MsSteelersfan...a member and the group moderator has patterns to make your own if you are interested. All you have to do is PM her and ask and I'm sure she will send you the pattern. Other people here have gotten a pattern from her. I'm sure that it is cheaper to make your own instead of ordering one. Hope this helps.
Karrie
This site explains about knowing how much weight to use in a weighted blanket. http://www.saltoftheearthweightedgear.com/ALL-ABOUT-WEIGHTS. html However it is a general guideline. My son is 73 pounds and has a 17 pound weighted blanket.... he graves the deep pressure and has always been one to seek the rough house play to an extreme so the added weight he loves. I consulted his OT about it and she said as long as he can breathe ok and move under it ok (not get trapped) it was alright. But generally yes, they suggest approximately 10% of the child's body weight plus 1 pound.
There are many places that sell them on ebay...... its less expensive then the specialty catalogs... and yes I can email a pattern to those interested if you PM me or email me with your email address.
As far as getting help I have not heard of rentals but I did hear of an exchange program with them when you outgrew one weight to turn it in for a heavier blanket... I will see if I can find the info.... Also many times you can get funding help for items like this through the MR/DD school if your chilkd qualifies and also you can call your local department of Human Services or United Way or Mental Health facility and ask if they know of organizations that will help fund this type of thing... Many places help you just have to find the donations and ASK ASK ASK.
We have a two year old who has been diagnosed PDD. He has been working with a therepist and will start in the pre-school program at our local school district in just a few weeks. We are all pretty sure that his recently developed sleeping issues are sensory related but we are just beginning to understand the depths of what we are dealing with. We have been reading about weighted blankets and want to try one out. All of the posts we've read lately have been singing their praises. The problem is that I checked a bunch of websites to order them and they all say to check with an OT about the size and weight. We don't have an OT and are expecting to have to wait at least a few weeks to get in with the one at the school. These things take a while to order and we'd love to get an order in sooner rather than later. Any ideas on where we can go for help or if anyone out there rents these things?? They are kind of pricey and you never know if they will work. Thanks!
I ordered Jessi's weighted vest and weighted blanket off of the Salt of the Earth website. I didn't need her OT's advice at all. It tells you how to figure it out yourself. The merchandise they make is just AWESOME!! Jessi has a pink vest with little green frogs and a purple blanket with ballerinas.
Hope that helps. I also thought her prices were much more reasonable than the magazines I was offered to order out of.
Sarah
Also, forgot to mention, I bought Jessi a weighted lap pad off of Ebay. I paid a whole fifteen dollars for it including shipping. It has elmo and big bird and zoey on one side, and stars all over the other side. I got to pick what I wanted.
Sarah