Gravity Blanket

[chunkyfrog]

I do and will say I dont like weight pressing down on my toes . . .

I am at this point--only all over. I don't believe my mother swaddled any of us.
I just can't STAND too much on me.
My MIL, on the other hand . . I was shocked when she trussed up my first baby lika a burrito.
No wonder the bullfrog seems to like a pile of stuff on top of his feet.

[Janknitz]

When I was a child we had these really heavy wool blankets. I loved sleeping under that blanket as long as it didn't touch my skin (itchy, itchy, itchy!). I would make my bed with the covers tucked in really tightly and slip in at the top trying not to pull out the blankets very much at all. I slept great that way.

The kicker is I grew up on a tropical island. Deepest winter cold at night might have gotten as low as 60 degrees F on rare occasions. I have no idea how I didn't die of heat stroke under that heavy wool blanket (and a quilt on top!).

I still like heavy quilts to sleep under, but post menopause I don't make it through the night with the heavy covers on.

[Okie bipap]

When my brother came home to Missouri one summer, he was having trouble sleeping because he was cold. Everyone else in the house was sweating and complaining about the heat. He was stationed in the Philippine Islands.

[ChicagoGranny]

I do and will say I dont like weight pressing down on my toes, if that is what you're thinking might be an issue. Lots of weight everywhere else is fine.

I'm thinking I'd have just my toes poking out from under the weighted blanket, maybe a supper soft quilt just to keep my feet/toes warm on really cold nights.

Yes, weight on the toes is my concern. When your toes are pushed further away from the shin, even with light bed covers, you are at more risk for plantar fasciitis. I had two mild bouts in the last ten years. I would definitely not want a moderate or severe bout.

I'm thinking I'd have just my toes poking out from under the weighted blanket, maybe a supper soft quilt just to keep my feet/toes warm on really cold nights.

Or, some thick, wool, hunter's socks.

[Weagle]

Does my 50 pound dog laying on me count as a weighted blanket?

[chunkyfrog]

Does my 50 pound dog laying on me count as a weighted blanket?

We had a kitten that would fall asleep on my shoulder.
I miss that.
He grew up to be too big for that.

[Okie bipap]

Several years ago, our daughter had a cat she adopted. The cat was part Main Coon, so he was a pretty large cat. He slept in my daughter's room, but always came into out bedroom when he thought it was time to be fed in the morning. He would jump up on the bed and stand on my chest and stare at me. Once he saw my eyes open, he would meow once, jump down and head to the kitchen.

[raisedfist]

what the heck is a gravity blanket

[Islandwoman]

Try wool comforters. I have used them for years. No sweating some weight but they come in many weights. The first one I bought from Australia when the dollar was very high. Then Costo. Warm in winter cool in summer. They come as a blanket weight though I don't have one.

[palerider]

what the heck is a gravity blanket

usually referred to as a "weighted blanket".

[chunkyfrog]

"Gravity Blanket" is a brand name.
Bed bath and beyond calls them something else, I think.

[PaulKTF]

Minimum weight for me is going to be 30lb. But I'm still wondering if I want to go with the max of 40lb. I won't know for sure till I go to the weighted blanket company and try the weights out. The other issue is, the blanket I get is going to be "queen" size but the other half of it is going to be flipped over on top of me as well because my wife most likely won't be sleeping under it.

For me it's a sleep aid and a anxiety aid for autistic spectrum disorder. I love lots of weight on me. It has a profound calming effect.

I've been trying to get a blanket for years but they are very expensive... but for me DIY was just not practical.

30 to 40 pounds? I don't think they make them that heavy. 25lbs is the heaviest I've seen.

[PaulKTF]

"Gravity Blanket" is a brand name.
Bed bath and beyond calls them something else, I think.

Yeah, that's a good point. Like how "Kleenex" is a brand of facial tissue. I'm not sure if any one brand is really superior to any other, I just went with one that got a lot of good reviews on Amazon. It was expensive for the blanket (I got the heaviest one I could find) and duvet cover but totally worth it, IMO.

[chunkyfrog]

Instructables has several entries on using poly beads to make a DIY blanket.
The beads are the same ones used to make "bean bag" toys.
(Real beans attract bugs/mice, etc.)
One Instructable also indicates that the beads can be less costly when bought online.

[DreamDiver]

My wife got a 22 pound Yorkville blanket last winter and loves it. The only issue is that it feels like sand inside, so whenever the cats jump on it they immediately start scritching about. They just dig at it and paw at it. Haven't actually tried to "use" it like a litterbox thankfully, but I'm afraid one of these days they're going to snag the cover and tear a small hole in it that starts leaking glass beads.

That pawing action may be kneading. Kittens do that to encourage milk flow from mama cat. They often continue to knead on pillows and people when they're adults. One of our cats consistently kneads me in the crook of my elbow daily for several minutes after dinner, purring like an air-cooled VW Beetle. Then she sits on my wife's lap for half an hour while we watch the news. It's possible that give of the sandy texture reminds her of kneading mama as a kitten. Just be sure her nails are trimmed so she doesn't fray your blanket too badly.

obligatory YouTube video about cat kneading...