Weighted blanket.

[Violet44]

Anyone used one of these? Do you find them helpful? Was looking at getting one for my 7 year old who has no diagnosis but definitely has sensory processing issues. Thought it might help calm his behavior (will maybe post more about that another time.) Have looked on Amazon though and they range from 15 pound to 75 pounds which seems a lot. Just looking to see if anyone has any recommendations or can tell me how they use them with their child or had anyone found they help with sleep, as falling off to sleep can sometimes be an issue.

My son loved his and we bought it off Ebay I think by a lady who lets you choose the fabric and weight. Or it might have been a Facebook shop, can't remember. Anyway the one problem with them is that they are very hot so OK for the winter but not so nice in other seasons unless your home is quite cold. If you make your own with beanbags sewn onto a quilt just make sure to calculate the weight correctly so it isn't too heavy. You can google the different weights for different ages and sizes.

There's lots of advice online saying don't use them for sleeping all night because a child can overheat and not understand, not know they are too hot or be unable to throw them off.

Lots of parents use them in the day and evenings for calming. There are tables online to work out how heavy it needs to be as a therapeutic aid.
Some of the lap ones are pricey, you could put an appropriate weight of rice or lentils or wheat etc. in a fabric case inside a cushion cover.

This Sensory Booklet may be worth a read for strategies and tips.
www.falkirk.gov.uk/services/social-care/disabilities/docs/young-people/Making%20Sense%20of%20Sensory%20Behaviour.pdf

My Ds has one . He doesn’t tend to use it unless he is upset. He says it feels like a big cuddle when he is upset.

I think they are so hit and miss whether they help

I bought one recently for my 14 yr old dd. She gets easily overwhelmed and the blanket really helps when she comes in from school and is feeling angry.

She's chosen to sleep under it, and has definitely found it easier to fall asleep since she's been using it. She says that she wakes up less in the night too.