WHY DID WE START MAKING WEIGHTED BLANKETS ?
ABOUT DREAMCATCHER WEIGHTED BLANKETS TM
Our Son, What A Cute Kid!! And Smiling Because Now He Can Sleep!!
The Inspiration That Started It All
Our son, pictured above, with his weighted blanket made in 2003 was designed to provide better sleep, using 101 Dalmations on a plaid flannel background. It weighed 12 LBS and was used for approx. 3 years before he needed a heavier blanket. The blanket was machine washed and dried every other week for three years without problems and was donated to our blanket exchange program and is now being used by another young man. The blanket on the right is his newest blanket, it is a full size weighing 24LBS in a fireworks cotton pattern. He would normally take a 16LB blanket based on his weight and using the standard starting weight formula that most professionals use of 10% body weight plus 1 pound. Because of his need for very deep pressure the 24LB blanket has been a perfect choice for him.
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DreamCatcher Blankets was founded almost 6 years ago by Eileen Jackson, the mother of her at the time, 9 year old son, with "classic" autism, who was not able to sleep without waking every few hours. "He hadn't slept by himself or all night by himself until he was 9 years old and tried his first weighted blanket. My husband and I tried all types of "therapies" prior to that time to help him sleep, short of using drugs. His Occupational Therapist recommended we try a weighted blanket. Since he started using a weighted blanket for sleep, his night time sleep goes most nights without waking during the night. It was not only his therapy, but was also ours. "
The weighted blankets we found in the special needs catalogs were very small in size, extremely expensive, impractical ,made with uncomfortable fabrics and very clinical looking, not at all user friendly. Other homemade type blankets we found on the internet, purchased and tried were either filled with unsafe or unsanitary weighting materials, were impractical because of the construction and again much too expensive for the size and quality of the product being offered. In addition, and most importantly, we found that blanket sizes, weights and fabrics offered did not fit our son's personal needs. Because of the lack of a quality product, we set out to make a weighted blanket for our son, he was our inspiration ( as he always is). We sewed several types of blankets over several months, using a variety of weighting materials, fabrics and constructed several designs until landing on what is now our unique DreamCatcher Weighted Blanket TM, exclusive patent pending design. At the request of a few Occupational Therapists we made blankets for their patients. Word of mouth had us make a few more blankets and it has continued to grow (almost explode) .We are making custom blankets on a full time basis, added employees, sewing space and equipment, with more expansion planned. In August 2007, we relocated into a larger sewing facility added more machines and sewers.
As of August 2008, we again relocated into a new facility outgrowing from our move in 2007. The potential for future expansion at the new facility should accommodate DreamCatcher's needs for a very long time.
Moving into our sixth year , DreamCatcher tm Blankets have proven to be a quality, sought after product worldwide that is effective, practical, comfortable, affordable and most importantly SAFE.
"It is our hope by offering you a custom DreamCatcher Weighted Blanket TM, that you or someone you love and care for will also benefit from their calming and soothing effects, the way our son has. The best part of the job is hearing from our customers what an enormous difference one of our blankets has made in the life of their families." Eileen & JC
A DreamCatcher tm sleep blanket is larger in size with the weight distributed throughout and is not as heavy per square inch as a lap or wrap blanket, which are sizes normally used as a calming tool.
DreamCatcher tm Sleep Blankets are made crib size to king size, and weighted anywhere from 3LBS to 50LBS at the customers request.
Weighted blankets should never be used as a restraint, it is important that the user can always remove a weighted blanket on their own, if desired.
Pricing on DreamCatcher tm Sleep Blankets based on individual needs , please email for quote or price list, or visit the ordering page by clicking on the link below.