sofa.
It comes in a lovely grey colour that will suit most bedroom decors, but it’s a shame it’s not available in other colour options. Our tester, Rebecca, felt it was a good colour for her 10-year-old son but a little drab for younger children. As with the other weighted blankets we’re testing, it’s filled with glass microfibre beads, helping to create gentle pressure on your body to help relax and feel calm; Rebecca found this to be the case - "the silkiness of the fabric adds to the comforting nature of this blanket - it's really tactile and soothing." She also noted that "it feels pleasantly cool, unlike the Oodie, which I imagine could be a little warm in summer months, but this one would be a good option in summer."
The cover of this blanket is polyester, and it's worth bearing in mind that it’s not machine washable – just wipe with a damp cloth. For this reason, our tester felt "it would be better as an occasional weighted blanket, perhaps just when your child needs calming down, rather than as one to use regularly or sleep under."

This Online Home Store weighted blanket is suitable for children over the age of three. It is perfect for children who love Paw Patrol, with the fun characters including Marshall, Rubble, Chase, and Skye. Our mum tester, Mother&Baby's Senior Digital Writer Hannah Carrol, found the design was a hit with her son. "The vibrant design is a big hit, though my three-year-old's only complaint? No Everest or Zuma on the blanket. But it's a small price to pay for a fantastic blanket."

It's 100 percent polyester filling and padding and uses non-toxic micro glass beads for peace of mind. It's available in two weights – 2kg and 3kg – so choose the weight that best suits your child, based on the blanket being no more than 10 percent of your child’s weight.

The blanket gives you the feeling of being hugged, which releases serotonin to help you relax and drift off to sleep. Our mum tester, Hannah, found it worked well for relaxing her son. Now, after a busy day at nursery, he loves nothing more than chilling out under it while watching TV. I've noticed it really helps him unwind and manage those big emotions when he's overtired."

This blanket measures 90cm x 120cm; however, unlike some blankets, it isn’t machine washable—just hand washable.

This Silentnight Kids Weighted Blanket was tested out by Mother&Baby's Senior Digital Writer, Hannah Carrol, who certainly needed a solution to her nightmare bedtimes. "Bedtime has always been a bit of a battle in our house, especially with my four-year-old's night-time anxiety. Every night, it's the same chorus: 'It’s too dark, it’s too bright, too cold, too hot!' He’s so full of energy during the day and winding down at night. That’s a whole other story. Even after a bath and reading three or four books, nothing seemed to ease his bedtime stress."

The Silentnight Kids weighted blanket is filled with tiny glass beads that gently pressure your child's body to encourage deep and restful sleep. The beads are virtually undetectable to the touch, so all your child will feel is the reassuring weight of the blanket. The blanket also features a super soft cover, perfect for snuggling up during story time. Hannah found this was something of a game changer for her son. "My patience was running thin... until we tried the Silentnight weighted blanket. I kid you not; after just one night with it, he went to bed faster than ever and actually slept through the night."

It weighs 3kg, and when you think of a normal blanket, this suddenly seems very heavy, but try it yourself to see how gentle the weight is - our tester Hannah found it was "just heavy enough to calm him but light enough for those late-night bathroom runs."

It’s recommended that the blanket weighs no more than 10 percent of your child’s weight; it’s not suitable for children weighing under 25kg and not for children under three. We like that this weighted blanket is also hypoallergenic, so it's great if your little one has any allergies. It measures a generous 150cm x 200cm, which is plenty big enough for single beds—it's the largest weighted blanket we've tested.

While not technically a weighted blanket, this weighted soft toy is a great alternative for kids who maybe don't like blankets or for use in the summer months. This sizeable soft toy measures 20 x 37 x 60cm, so it is large enough to give a small child a big hug. Our mum tester tried it out with her 7-year-old daughter and found that "it's large enough to lie on her chest or snuggle with comfortably."

There are 8 adorable characters to choose from, including Maverick the Goose, Hazel the Bunny, and Bailey the Duck. They're made from super soft plush materials, which adds to their comfort levels. " My daughter fell for her Hug-a-lump instantly—it's so soft and 'strokable,' and she loves cuddling it and falling asleep with it at night," said our tester.

The weighted design and soft materials aim to provide a calming anti-stress effect and the ultimate cuddle experience, so this is a great multi-tasking product - ideal as both a cuddly toy and a comfort toy. It's suitable for children from 3 years old, and our mum tester found it was equally good for her 7-year-old and 10-year-old. While it doesn't offer the same all-over pressure point action of a weighted blanket, our tester found it was "ideal for children who have mild anxiety or just need a little extra comfort."