Q&A: How Much Weight and Time for Hats and Blankets?

Question:

Would you please provide weight information or recommendations for weighted hats and blankets? I generally use 7 to 10% of total body weight for vests but wasn’t sure about the others. Also, are recommended wearing times the same as vest of 30 minutes maximum on and off?

Answer:

Here is a link to my recommendations for weighted vests are in the Q&A titled New Protocol for Weighted Vests.

There isn’t enough research available for protocols on weighted hats or blankets, but through research on the adult population and experiential data with kids, we feel we can go higher in weight for blankets−typically up to 15% of the child’s body weight. The reason is that they are sedentary during use and the weight is distributed across the whole body. For hats, I typically start with about a one-half pound of weight and let the child provide feedback on whether more is desired. For hats, I would adhere to a wear-schedule similar to that for vests. With blankets, I feel comfortable having kids sleep under them all night as long as they meet these three criteria: The child

1. can remove or get out from under the blanket independently.
2. are over the age of 3 and are able to use quilts and comforters safely.
3. show appropriate responses to physiological variables like over-heating.

I do feel strongly that weighted garments should only be used by kids with normal muscle tone. Unweighted compression garments are probably a better option for kids with high or low tone.

I hope that helps!

Best Wishes,
Gwen