Weighted Products

Does your child use weighted products? There are so many to choose from anymore, from a simple lap pad to stuffed animals, to clothes. My son has a weighted blanket that he uses at night to help him sleep. His blanket weighs 8 pounds, and is currently too light. You would think that an 8 pound blanket would be very heavy, maybe too heavy? To correctly calculate the weight of the blanket, you  need to take ten percent of the child's body weight, then add 1 pound. For instance, Austin weighs in at 178 pounds (we have our very own Sasquatch...he had a MAJOR growth spurt this summer..lol.). Ten percent of his body weight would be 17.8 pounds, which we would round up to 18. You would then add 1 pound onto that, giving you an end result of 19 pounds. Again, you would think that a blanket that heavy would be like a ton of bricks on someone. I guarantee you, it is not. I have used Austin's blanket, and while it is definitely heavier than an average blanket, it isn't too heavy because it spreads that weight out over the body, rather than just having it in one centralized area.

The weight actually makes someone feel grounded, and it almost serves to feel like they were being hugged. A lot of times kiddos with sensory processing disorder feel almost floaty. In the classroom, smaller items can help kiddos focus and sit still (at least as still as a child can..lol.). The stuffed animals are actually long ones, like stuffed snakes, that a child would wear around his/her neck. They also have weighted vests that a child can wear, as well as sweatshirts. They also have small lap pads that a child would drape on their lap to provide the weight needed. My son's school sent home a permission slip so that he can use these items in class, and they are even providing them for him :)

The price of these items can be somewhat high, but the benefit really does outweigh (pun intended..haha!) the expense. A blanket can run you around $190, while a lap pad is around $60. A weighted hoodie can be as high as $150, depending on where you get it while the weighted animals can be around $30 each.  If you google the term "weighted blanket" you will come up with a plethora of places to purchase these items. If you are really crafty, you can make most of them. Me? I aspire to be crafty. Unfortunately, that isn't going to get me a blanket..lol.

Until next time,