As a sleep writer, I’m sometimes asked about my all-time favorite product that makes my bed the comfiest place ever. My answer? A weighted comforter. Like the best weighted blankets, weighted comforters provide gentle pressure on your body to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep all night. Unlike a traditional weighted blanket, which is sized as a throw or stretch only to the edges of your bed, a weighted comforter drapes over the edges of the bed to maintain the look of traditional bedding and can often be shared with a partner.
The Baloo Weighted Comforter is my favorite weighted blanket for sleeping cool. The sustainability-minded company prioritizes the use of natural materials and is carbon neutral. Baloo has managed to create a comfortable, quilted weighted comforter that doesn’t overheat at night with its natural cotton construction and breathability.
Baloo Weighted Comforter (20 lb)
The Baloo Weighted Comforter is cool and comfortable. It’s OKEO-TEX certified, carbon neutral, and backed by a lifetime warranty.
Design
Kinsley Searles/Business Insider
The Baloo Weighted comforter’s weight comes from glass beads quilted in three differently sized squares for an evenly hefty feel. The shell is made from Oeko-Tex Certified cotton, which is free of chemicals and additives. It’s available in two sizes: full/queen and king. The full/queen size is available in 15 or 20 pounds, while the king size is only available in 25 pounds. The general rule of thumb is to choose a blanket that is 10% of your body weight.
Between the Baloo comforter, which I tested, and the brand’s Weighted Blanket, you’ll want to pay attention to dimensions. Both are made of the same materials. The king-size blanket is 80 x 87 inches, roughly equal to the top of a king or California king mattress with little overhang. The king-size comforter is 92 by 108 inches, with an unweighted overhang to keep the blanket from sliding off the bed. Not only does this mean you’re getting the full weight of the blanket on your body with the heft centered in the middle, but it also means that the comforter won’t be pulled off the edges of the bed by excess weight. Two tags on the top of the comforter’s edges help you align the blanket to keep the weight evenly distributed.
The Weighted Comforter comes in white and a soft gray with loops to add your own duvet cover. The blanket version is also available in navy and green. Due to its size, the comforter should only be washed at a commercial laundromat. The blankets, in throws and queen size, may be able to be washed at home in your normal machine.
Our review of the Baloo Weighted Comforter
Kinsley Searles/Business Insider
The Weighted Comforter comes packaged in a sturdy, reusable canvas bag. I appreciated this detail because it makes storage easy. I noticed right away that it was made with high-quality material. The cotton was crisp and smooth, like percale sheets or a freshly ironed button-down shirt.
I tried the king-size blanket, which weighs in at 25 pounds. Even though this was a hefty blanket, I made the bed relatively easily. I also love to tug at the blankets throughout the night until they fit snugly under my chin. I had no problems moving the blanket as I fell asleep. It’s also one of the few weighted blankets that are fit for sharing, since it’s designed to drape over the side of the bed. My partner and I never fought over the blankets at night, and we both woke up feeling refreshed and well-rested.
I don’t like it when my weighted blanket feels like sleeping under a beanbag. Thankfully, Baloo’s weighted comforter gives an evenly distributed weighted feel without the distinct feeling of glass beads. I also appreciated that the weight was centered in the middle, because it helped the comforter fully envelop my body in a nice, tight hug.
I’d initially been a little skeptical of the claim that weighted blankets could help you sleep better at night. After researching these products and using Baloo’s weighted comforter, I’m a believer. The slight pressure from the weighted comforter eases me to sleep and helps me stay asleep throughout the night. I love feeling snuggled tightly all night.
Despite being called a comforter, it lacks the thick, fluffy feel of a traditional down or down-alternative comforter. The blanket itself is only filled with glass beads so that you won’t get a cushy feel from polyfiber or down filling. The lack of soft filling does mean that the weight is more pronounced, but I missed feeling like being surrounded by a cloud.
That said, the comforter’s thinness also lends itself well to its cooling and breathability. I was a bit nervous before sleeping with a weighted comforter since I’m a hot sleeper that the weighted blanket would be warm and stifling. Baloo’s weighted comforter alleviated those fears. The cotton shell is cool to the touch throughout the night. Additionally, the comforter is breathable, so it doesn’t trap heat. The weighted comforter is so cooling, in fact, that it earned the best cooling weighted blanket spot in our best weighted blanket guide.
Baloo’s weighted comforter also comes with a lifetime quality guarantee, which covers manufacturing flaws for the entire product lifetime. The warranty is excellent and helps you get the best bang for your buck. If you buy the weighted comforter and don’t love it, you have 30 days to return it for a full refund.
Cons to consider
While I loved the Weighted Comforter’s feel and cooling capability, I missed the fluff of a traditional comforter. The lack of polyester fill is great if you’re looking for a natural weighted blanket, but I wish Baloo had integrated more filling for a thick, comforting feeling.
Keep in mind, too, that you can’t wash this comforter in your typical residential washer or dryer. You’ll have to take it to a commercial cleaner to have it professionally washed. I’d recommend using a duvet cover with this comforter; that way, you won’t have to worry about cleaning it as frequently.
What are your alternatives?
Kinsley Searles/Business Insider
For a weighted comforter with a traditional fluffy feel, the Eli & Elm Weighted Comforter is the top pick for weighted comforter in our best weighted blanket guide. Like Baloo’s Weighted Comfort, Eli & Elm’s version is only weighted in the center. It also pairs well with a duvet cover.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly weighted comforter, I love the YnM Weighted Comforter. Its weighting is more subtle, but it has a thick polyester filling like your typical comforter. It also sleeps hot, so it’s best for the colder months or for cold sleepers.
Baloo also sells its Weighted Blanket in full/queen and king sizes. It won’t hang over the edge of your bed; instead, it matches the size of your mattress so it won’t slide off.
The bottom line
I recommend Baloo’s Weighted Comforter if you’re looking for a weighted bedspread that won’t overheat at night. It’s the perfect size for sharing and has loops to tie on your duvet cover. It’s thinner than a typical comforter, so it’s best for hot sleepers.