To better serve our customers, we have expanded our product line from mostly weighted blankets to include weighted vests, weighted belts, and more. We are also announcing our new name, SensaCalm, that will more accurately describe our more varied product base.

Our weighted blanket selection is now easier than ever! You can start by selecting your size or fabric, with easy to use guides to assist you along the way. The fabric selection is more intuitive, and new colors are now available.

Our new weighted vest is amazing.  We worked with a designer to create a weighted vest that any kid would love.  The quality is excellent, and there are no removable weight packets to worry with. Many customers have asked about weighted hats, so we also created a weighted hat that matches the vest, and you can buy the vest with or without the removable hat.

We are so excited to roll out the new website and our new products! You will still find the same quality, Affordable Weighted Blankets you have always been able to count on with us. In addition, you will find many other Sensory products that have been hand picked and tested by us. Our product line is specifically tailored to help those with sensory processing disorder and other special needs.

Don’t forget, “Affordable Weighted Blankets” is now “SensaCalm“.
Help us spread the word, and check out our new site!

As always, we look forward to your feedback!

Warmest regards,
Donna Chambers

Children on the Autism Spectrum often have great difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. For some it is a rare experience getting tucked in their beds and drifting right off to dreamland. When they finally do fall asleep, they may wake up several times during the night. Children with sleep disorders are not the only ones in the family affected by their inability to sleep. Their problem also affects parents and siblings who are often sleep deprived from dealing with the child who is awake half the night.

Melatonin, a hormone that the body produces in the pineal gland to let us know it is time for bed, is affected by natural light and dark. As the dark nighttime appears, melatonin tells the body that it’s time to sleep. Because we produce less melatonin as we age, the elderly often suffer with waking too often or too early, or not being able to fall asleep at all.

Those with autism, ADHD, and lack of vision often have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep through the night. Many parents have found that giving their child melatonin before bed helps them quickly get to sleep and stay asleep.

Doctors are often hesitant to recommend the use of melatonin, especially until all other measures have been tried with the child. Most parents who buy the non-prescription hormone have already tried the traditional methods of helping children get to sleep. These include having a regular schedule so that the child knows that he or she is expected to get ready to sleep plus a routine that is followed every night. The routine may include a bath or shower, brushing teeth, reading books, telling stories, or other nightly rituals. Avoiding movies or television that may scare or excite the child close to bedtime is another thing that most parents try to do.

Another method that helps many children with sleep problems is using a weighted blanket. A weighted blanket helps a child relax, and not simply from the comfort of the cozy blanket. The weight of the blanket uses deep pressure touch stimulation (DPTS) which is thought to release chemicals that calm the child naturally. The brain releases serotonin when deep pressure is applied to the body which calms the body. Serotonin converts to melatonin which is the hormone that helps the child get to sleep and stay asleep. A weighted blanket that may provide melatonin naturally, rather than using an artificial supplement, is worth trying if a child (or anyone) has a sleep problem. Many children have gone from being nearly sleepless to being able to sleep through the night when they begin to use a weighted blanket.

If parents have tried other measures and their child still has difficulty sleeping, melatonin is believed to be safe for children and adults in doses of 3 milligrams or less. Doctors will not endorse it because not enough tests have been completed that show the effects of it on children.
The use of melatonin is not new. It has been used in adults for various reasons, such as for jet lag. Our own grandson, David, takes 1.5 mg of melatonin at night and heads to bed with his weighted blanket! He sleeps much better than he did years ago.

Donna
AffordableWeightedBlankets.com

Many autistic children have the dangerous habit of wandering off. Their parents have found that they cannot leave their child alone for two seconds or he or she will disappear, or at least try to get out of the house or yard. If a parent has had the scare of not finding their child for even a few minutes, they usually look for a way to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. The anxiety and stress of trying to find a child who doesn’t realize that he or she has wandered off is bad enough, but when the child is nonverbal and can’t answer your calls, it’s even worse.
Many parents of autistic children have several locks on each of the doors in their house, but many times kids figure out how to open them as fast as parents install them. This is why many parents buy a tracking device as a precautionary measure. There are trackers that are worn by the child as a wristwatch, and they are made so that they are not easy to take off. There is a base that the parent can carry around the house, and if the child gets out of a certain range, the monitor will beep to warn the parent.
Some autistic children seem to be obsessed with wandering and running. They may be running towards something that they really want, or they may be running away from a smell or something that they don’t like that is nearby. Whatever the reason for these children trying to get out and run, parents are responsible for keeping them as safe as possible. Tracking devices are a popular way for parents to monitor where their child is at all times. In a special education classroom full of autistic children, many of them will be wearing tracking devices. There is also a danger of the child trying to get out of the classroom or away from the playground if an adult looks away for even a moment.
A GPS tracking devices allows parents or the police to be able to track a child who has wandered or run off. The child must be able to keep the bracelet on his or her wrist or ankle or the system will not work. Data is transmitted to the police or the family, and they have a chance to find the missing child quickly to avoid any danger. A tracker sends real-time messages to those responsible for the child every 10 seconds, and a top of the line tracker can even record and store the child’s position. It is possible to record his or her position every 20 feet.
A GPS tracking device can give parents a sense of peace of mind that would not be possible if they needed to attempt to watch the child every second of the day. It can assure them that if their child wanders off, they will know his or her location within seconds.

Going to the dentist can be a very frightening and uncomfortable experience for a boy or girl with Sensory Processing Disorder and/or Autism. A dentist who is experienced in working with special needs children will be prepared. Over sensitivity to sounds, smells, and lights can make for a nerve-wracking experience for parent and child.

Parents should be sure that the dentist allows parents to go back to the examination room with the child, as this will be much easier for both the child and the dentist in most cases. Another way to comfort a child and remove a lot of the fear is to have the child meet the dentist beforehand. They may also be able to look at the different machines in the dentist’s office that will be used during their visit.

It is also a good idea to role-play dentist and patient with your child. Pretend that you are the dentist and that you’re examining your child’s teeth. Then, when the actual dentist visit comes around, the exam will not be so strange and unknown.

Many parents have also found that taking a weighted blanket to the appointment to put over the child during the visit works well. It comforts and calms like nothing else can. Earplugs are also helpful so that the loud noise will not bother your child. Some children prefer earphones with soothing music or a video game, if it does not get in the way of the procedure. Taking an Epsom salts bath before the appointment is also soothing and gives a dose of calming magnesium through the skin.

For the child with severe autism, going to a dentist who sedates children may be necessary if the child cannot tolerate treatment by the regular dentist. Some dental offices have a pediatric anesthesiologist come to their offices at scheduled times when they treat special needs children. If the parent takes the weighted blanket, earphones, or earplugs to the appointment, the child will be calmer and more relaxed before the sedation is given to him or her. Having his or her special weighted blanket will be a comfort that is second only to having the parent right there next to him or her.

The worst fear that a parent can have is that there is something wrong with their child.  Early on, a parent’s intuition may be the only thing they have to go on that there is a problem.  Doctor’s may insist at first that everything is fine.

As the child’s behavior gets more noticeable, they really just want to know the truth.  The sooner they know the truth, the sooner they can help their child.

If you have noticed some subtle – or not so subtle differences in your child, you may want to look at the symptoms of sensory processing disorders. They are becoming common in today’s children – much more than they were years ago. What is a sensory processing disorder? It is a disorder that occurs when the nervous system does not process the messages from the senses and turn them into the expected responses. There are so many ways that this happens in children that it is often difficult for doctors and other health professionals to diagnose. That is the primary reason why physicians are often hesitant to diagnose a child as having this disorder.

There are some clues that can help parents since you are with your child more than anyone else. These are some of the main characteristics of children with this disorder, and a child can have one or more of these:

• Oversensitivity to touch – does not like to be hugged, kissed, get messy, take a bath, or wear clothes OR can be the opposite – doesn’t feel pain or notice dirt, and touches everything, banging into things, wants to be squeezed and hugged tight
• Is aggressive with other kids, moves all of the time – jumping, running, and uncoordinated OR the opposite – clumsy and uncoordinated
• Is overly sensitive to sounds that other individuals don’t notice – vacuum, hair dryer, loud public places and covers ears and says it’s loud OR doesn’t know where noise is coming from, does not respond when called, loves loud music
• Is a very picky eater who gags on textured food, has trouble sucking, chewing, and swallowing, and may be very afraid of the dentist OR the opposite – eats everything including inedible items like dirt or clay, drools a lot
• Is overly sensitive to smells that make the child feel sick or want to go places because they don’t like the smells that you may not even notice OR is totally unaware of smells that most people don’t like, or smells everything, even things that other people would find offensive.
• Is bothered by bright lights or sunlight, and avoids eye contact OR difficulty finding details in pictures and trouble reading because of losing place in text

While many children have some of these issues and differences at times, the key to identifying a sensory processing disorder is that your child has them MOST of the time. As your child gets older and into preschool, you will notice the differences between her and other children. If you have any doubts about whether or not your child may have this disorder, make a list of your concerns to discuss with your pediatrician. The earlier that it is diagnosed, the better your child will be able to adjust and develop more normal responses.

If you feel your pediatrician is not taking your concerns seriously, and your child is under school age, contact your State’s Early Intervention Center. Once the child reaches school age, you can request testing through the school system. If you have insurance, and don’t need a referral, take your child directly to an Occupational Therapist.

Diane W.
Blog Writer for SensaCalm

http://thinkingautismguide.blogspot.com/2010/10/sensory-seekers-and-sensory-avoiders.html

An excellent way to explain to others ..

click here for video:  Welcome to Holland

Well, it was about a year ago that we outgrew running the business out of my house and rented a basement apartment nearby to contain the “office”, while the rest of the  business was split between our church and the homes of the seamstresses.

Now again we are moving this time  into St. Elmo to an office and warehouse space that will be a more permanent home for our office and shipping facility.  Of course we will still have seamstresses working from home…that is a huge part of our business to support work at home parents and grandparents.    It also helps us keep lower prices by keeping overhead low.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for our website designer, Ben, who wants to go to seminary and is asking God to provide his needs to do so.

Also remember my daughter and grandson.  David has been throwing up for the last few months and we are not sure if it is an autism related issue or a gerd or stomach issue.  Sarah is tired and stressed from cleaning up and doesn’t know how to deal with this.

Pray for me that I deal with certain remarks by a competitor in a way that would be pleasing to God.  This has been a painful truth of Internet business that some will do anything to gain sales.  Some have directly refuted some of the information on our website without any proof to show it is wrong, or that their own point is right.  Remember that just because someone sounds “authoritative” does not mean they are.  Anything on our website is there because we believe it to be true.  If we find it to not be true,  or confusing, it will be changed.  There are numerous weighted blanket makers online, and most of them peacefully sell alongside each other without incident and without having to strike blows at each other to do so.

I would like to state that:

Making the sale is not my #1 goal.  If I don’t think a weighted blanket is the best thing for you, I will tell you.  We started this business as a ministry to help people with special needs.  There is not a lot of science behind weighted blankets and why they work.  The most dramatic evidence I can show you is the testimonials from customers I have personally provided weighted blankets for.

Our recommended weights started from a consensus of what OT’s recommended and other weighted blanket makers were using at the time we went into business.  As our customers gave us feedback, this was tweaked to become what it is today.  The charts are merely a guide, and we recommend you use your OT”s recommendation if it is available.

Blankets over 20lbs and bigger than our medium adult length are very cumbersome and we recommend you call to talk with us about ordering this size.  Quite often people complain about these being too heavy or large once they recieve them.  Of course, some sensory seekers do require this weight and even much heavier, just make sure that this describes you before you buy.

We have been including polyfil in our blankets since we started business and it does not bunch.  We buy the highest quality polyfil and put it in with the polypellets and have hundreds of happy customers that can testify to the fact that it does not bunch up inside the blanket after many washings as one competitor states.

We make an excellent quality product.  We use the highest quality materials and our seamstresses are dedicated to quality and safety.  Every blanket is guaranteed.

It also begs to be mentioned that because our business name is descriptive it is difficult, if not impossible to trademark.  This makes it easy for unscrupulous competitors to steal and use for their own purposes.  Do a google search on “Affordable Weighted Blankets” and you will see who else is using that term in their page title or description to confuse our customers.

Also see who is using our business name ending in .net as an alternative domain name (we did not know early on that if we didn’t buy the .net version that our competitor would be allowed to)  So, if you are looking for us, and you accidentally put in .net instead of .com, you will be directed to that competitors site instead.

Anyway,  this is just for your info.  I don’t want our customers and friends thinking that we are working off of bad or outdated information as some suggest.

I hope you are having a lovely week….think about us while we are moving!

Warmest Regards,

Donna

P.S.  Update:  A few days after I made this post, my troublesome competitor spammed this blog pretending to be one of her own customers.  Since I know her IP address, I knew that it was her and did not approve the post….especially since it was an ad for her own site.