What are weighted Lap Blankets used for? 8 ways the Kocoono Weighted Lap Blanket can help You

What is a Weighted Lap Blanket?

A Weighted Lap Pad or otherwise famously known by Dermot and Dave in Today FM as the Lap Blanket is a sensory tool used to improve your attention, focus, and ability to calm down and relax. Similar to a Weighted Blanket but smaller and easy to carry around, a weighted lap pad is filled with glass beads and in our case, silicone balls, to make it plump and it applies pressure therapy on the user's legs. This gentle pressure helps calm the nervous system, relaxing the body.

What are weighted lap blankets used for? Benefits of a Weighted Lap Blanket

The Kocoono Weighted Lap Blanket /Lappad can be used in many different situations: The pressure therapy applied to the legs naturally calms and grounds the body. It benefits anyone who needs relaxation or help to get focused. 

The Kocoono Weighted Lap Blanket can help children with sensory difficulties, ADD/ADHD to relax and focus in school or while studying at home! 

 Weighted lap blankets are also helpful for adults with anxiety, PTSD or conditions such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's or Restless Legs Syndrome.

It's also ideal for people who work at the desk. Kocoono Weighted Lap Blanket help to get you focused on the task at hand.

Another key benefit of a weighted lap pad is that unlike weighted blankets, which are generally used as a sleep aid, lap pads are easy to carry around due to their smaller size. That makes them perfect to be used in the office, at school, during mealtime, at a restaurant or while travelling. This makes them also the ideal option for the elderly who can't manage the heaviness of a weighted blanket. 

8 ways a Weighted Lap Blanket can help You or your Child

1. Calms Anxiety 

Many people in Ireland are affected by Anxiety disorders at one point in their life. These anxiety levels have risen in Ireland, the UK, and Europe since the COVID-19 pandemic began. People have not been able to do their normal hobbies or connect with people the same way they were used to, and it has affected their brain, body and behaviour in many ways. 

There is a connection between the sense of touch and the state of excitement or calm in our brain. The Kocoono Weighted Blankets and Kocoono Weighted Lap Pads apply gentle pressure that helps treat Anxiety and stress by stimulating the vagus nerve, the parasympathetic system's main nerve, and the one in charge of relaxing. They mimic the firm but gentle pressure of a hug. Many studies show that cuddles effectively reduce cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and increase oxytocin levels.

It's not possible to hug or cuddle all the time, which is where a weighted lap pad and weighted blankets may help. With the Kocoono Weighted Lap Blanket, you can give yourself or your child all the benefits of hugging just by placing it over your legs anytime you need.

2. Helps with Self Regulation

Due to its calming effect, the Kocoono Customisable Weighted Lap Blanket helps with self-regulation and makes stressful activities more enjoyable.

They are used for self-regulation in both children and adults. If you suffer from stress, anxiety or depression, the Kocoono Customisable Weighted Lappad is an easy way to self-comfort while you're at work, reading on bed, travelling or any time you need.

Weighted Lap Blankets are ideal for children to use during mealtimes, learning activities or helping them deal with activities that irritate them, such as cutting nails or hair-cuts or even that dreaded trip to the dentist. Due to its powerful ability to calm the nervous system, the Weighted Lap Pad can help to prevent tantrums and sensory meltdowns.

3. Increases Productivity at Work

Many people use Weighted Lap Blankets in the workplace to increase productivity. The Kocoono Weighted Lap Blanket is perfect for those who work at the desk as it helps to ground your legs while getting you focused and corrects your position!

You can find a 'Hand Pocket' at the front of the Kocoono Weighted Lappad for holding fidget items. It is ideal if you suffer from cold hands!

For a better work performance, the Kocoono Customisable Weighted Lappad can be coupled with the Kocoono Shoulder hug, which applies pressure therapy on your shoulders, helping relieve tension and alleviate neck and back pain, which are common while sitting at the desk for long hours. You can get both with  the Kocoono Work Wellness Bundle! Check some tips for working from home and reducing anxiety in this blog! 

4. Helps with sensory overload

We all have different sensory needs. When someone has sensory overload, the senses are extremely heightened, and a little stimulation can overload the nervous system. For people with hypersensitivity, some sounds can be extremely loud or the light extremely bright. They may be extremely aware that tactile input and touch from another person isn't always a welcome sensation.

In the same way as hugs, the Deep Pressure Therapy of the Kocoono Weighted Lappad can help children and adults with tactile sensitivity experience the benefits of touch without becoming overstimulated. The gentle pressure calms the nervous system, telling the body there isn't a threat. It can help the body better cope with tactile stimulation in the long-term. As we can't always provide firm hugs, Kocoono Weighted Blankets and Kocoono Weighted lappad are perfect self-stimulation tools. You can apply deep pressure therapy whenever you or your child need it. 

On the other extreme, some people notice and process information received from the senses less intensely and they may instinctively seek extra sensory input.

There are some signs to recognise when someone is seeking input from deep pressure: they usually like to sleep with a lot of duvets on top of them, they may like tight clothes, they like firm hugs and squeezes.

Some children could behave like leaning on people or pushing their bodies against the couch. The weight of Kocoono Weighted Blankets and Kocoono Weighted Lappad provide that deep pressure that they are seeking and promote body awareness.

5. Helps to ease the symptoms of Restless Legs

The Kocoono Weighted Lap Blanket encourages stillness in the legs, decreasing the legs' impulse to move. You can use it while sitting down. If your symptoms are stronger at night while sleeping, you might also benefit from Kocoono™ Blankets. Both tools apply pressure therapy, calming the nervous system and acting as a massage. You can learn more about how Deep Pressure Therapy can help you with Restless Legs in this blog.

6. Helps Elderly People who have Dementia or Alzheimer's

For elderly people who have dementia or Alzheimer's disease, weighted lap pads can help them ease restlessness, anxiety and insomnia. 

Elderly people wake up frequently during the night. The Kocoono Weighted Blanket can help them sleep deeply, but if they are anxious or agitated during the day, the Kocoono Weighted Lap Pad is the best option. It provides the same calming and soothing effect in a compact size, ideal for them to carry around. 

Suppose they suffer from respiratory or circulatory problems, the weight of Kocoono Customisable Weighted Lap Blanket, which is only 2.5kg (and can be reduced as it is customisable -  just remove one of the three inner weighted bands) might suit them better if it is not as heavy as a Kocoono Weighted Blanket.

7. Helps Children and Adults on the Autistic Spectrum

Many of our customers in Ireland seek advice to get the perfect sensory tool for their children with autism. Both Kocoono Weighted Blanket and Kocoono Weighted Lappad can be very beneficial for people with Autism.

The evidence suggests that children on the spectrum benefit from deep pressure in many different ways. The feedback of many parents of children with Autism is based on the significant reduction in tension and anxiety and the feeling of security after pressure therapy. 

People with Autism often have sensory processing disorders, and the weighted lap pad can help them greatly. People on the Autism Spectrum can have low levels of serotonin and, in turn, tend to produce less melatonin, which are vital chemicals for having a steady mood and regulating the sleep-wake cycle. By providing deep pressure therapy, the Kocoono Weighted Lap Blanket can help reduce cortisol levels associated with stress and, in turn, release serotonin in the body. In this way, the melatonin levels are more steady and allow the user to fall asleep faster and deeper. You can learn more about how Kocoono Weighted Blanket can help children with Autism in this blog.

8. Helps Children to improve class performance

A Study of Occupational therapists' published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy shows how Pressure Therapy increases on-task behaviour during fine motor activities, like scribbling, colouring, drawing, and writing.

Emer Flannery, the founder of Kocoono, made her first weighted product for this purpose when she worked as a behaviour therapist with a child with Autism.

"He got distracted in School, so I made a small lap pad that he could bring with him. By activating the sense of touch, the weighted lap pad kept him from becoming distracted by other sensory stimulations, such as sounds. This helped him stay in his seat and keep focused on his tasks for longer". 

The Kocoono Weighted Lap Blanket can improve classroom behaviour for children with ADHD or ADD. ​​The pressure therapy on the lap can help the children to go from one activity to another and help them concentrate on the task at hand.

One study from the American Occupational Therapy Association found that weighted vests improve in-seat behaviour, attention-to-task, and task completion in children with ADHD. Although the study references the weighted vests, the weighted lap pad has the same kind of results. Both tools use deep touch pressure, which activates the sense of touch, preventing them from being distracted from other sensory stimulations.

Try the Kocoono Customisable Weighted Blanket. What makes it unique? 

Our Kocoono Weighted Lap Blanket is designed in Ireland and ethically made in Europe. 

Children and adults can place the Kocoono Customisable Weighted Lappad over their legs while sitting or working. This frees up their hands for writing, studying, typing or other tasks. The Kocoono Weighted Lap Blanket weighs 2.5 Kg, and it is customisable! You can adapt it to your needs. Pay attention to its unique features:

• Customisable: It has 3 removable inner weighted bands, so you can remove some of the inner weighted bands to customise the weight
• Machine washable
• There is a 'Hand Pocket' at the front for holding fidget items or for those extra fidgety hands! (Ideal for children or for people who suffer from cold hands!) 
• One side of the lap blanket is Minky fabric which is fluffy and extrasensory. The other side is 100% cotton.
• It is big enough to provide you with the benefits of deep touch pressure and small enough so you can easily move it around the house with you from room to room.

Do you have any questions? You can use our online contact form to get in touch 💚