Weighted bleanket or vest?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Weighted bleanket or vest?
4
Wed, 06-14-2006 - 10:46am

Anyone with aspie children use these? What do you recommend? The psych said it might be a good idea for Xander so I was wondering how much success you've had with them also.


BTW... THANK YOU to all of those who recommended HWOT!! I will be ordering it soon and think that it will be an excellent tool for all of my children, not just Xander. (I'm a homeschooling mommy)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Wed, 06-14-2006 - 12:44pm

I would love to use a weighted vest for Peter.

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 06-14-2006 - 1:10pm

I agree in talking to an OT prior to investing in one or the other. Typically the basic idea is 10% of the body weight for blankets I believe. It may be the same for vests or it may be 5%, I can't remember.

Also, if you have a cost plus world market near you they have weighted toys that work FANTASITC and are cheap. There is a snake we just love. The kids put it over thier shoulders. I swear, I think Cait slept with the thing the first week we had it. Cait can't do a blanket or a vest because it is just too constricting and hot for her. But she liked the snake. We also have an octopus.

Mike and Dave both have weighted blankets. They go in and out of using them. At first they used them all the time but they have had them a few years now. Dave is using his alot again and it really helps him settle down. I made my own and it was a task and a half. If you have the funds it would be easier to buy them.

For Mike, he had a vest at school he used for a while but won't anymore. We had a vest at home too. I bought a fisherman type vest and then would put little bags of sand in various pockets to equal the weight I wanted. He won't let me put the weight in anymore but if he is feeling the need he will still wear that vest. He goes through phases where he wears it alot. Of course it is now over 2 years old and he has grown tons so it is too small. I will just have to break down and find a new fishermans vest that is more his size.

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 06-14-2006 - 3:16pm
Thanks for all of the info. Right now he loves it when I hold him in my lap up against me and scratch his back or rub his belly. He'll be too big at some point to lay up against me like that... lol. I'm exloring the other options.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
Wed, 06-14-2006 - 4:55pm

Sylvia LOVES her weighted blanket. I made it myself -- used some spare fabric and a lot of rice. There are times when she is in panic/meltdown mode, and I'll sit her down and put the blanket on her legs, and it's like we flipped a switch: she's immediately calm and quiet. This was especially true when she had the flu: the weighted blanket was the only thing that could calm her down.

We also have a compression vest, which we thought she would absolutely love, but she seems sort of indifferent to it. It doesn't seem to calm or organize her, and in fact sometimes when we put it on her she just wants to take it off. So that was kind of a waste of money, unfortunately. She did try a compression vest out at school for a week before she purchased one, and they said she did fine with it, but sadly it doesn't seem to have much of an effect at home.

One thing you could try to find are those weighted draft-snakes -- do you know what I mean? It looks like a long snake made out of fabric, and you put it against the base of your door to stop the drafts from coming through underneath? See if he likes it on his lap, or draped over his shoulders, before investing in a blanket or vest...?

HTH!

Jennifer