WHAT IS THE BEST WEIGHT FOR A WEIGHTED BLANKET?
WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED WEIGHT FOR A WEIGHTED BLANKET ?
How Do I Determine The Right Individual Weight For Me?
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. Always take into consideration any muscle tone issues when determining weight.
At DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets, we have personally researched and talked with many health professionals to determine the correct weight used in our weighted blankets. Along with our actual experience in producing the blankets the past several years, we can see how our weight formulas have benefited our customers. Many weighted blanket manufacturers today have followed our lead and have adopted the DreamCatcher weight guidelines.
We found, and many Occupational Therapists now recommend using a standard formula of 10% body weight plus one pound as a starting point to determine the initial base weight of a blanket. After the base weight is established then many personal variables need to be considered and factored in to determine the final appropriate weight for the blanket.
For example a 100 pound person would start with a base weight in a blanket of 11 pounds. Additional points to consider in determining final weight includes, height of user, size of blanket and proprioceptive input needs of the user. DreamCatcher staff is highly experienced in answering any questions as to individualizing and providing the perfect weight, size and fit to the person using the blanket. We also suggest speaking with your Occupational Therapist if available.
For weighted vests and smaller weighted products such as lap pads, wrappers , etc. the weight formula most widely accepted as effective is 5% of the users body weight.
DreamCatcher staff is knowledgeable and are very happy to help with any weight questions you may have.
I looked at a weighted blanket website today that stated that "most people cannot tolerate a blanket over 20LBS" , is that true?
Thank you for your question and sending us the information and link to that website. Unfortunately, a general statement made like this is unproven , incorrect and made without the individual needs being considered. The correct weight of a blanket must be based on both the individual's needs and the size of the blanket desired. The DreamCatcher Weighted Blanket experience gathered and applied over the past several years, shows a 20LB or over weighted blanket has helped numerous adult clients . DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets caters to both individual clients and those professionals working in a hospital setting who would agree that a 20LB or over blanket has been beneficial to the well being of both adult clients and patients.
You also mentioned in your email that an adult weighted blanket from the other manufacturer you sent questions to us about , is about 36" by 70". This is much smaller and narrower than a DreamCatcher twin size weighted blanket and we would not consider that size to be an adult size blanket. A 36" wide blanket would be appropriate for a crib size blanket. DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets are therapeutic blankets made to fit on the top of a mattress and do not hang over the sides as regular bedding. Our twins measure approx. 43" wide by 75" long and very often adults and older teens prefer a blanket size that is larger than our standard twin size.
DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets is committed to designing
each blanket to be the perfect fit, in size, weight and fabric
choice. We know it will not benefit you if it isn't! What is the reason you recommend the blankets come to the edge
of the mattress and not hang over? Is there a functional reason?
Most Occupational Therapists make this recommendation for children so the
weights are not hanging over the side of the bed which may make the blankets
feel heavier to a child. It is not normally an issue for older children
or adults. As the weighted blanket's primary purpose is to provide
pressure, we make the blankets to fit on the top of the mattress to help keep
costs down for our clients. We can, however, custom make any size blanket you
would like and are happy to provide a quote if a larger bedspread size blanket
is desired .
IMPORTANT WEIGHTING MATERIAL INFORMATION
Many types of weighting materials are used in weighted blankets currently manufactured in today's market.
* The type of weighting material used in weighted products is very important *
There are quite a variety of pellet grades on the
market. Many have low temperature ratings and care must be given in
choosing the right quality for weighted products. Often low quality
pellets are recycled from things like used milk plastic jugs or
cartons, food or water
containers and even old car batteries.
POLY-PRO PELLETS ARE THE "TOP OF THE LINE"
AND THE ONLY CHOICE FOR DREAMCATCHER WEIGHTED
PRODUCTS.
Only
high quality Poly-Pro Pellets are purchased in bulk and used in
weighting DreamCatcher Weighted
Blankets. Poly-Pro Pellets are non- toxic and hypoallergenic.
Poly-Pro
Pellets are a polypropylene product originating in the United States.
They are are non-porous, round and smooth, and
rated to a high temperature of 600 degrees making them withstand high washing
and drying temperatures. Poly-Pro Pellets are also rated as a "virgin" pellet in
the industry, meaning they have not been used before or recycled from used
items. They are SAFE, machine washable and dryable, and proven highly effective in applying
deep pressure.
We are happy to supply a MSD sheet upon request.
DreamCatcher's are designed and constructed for easy care and no fuss maintenance. DreamCatcher tm Weighted Blankets are individually handcrafted to your specifications, cleaned prior to shipment and constructed in a smoke and pet free environment.
DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets blankets are convenient to machine wash and dry as
nothing needs to be removed first, such as covers or weighting material. Most
blankets are easily washed and dried in standard household machines. Blankets
weighing over 20 LBS may be taken to a commercial machine that is better able to handle
the higher weights. We send washing suggestions with each and every weighted product.
WEIGHTING MATERIALS THAT SHOULD
A number of weighted blankets made in past years and a few still on the market today are made without little thought as to their safety, effectiveness or comfort. Many are being poorly made with inferior or unsafe materials such as lead, sand, stones or river rock, steel shot, beans, rice, corn, popcorn, aquarium gravel or stone, glass beads, layers of additional fabric, etc. being used as the weighting material. These materials are unsafe, imperfect and/ or impractical for a variety of reasons, and will in some way either lessen the life of a blanket considerably or make it unusable.
A few blanket
manufacturers falsely claim , that stones or corn are a more effective weight
than poly pellets. Both stone or river rock and corn are porous and should never be used
in a weighted product, these types of weighting material are simply very cheap materials
for those manufacturers who use them. Neither stone or corn, have been
scientifically proven as a superior or more effective weight than poly pellets
when weighting blankets. It is a disservice to consumers in stating
otherwise.
* Never use sand or fine stone in a weighted product. *
Sand or fine stone , can never be effectively washed, is an extremely unsafe weighting material, as it contains silica,
and should never be used as a weighting material. In addition to the health risk
of lung damage
, blankets made with sand will eventually leak and the blanket will become
gritty.
* Never use aquarium stone, gravel, even grade stone, fine grade river rock or stone, or any type of stone or corn in a weighted product*
Blankets made with aquarium gravel, any type of stone or rock, field corn or feed grade corn are
porous,
unsanitary, often have very sharp or pointed edges and are likely to harm the user,
and can never be effectively washed.
Because these types of weighting materials are always porous, they retain moisture
even when the outside appears dry,
causing mold, inside the blanket. In addition, those with pointed edges will cut
and wear through the fabric in a relatively small period of time, especially
with machine washing and drying.
* Inferior Plastic Pellets Or Polystyrene Pellets Are Substandard weighting Materials*
Inferior plastic pellets
and polystyrene pellets should also be avoided as a weighting material. Inferior
plastic pellets are often termed as "recycled " pellets and should be
considered unsafe for use in weighted blankets. Recycled pellets are often made
from used plastic milk jugs or cartons, plastic water and soda bottles, old plastic
containers, even old car batteries. These type of pellets
are not normally smooth or round and may not be of a non-toxic or hypoallergenic grade.
Polystyrene pellets ,often used in stuffed toys and bean bags, are a styrofoam type of material, very light weight ,
unwashable and not at all suitable for a weighted blanket.
* Never use any type of organic material in a weighted product *
Blankets filled with rice, beans, flax, popcorn, corn or any organic material can never be effectively washed. One of the very first blankets we made for our son was weighted with rice. I almost washed it!!! What a nightmare that would have been!!! We only used the "rice" blanket a few weeks, as it quickly began to smell and had to be thrown away.
If these types of
weighting materials are micro waved ( which can be extremely dangerous,
read report below) to warm, get wet from accidents, or are used
in high humidity areas, the weighting material will quickly deteriorate, mold,
emit odors and attract pets, insects and other undesirable pests. Covers
for these types of blankets may be washed but the problem will still persist
with the blanket itself. Removable weights filled with organic materials will
also present the same problem, making the blanket useless.
* Using Additional Fabric Layers to Weight a Blanket Defeats the Purpose *
We receive calls every week
where someone states they sleep under many blankets to help them sleep, and they
get sooo HOT and have to kick them off! Weighted Blankets that simply use more fabric,
heavier fabric or
stuffed with scraps of fabric for weighting material are no more practical
and much less cost effective than just using many blankets piled up for
weight. With poor construction, the inner fabric will bunch inside the blanket
rendering it unusable. As is the case with using many blankets to reach
desired weight, this type of weighted blanket is normally much too warm for
heat sensitive individuals. Precise weight can not be reached with this type of
weighting material.
* Do not use microwave ovens for warming any blankets. *
* Read The Medical Device Safety Report Here *
* Removable Weights, Are They Practical? *
Those blankets on the market today which are made so you can remove and add weight are normally filled with a weighting material that can not be properly washed, such as corn. The removable weights are easy for the youngsters to pull out, which many do , making this type of blanket impractical or unusable. Several of our customers, reported that removable weight blankets they had previously tried , found that initially the weights are easy to remove but, are difficult to impossible to replace back into the pockets or cells once the blankets have been washed and dried only after a few times.
In addition, by comparing the pocket and cell design blankets, with the DreamCatcher tm Blanket design, you will find, that the pocket and cell designs are extremely expensive as their makers will confirm. The pocket and cell design blanket is cost prohibitive to the consumer, having to buy both the blanket and weight sets separately. The advantage is sometimes expressed as the blanket can "grow with the user", because weight may be added. Unfortunately the blanket fabric size itself will remain the same so actually growth is not possible as the size of the blanket must be increased also.
We chose NOT to use the pocket blanket design for the following additional reasons. The pocket design allows weights to be removed, adjusted or concentrated in one area, which most professionals discourage . It now appears that the removable weight design has proven problematic because the weights can be too heavily concentrated ,causing discomfort to the user.
The adding of Aromatherapy is not desired and normally always avoided by sensory sensitive individuals, making it an unnecessary expense. The pocket design is MUCH more expensive than the DreamCatcher tm design, and listening to our customers, cost is always a VERY important priority. We are extremely happy to be able to pass any type of savings on to our clients. DreamCatcher tm Weighted Blankets also offer a blanket exchange program to further help our clients with expenses.
We understand expense as we are also
raising a special needs child.
Copyright 2004-2010 DreamCatcher Originals LLC, DreamCatcher Blankets TM
All contents on this web site are sole property DreamCatcher tm Originals,
LLC DreamCatcher tm Weighted Blankets & Custom Blankets By Eileen
P O Box 252 Stevensville, MT 59870
406-777-2267
DISCLAIMER
In the past few years, there have been a few new weighted blanket makers that are "using" DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets research and formulas in their written material and web sites in an effort to sell their products.
The information on our web site is freely given for all to benefit from. It is however , information that is copyrighted and has been researched and sought after personally by DreamCatcher staff. Other weighted blanket manufacturers that copy directly or have re-written DreamCatcher Weighted Blanket information in their written material have not asked for permission to use either our research, weight formulas or information, against copyright laws.
While we are flattered to be used as a model for their companies, please keep in mind DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets is not affiliated with, nor can we control or recommend products offered by weighted blanket companies that have simply used our research and information to easily promote their products.