Weighted blankets are soothing, especially for children with sensory processing abnormalities.
Weighted blankets are used for both children and adults alike to provide a sense of soothingness and self calm. It is often recommended by occupational therapists for children with sensory processing abnormalities, such as those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders. The weight of the blanket calms the child's desire to seek sensory stimulation, providing more body awareness, improving attention, and helping with sleep.
Instructions
1. Hold your two pieces of flannel fabric together with the outside surfaces of the fabric facing one another.
2. Sew the two pieces of flannel together across the bottom and two sides. Flip the fabric inside out such that you now have a large pouch with one open end at the top.
3. Lay the blanket down flat and measure across the open end of the fabric. Sew lines down the long end of the blanket, perpendicular to the open end, that are equal width apart. To ensure that they are equal, divide the width of the open end into 8 to 20 equal parts depending on the size of your blanket and use this as the width between each sewn line.
4. Pour equal amounts of polystyrene beads into the lanes you have created. The amount of beads should equal the desired weight of the blanket. It is recommended that the blanket be 10 percent of the person's body weight plus one pound. Once the blanket is filled with beads, sew closed the open end.
5. Lay the blanket flat and sew equally divided lines across the short end of the blanket, perpendicular to the previously sewn lines to create a grid pattern, each box filled with an equal amount of polystyrene beads.
Tags: blanket perpendicular, children with, children with sensory, filled with, open blanket, pieces flannel, polystyrene beads