Welcome to the world of weighted stuffed animals. They’re cute, calming, comforting, and most importantly, can help both children and adults with anxiety, stress, and sensory issues.
Weighted stuffed animals combine the benefits of weighted blankets with the playfulness of a stuffed animal. Weighted stuffed animals provide proprioceptive input and deep touch pressure, which can help soothe the nervous system allowing children to calm down and focus better.
According to Harvard research, the deep touch pressure of weighted items “has a calming, grounding effect on many children with sensory processing and attention deficit disorders. This may help them self soothe, regulate their emotions more effectively and focus better.” This may also help people with autism, ADHD, anxiety, and other sensory disorders who have a difficult time falling asleep because of their sensory issues.
Deep touch pressure is also thought to stimulate the production of dopamine and serotonin (the mood-boosting hormones that contribute to our happiness) and reduce cortisol (the stress hormone). We could all use a bit of that, right?
Therapists recommend that weighted stuffed animals weigh about 5% of your body weight. Check out our variety of weighted stuffed animals for you and your loved ones.
For more resources, check out:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedding-information/weighted-blanket-benefits
https://weightedsense.com/weighted-lap-animal-sensory-integration/
1 comment
Good read! Thanks for the resources too!