Anyone made their own weighted blanket or bought one?

[Blossomhill]

I am trying to think if it's worth getting one for dd with AS. She finds it so hard to relax and loves deep pressure so am wondering if this would help?
They are very pricey though so am trying to think maybe I could make my own but not sure how!
Many thanks

I think there are charities that will fund one, im sure - family fund do i think.

not sure if thats any help at all.

I looked into these and the smallest they did was 5lb, DS5 is only 22lb and so would crush him, bless! i think its supposed to be no more than 10% body weight. there was another thread about them around here somewhere...

Thanks miss. I know they sell them on ebay for £55 and the lady sorts out weights depending on size of child.
TC ~ I spoke to my OT and she said I should save my money and get a sleeping bag and fill with pillows but not sure if dd would like that tbh

Ds antiallergy duvet ( JL junior size) is quite heavy for its size IYSWIM and seems to work well fo him. Ds likes wrapping up in a blanket after school to relax and loves sleeping bags but cannot yet get in/out unaided so we dont use one at night. ( Perhaps time to try again) Having spent a fortune on a breathable waterproof duvet cover that was too heavy for him to cope (he hated it and the weight pulled it off!) I wish one could borrow these things. He is so fussy! Do OTs or anyone else loan them? Has anyone tried a weighted lap blanket or a waistcoat?

Can I lessen my ignorance and ask what use they have? I've seen lots of threads about them, but don't understand what they do

I see. Thanks TClanger x

I've thought about making one, Im reasonably handy with a sewing machine and they look quite simple, especially if you start off with a single duvet cover. I've not managed to find a sorce of the poly beads you need to fill them though.

here?

Could you sew in cushion fillers? Would that have the same effect? I'm quite interested in these now and they do seem to be very expensive.

A SN teacher suggested sewing curtain weights around a normal duvet but never tried it so don't know if it works...

I've recently been making enquiries about a weighted blanket for ds but am still none the wiser! I phoned the OT to ask what kind of weight I should be looking at and she sent me some information from a catalogue and suggested I ring up and ask. This I did, and the sales lady said they couldn't give me any advice because they aren't medically trained, and why didn't I ask my OT?
A friend of my mum's just replaced her son's modern lightweight duvet with an old-fashioned heavy feather one. She said it worked brilliantly, her son loves it and sleeps much better. I might try that although feather duvets are still quite expensive. I'd hate to pay out and then find ds is allergic to feathers .

I am allergic to feathers and have a four seasons duvet from Debenhams that is designed to feel like down in terms of weight etc. It is years old though, but maybe they still sell them.

You could then sew something like a curtain weight on the junction of every stitched line (like cloves in a ham if you are a cook ) to get a nice division of weight. Or little bags of rice or pulses.

I was told that the antiallergy treated duvets are heavier than ordinary artificial fillings (as are the cheapest fillings)- but you might need to check that as they are trying to improve that problem (Ds duvets are a few years old now)!

Sometimes you can buy e-books off ebay (US site) with instructions how to make weighted items. I can't find any on there at the moment, but I have bought one in the past and it was pretty cheap. I would share it around, but I specifically promised not to since the OT who was selling was selling it at a low price to help people, so I don't feel I can.

I think the polypellets might not be heavy enough by themselves. I have not made a blanket, just a neck weight but I used rice to weight it.

My Mum made one for DS2 - I think she found the instructions on the internet. Will make enquiries - though I'm sure someone linked to it on here - Jimjams??

sphil ~ did it help your ds?

He just threw it on the floor . He likes deep pressure, but only for short periods, so I think it was probably a bit much for him? He and DS1 had a period of playing with it, but I've now lent it to a friend of mine.

Sounds like something dd might do!!!

Right very exciting have found instructions here www.stride4autism.com/index.php?pr=Instruction_to_make_a_weighted_blanket so may give it a go and I'll let you all know how I get on!