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willaful
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22 Apr 2010, 6:42 pm

My son was cuddling in my bed and mentioned how good it felt with all the heavy comforters and blankets. He tends to sweat copiously at night, so I think a weighted blanket that doesn't add a lot of warmth would be good for him. Any recommendations for an online supplier? It would ideally be of a very soft material.


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22 Apr 2010, 8:13 pm

Your best bet would be to just go on eBay and search for weighted blankets. There aren't any large manufactures who make them, so most are just done by parents of autistic kids who are looking to make some cash on the side. Most professional makers charge something silly like 100$ per blanket.
If you want to make them yourself they are pretty simple. Just Google 'how to make a weighted blanket'. All it takes is maybe 10 dollars in material, a sewing machine, and an hour or so (assuming you are good at sewing).



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22 Apr 2010, 8:36 pm

Also, I forgot to mention this:

If you don't have a sewing machine you can make a simple weighted blanket by just taking bead strings (available at any crafts store) and sewing them to a piece of cloth with a needle. You could also get your child a compression shirt, which is available at any sports store.



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22 Apr 2010, 9:15 pm

here's a link to a how to make your own
weighted blankets can be incredibly expensive

http://www.sensory-processing-disorder. ... anket.html

isn't the rule of thumb for the amount of weight 10% of the person's body weight plus 1 lb.?



willaful
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22 Apr 2010, 9:31 pm

I am the anti-crafter and if I try to make one it will probably explode. :lol: But I'll ask my mom if she can do it.


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22 Apr 2010, 9:46 pm

willaful wrote:
I am the anti-crafter and if I try to make one it will probably explode. :lol: But I'll ask my mom if she can do it.


I never got it made. I suck at such things. I just had it in bookmarks for future reference.



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23 Apr 2010, 8:55 pm

My friends have been trying a tight, heavy sleeping bag inside the bed and it's been apparently working.


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23 Apr 2010, 10:24 pm

willaful wrote:
I am the anti-crafter and if I try to make one it will probably explode.


Be careful, exploding blankets can be hazardous to your health. And worse, it might wake up your son!



greej
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26 Apr 2010, 3:58 pm

I think Etsy has one or two.



willaful
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26 Apr 2010, 4:35 pm

greej wrote:
I think Etsy has one or two.


Good idea, I'll check there.


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27 Apr 2010, 12:44 am

Salt of the Earth is really good. I got my daughter one when she was younger, it is thin at the top so they dont get as warm. Bought my sons from another place and it keeps getting holes in it.



willaful
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27 Apr 2010, 11:25 am

Thanks for the recommendation.


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24 May 2010, 7:07 pm

We can't give you a direct website here but if you google "weighted blanket" There will be quite a few online companies listed. It's really important to choose a blanket that can be machine washed and dried. One where you can customize to your choice of fabrics to meet sensory issues. We recommend choosing one that is weighted with a high quality poly pellet as well.

Hope it helps.

:)



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25 May 2010, 10:23 pm

I was recently looking for the same thing, and nothing met my satisfaction (can't create, can't afford). So I came up with the idea of buying a large heavy bathmat. My son is still small enough to fit under, and I throw it over his sheet. The kind I have doesn't have the rubber, because that won't work with this summer heat, but it's still heavy.
It's been only a month but he's had a huge reduction in nightmares and "sleeptalking", and he asks for it now.

Thought I'd pass that idea on in case it could help someone.


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Vivienne
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25 May 2010, 10:25 pm

On a second note: my infant son - who is UNBELIEVABLE active (technically I've got to wait to presume ADHD...) has a folded bathmat inside a pillow sham for his covers. Since I've been using that he's managed to increase his "solo sleeping" times from 10 minutes to 4-5 hours!


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sommerfly
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26 May 2010, 8:58 am

There is a misconception out there with many people making weighted products as well as in the OT Community that 10% of a person's weight is a good recommendation for a weighted blanket. This was based on research that was done on Backpacks and other objects that are used in a standing or weight bearing position. Up until recently there was no research on weighted blankets so this 10% became the conventional wisdom. There have now been a few weighted blanket studies done and they have all been done by an OT in Massachusetts named Tina Champagne. Basically she found that much more weight is safe, effective and actually preferred by the participants in her study. The most important thing is that the person can still remove the blanket themselves. For some recommendations of commonly effective and appropriate weights you can check out Sommerfly. These recommendations are based on years of OT experience in a clinic setting. A few other important things to keep in mind when selecting a weighted blanket are: washable, safe weighting material, soft calming non-distracting fabric and look for innovative designs.