Weighted blankets may often be helpful for anxiety, and the pressure of this type of  blanket may help to calm, and reduce stress. They can be, and are, used by both adults and children; they can be described as a comforting hug, and used as an aid to restful sleep.

These blankets have also been used to help calm children with a diagnosis of autism or a hyperactive disorder.

Five years ago my nephew and his wife adopted 3 children – siblings  (the youngest would not be born for another two months. They were unable to conceive, and IVF attempts had failed twice. So, they adopted the two siblings, and agreed to adopt the expected baby at birth. An instant family. The children have their challenges, and I was asked to make two weighted blankets for the two older children about 18 months after their adoption. The blankets are really helpful during stressful periods for the children, and they love them!

The third child now needs his own blanket – the older siblings are fed up sharing! I hope this post gives an idea of how I made the blanket – but you may already know how to make one? I did not make any notes first time round unfortunately, Youtube is, as always, a help.

It is most important that the blanket is not too heavy for the child, or adult. They need to be able to move underneath it, and the blanket must never be placed over the child’s head. It is recommended that the weighted blanket should be no more than 10% of the child’s weight, this includes the blanket weight before the beads are inserted. The beads are very small, and can be made from plastic, or micro glass. The glass variety are more expensive. This photo shows the size of the beads in comparison to a few grains of rice.

I used plastic beads for the blankets. The Youtube tutorials describe various methods of blanket making, but skip over the tricky bit of inserting the beads. I had kept a long cardboard tube on which some fabric was rolled, from some years ago. I was so happy to find the tube again. I had used it with the other blankets too. The use of the cardboard tube was definitely a lightbulb moment the first time i made these.

I had the blanket measurements, and the child’s weight, so I just had to calculate the channels and number of pockets needed, so that there would be an even distribution of the pellets all over the blanket. So, a regular quilt, but with two layers of batting, stitched together on three sides, inside out, and then turned the right side out. A further reinforcing line of stitching one inch from the edge removed the need for any binding. I did not use any special fabric, both top and back were repurposed cotton, and actually match the fabric of the first two.

I measured and stitched six channels down the length of the blanket, and measured again to decide on the size of the pockets.

The weighing scales, and small pots for holding the small portion of beads for each pocket were assembled. Once each group of beads was inserted, I made sure that they were shaken down to the bottom, and two rows of stitching to secure those pockets, and repeated this process to complete the blanket. The top edges were turned in, and stitched to secure. I weighed the blanket and I was happy that it was just over 10% of the body weight. A label with the name on completed the look.

Grand daughter No 2 is requesting similar for Christmas……….