The $15, no-sew weighted lap blanket

Monster uses a weighted blanket at school. I've been toying with the idea of using one at home as well. The biggest stumbling block was the cost vs. his potential use. I don't mind spending what I have to get something that will help Monster and he'll use. We dropped a huge chunk of change on a loft bed with a slide that he loved to play on (even if he didn't actually sleep in it). The slide is now outside on his swing set and he is actually sleeping in the bed (part time anyway).

I looked up how to make one, and didn't see anything that I could do without sewing. I don't have a sewing machine and have only the most rudimentary sewing skills anyway (I can hem up something or patch a seam, but I'm not a seamstress). After a few stops and starts and alterations, I was able to make a 6lb lap blanket yesterday and Monster crawled under it during bedtime. I have no idea if it was the blanket or the super long bath, but he fell asleep quite nicely (for a change).

From my reading, the weight should be about 10% plus 1 pound. Monster is just under 60 lbs (he lost a smidge of weight), so I went with a 6 lb blanket.

I found all of the components at Ocean State Job Lot (similar to Big Lots) for just under $15.00. Most people suggest that you fill weighted blankets with poly pellets because they are washable. I chose to make the weighted inserts removable so the cover can be washed without the weight in them. If you substitute Poly Pellets, the cost will double or triple. You can also substitute aquarium rocks-which should be machine washable.

What you need:

Queen sized pillow covers (the kind with the zipper)
3 pairs of socks
6lbs of rice
stitch witch (a no-sew bonding material, you can find it at Walmart or any fabric store)
An iron
damp cloth (for the stitch witch)
smooth surface like an ironing board
some sort of scale (although 1 lb of rice is just over 2 cups)
Tape measure
pins

Fill each sock with 1 lb of rice. Each sock was sealed with stitch witch. Cut the stitch witch to fit the opening of the sock and follow the directions on its packaging.

Using the queen sized pillow, I found that placing the stitch witch at about 4 3/4" intervals evenly distributed the socks along the length of the pillow. You can place the socks in the pillow case first-they should lay (or is it lie?) across the width of the pillow-to find what you think is the best placement. Basically, we are going to make channels in the pillow case to hold the socks in place.

I would mark the location for the stitch witch with pins, insert the stitch witch between the two sides of the pillow case and iron it in place. The stitch witch was only about 3/4 the width of the pillow case so that I could still maneuver the weighted sock into the channel (and back out again as needed). Repeat 5 times so that you end up with 6 channels.

Insert the weighted sock into each channel and zip the case closed.

If you wish, you can also use a standard queen size pillow case to use as a cover.

The whole thing took me about an hour or so.

To Retain or not to Retain

We had our second IEP for Monster today. It was kind of funny how we found out about it. I had emailed the Special Ed director for something else (and event) and she casually mentioned "see you this afternoon", to which I replied "for what?". Apparently there was an oops somewhere and we never got our notice. No big deal (at least not here). My boss is very flexible so I took a half day (not a hardship since I'm currently battling the spring cold).

I was once again struck by how different our IEPs are. Mr and I both feel like we are actually a part of a team. When the school recommends something, there is such a feeling of trust on our side-something that we never really had before. Partially because they have suggested things that we were trying to fight for previously.

Ok, back to today's IEP. It started out with the special ed director bringing up what is, generally, speaking, a very touchy subject. She wanted us to think about holding Monster back-having him repeat first grade. Mr and I had discussed holding him back and having him repeat kindergarten-so he could mature a bit more socially.

This is the same reason they want to hold him back-to allow him to mature a bit more socially. They made a very good argument. First off, his play skills have been emerging. Apparently in his speech and OT he is playing with different toys and interacting with people. Second, since he has been through first grade already, he would be more comfortable and be able to participate in the class more fully. They are also concerned that second grade has a lot less play involved and it may be even more overwhelming for him. The way I interpreted it is that holding him back will allow him to develop his social skills more and give him more confidence for when things get harder in second grade.

No decisions were made today. We need to think about everything and there is a lot to think about.

I have to admit that I'm feeling very resentful, for want of a better word, toward our old school. A big reason Monster is doing so well right now is because he has good peer models. One of his biggest motivations is seeing other kids doing things. Even though Mr did an awesome job of getting Monster out and about, he wasn't exposed to the same kids and the same routine on a consistent basis. He had no typical peer community to emulate and observe. I often wonder how much farther along he could be if he did have that when he was younger. That sort of thinking, however, doesn't get anyone anywhere and I really need to just let it go.

Looks like Mr and I have a lot of discussions and thinking to do.