i make weighted toys

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my kid was having a lot of issues with school, so they did some testing over the last couple months and came to the conclusion that it is highly likely that he has Asperger's, and are going to write him up a 504 plan. (It would have already been written up by now, but we had snow days and school was closed the days when we were suppose to all meet up for that, and now we are on winter break.)

but I read that weighted toys help calm their systems, and extremely sensory seeking for that deep pressure, so I made him weighted dolls sometime back. but he's sort of "whatever" about dolls. and penguins have been one of his intense interests since watching Mumble. So I finally got around to making him some penguins, and I weighted them. He's deeply in love. I started an Etsy shop to sell them, i have several made. well, he is having the time of his life playing with all of "his" penguins, toting them around, making them all have conversations with other.

I'd love to make a penguin or some other weighted toy for your kid too. here's my etsy shop. http://www.etsy.com/shop/buttergoon

Cute! My child is a little old for that sort of thing but it looks like a useful project. How is the longevity?

How heavy are they?

well, i double stitch everything, and they are standing up to the rough handling and shenanigans of my 5yo quite well.

i don't have a scale yet, so i can't measure them exactly, but they provide a good amount of heft in your hand. do you think it would be better if I put the exact weight of each one? What lb-age do you think would be ideal for future toys? i feel like the "normal" weight of the itty bitty bits of granules inside of most store-bought beany baby type toys and dolls is nowhere near sufficient for the weight and deep pressure that my 5yo aspie seeks, and my toys thus far have significantly more weight to them than store type toys.

I think requirements vary from child to child, so specific weights should be listed but I don't think it's possible to suggest specific weights for specific ages. And we're talking huge variation. Personally, I think I'm way on the extreme end of the spectrum (we're talking 20-40 pounds) and have been my entire life, but from what I've read, most people do fine with 5-10 pounds, regardless of age.

In fact, I think it varies vastly more from person to person than within people over time.

oh yes, i didn't expect to tell people what pound is best. i just was wondering the general range of poundage i should put in my toys. no less than <x> and no more than <x>.


i'll have to think of making things at least a bit larger for 10lbs. I had no idea i should consider going that high. but i'd love to tackle the challenge!

Do you just make penguins or other species of animals? Meerkats are my special intrest and I'd love to have a weighted meerkat.

i'd love to try! do you have an etsy account? if so, add me to your favorites list and stay tuned. I'll see if I can make up with a convincing pattern for one.

it's cool, it doesn't cost anything to register at etsy and put people on your favorites list so you can eyeball their shops every now and again.

meanwhile, i'll see if i can come up with a pattern, and i might need testers.