By Terri Mauro
About.com
Site of the Day: Tuesday, February 7
Dream Catcher Blankets
Weighted blankets can help children with sensory integration issues get a better
night's sleep, and be a calming force at other times of day. Created by
Eileen Jackson, who came up with the design to help her autistic son, they
combine fabrics of your choice with plastic pellets distributed evenly
throughout to make a weighty, washable blanket for your rocking and rolling
child. One of them is on my son's bed right now, and it's sharply reduced the
number of times he pops out of bed at night to come talk to me about some
contrived subject or other. The company also has a Give and Take program to help
those who have trouble affording a weighted blanket, and a blanket exchange for
when your child outgrows the one you have.