Abby had her monthly occupational therapy appointment yesterday. One of the things we had discussed last visit was encouraging her "heavy play" to improve her proprioception. The concept of proprioception is basically awareness of one's self, the awareness of where your body is. By increasing the weight of her toys, we increase the resistance to her muscles and her awareness of her body. The therapist recommended about 2 lbs of weight for Abby's play.
One of the recommendations she gave me last month was to make a "heavy blanket": a blanket with rice sewn into it. It was quite easy to make (instructions at the end of the post). However, Abby refused to play with it. It was a little discouraging. I had made it with soft minky and a fringe I thought she would love.
I brought out the blanket and explained this to the therapist yesterday. She didn't seem surprised. She said Abby didn't like it because it was hard work. So the therapist gave me some ideas to incorporate the blanket into. The most successful was heavy hide and seek.
We placed some of her favorite toys on the table and covered them with the blanket. She would lift up the edge to see her toys and then pull the blanket off. It was just what we wanted her to do! She got tired after a few rounds, but that is okay. She was getting an arm workout and definitely getting some good heavy play. Alyssa even joined in.
Quick thoughts:
One of the recommendations she gave me last month was to make a "heavy blanket": a blanket with rice sewn into it. It was quite easy to make (instructions at the end of the post). However, Abby refused to play with it. It was a little discouraging. I had made it with soft minky and a fringe I thought she would love.
I brought out the blanket and explained this to the therapist yesterday. She didn't seem surprised. She said Abby didn't like it because it was hard work. So the therapist gave me some ideas to incorporate the blanket into. The most successful was heavy hide and seek.
We placed some of her favorite toys on the table and covered them with the blanket. She would lift up the edge to see her toys and then pull the blanket off. It was just what we wanted her to do! She got tired after a few rounds, but that is okay. She was getting an arm workout and definitely getting some good heavy play. Alyssa even joined in.
Quick thoughts:
- Very versatile, easy to adapt.
- They tire quickly - it is hard work. A few minutes a day is just great.
Heavy Blanket Tutorial
Supplies:
- Fabric: I used minky. about 20" by about 60" (my bolt was 59" wide). My blanket was about 20" by 30". I folded my piece in half, but you could also start with 2 pieces 20" x 30".
- Rice: about 4 cups, more or less depending on your goal weight.
- Trim (optional): about 20" or some ribbon for added interest.
Directions - sorry there are no pictures, if I make another one I'll update:
- Fold the fabric right sides together (forming 20" by 30" rectangle). Sew three sides together. I sewed the two long sides and one short side. Turn right side out.
- Sew divisions from the sewn short side to the open short side. I sewed three divisions each about 5 inches apart. This creates 4 long pouches for the rice.
- Pour 1/4 cup rice into the middle divisions. (I left the 4 corner squares empty but that is optional. It just made my division easier and I thought Abby would like it better.)
- Sew across the blanket about 6 inches from the bottom, sealing the rice in.
- Pour 1/4 cup rice into all divisions. Sew the rice in, 6 inches up from the last pouch. Repeat for a third and fourth row.
- On the fifth row, place 1/4 cup in the middle spaces only.
- Turn the open edges in and pin ribbon, trim, or other optional decorations. Sew the blanket shut.
- Sew a 1/4 inch seam around the entire blanket.
No comments:
Post a Comment