December 4th, 2019 by Becky Calvert

It’s that time of year again where you’ll be wanting to bring out your winter duvet and electric blanket to keep you cosy and warm. Electric blankets have massively improved over the last few years, with safety features being implemented, faster heat-up times and thinner wires – electric blankets are now loved by many and considered to be a staple for the autumn and winter months. With this in mind, many parents want to be able to keep their children as cosy and warm on the colder nights but worry that an electric blanket could be unsafe for their little one to use. To put your mind at ease here’s everything that you need to keep in mind when deciding whether you want to buy an electric blanket for your child to use…

Age and Maturity

In short, electric blankets are perfectly safe for children to use, provided they are of mature age and mindset. Although an electric blanket can be used by smaller children, the likelihood of bedwetting should be taken into consideration. With an electric blanket having wiring and controllers that could become damaged and cause a safety issue if they become soaked, it wouldn’t be wise to provide your child with an electric blanket if they’re wetting the bed. Not only this, even if your child has outgrown this stage, it’s important that they’re mature enough to use the controller accurately, to avoid the controller becoming damaged.

So, if you think they’ll be able to use the controller without any issue, here’s what to look for to buy the perfect blanket for your little one this winter:

1. Safety Features

Electric blankets were once considered to be hazardous. Nowadays, electric blankets have safety features as standard, but we recommend that you do your research to ensure you’re getting the safest possible blanket for your child. All of our electric blankets are designed to have an automatic overheat prevention system and a cut off timer. This means that the blanket is unable to overheat – which understandably, is one of the biggest fears that parents have when it comes to electric blankets and their children. The cut-off timer will turn off the blanket if it has been left longer than programmed (usually after 9 hours). The cut-off feature gives you peace of mind surrounding your child forgetting to turn the blanket off – as this feature does it for you!

2. Practicality – Easy to Use

Another important thing to consider when buying a heated blanket for your child is the practicality of it. Is it easy to use? Does it have a secure fit? And will your child be able to control it by themselves? These are all things to consider when finding the perfect electric blanket for your young one. Some electric blankets can be difficult for children to use, with complicated controls and lots of buttons to choose from.  We recommend opting for an electric blanket with a simple controller so that if you decide that your child can control their blanket themselves, it’s easy for them to do so. Our Homefront Fully Fitted Single Electric Blanket has a really simple controller that allows you to choose which heat setting you desire, without any complicated buttons that could confuse – perfect for your little one to use!

3. Heat and Timer Settings

For a lot of parents, one of their main concerns surrounding buying their child an electric blanket is the thought of having it on a high heat all night and forgetting to turn the blanket off. Nowadays, most electric blankets have been designed with these worries in mind! With multiple heat settings and timers to choose from, you can turn the heat setting down to low as your child sleeps (or even turn it off altogether after it has heated the bed). The timer settings allow you to set the blanket to power off after a certain amount of time. This will allow you to have peace of mind that your child can sleep safely and comfortably, without having to worry about remembering to turn the blanket off yourself.

4. Comfort

Above everything else, you want to choose an electric blanket that feels comfortable for your child to sleep on. Gone are the days where heated blankets are made using thick and uncomfortable wiring, however, the way that they’re designed can influence how comfortable they are to lay on. Our Sweet Dreams Single Fleece Electric Blanket is made with luxuriously soft fleece for the cosiest night’s sleep, making it super comfortable to sleep on top of. With sleep being extremely important for children to have, it makes sense that their electric blanket should be super cosy and comforting to sleep on top of – perfect for the cold winter nights!

5. The Perfect Fit

Is your child a bit of a wriggler whilst they sleep? Many electric blankets cannot be adequately strapped onto their mattress to stop the blanket from moving around as they sleep. Not only can this become extremely uncomfortable, but it can even cause the wires inside the electric blanket to move around, which can cause the blanket to work inefficiently, or even break. All of our electric blankets are fitted with either corner straps or a fully fitted skirt – providing the perfect fit for your child’s bed! This will ensure that no matter how much they wriggle or toss and turn, the electric blanket will remain secure and in place, so there’s no need to worry about the wires becoming bunched or broken.

6. Washable

It’s no secret that children can be a little messy. To make sure that their electric blanket will stay clean and fresh all autumn and winter long, we would always recommend opting for an electric blanket that can be machine or hand washed. All of our electric blankets can either be machine or hand washed by simply dethatching the controller – perfect for when their bedding needs a refresh!