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You are here: Home / Sensory Regulation / Calming Cozy Cocoon

Calming Cozy Cocoon

September 8, 2016 by Amy Smith

This calming cozy cocoon activity is as relaxing as it sounds, and is so incredibly easy to do that you may be kicking yourself for not having thought of it sooner. The concept of being in a cozy cocoon is simple: the tightness and deep pressure of the blanket provides a sense of calmness and security for your child. If you’re wanting your child to feel even safer in their cocoon, you could purchase a custom photo blanket and they can wrap up cozy IN you.

Simple sensory activity that uses deep pressure from a blanket to help kids calm down and relax. Try it out before bedtime or any stressful situation.

 

Many children who are sensory seekers or who are feeling anxious need deep tactile pressure for bodily reassurance so that they feel less “out of control” and calmer. This technique works great with children who are constantly searching for sensory experiences such as fidgeting, making noises, rocking, or spinning because the blanket provides sensory feedback in a calm, controlled manner. It also works great for any child feeling anxious as the deep pressure has a calming effect on the body, whether sensory issues are present or not.

Try out the calming, cozy cocoon before :

Bedtime

School

Homework

Doctor’s appointments

Traveling to unfamiliar places/events

Any other situation that causes your child additional anxiety or stress

sad girl

How to use it:

1. Lay a large blanket out flat on the floor and make sure its away from walls and other furniture (and there’s no little toys underneath the blanket)blanket

2.Have your child lay across the short edge of the blanket with their head OUT from underneath the blanket. Keep their arms to the side, making sure to leave a few inches of blanket out on the edge.

head out of blanket

3. Take the extra inches on the side of the blanket to start SLOWLY rolling your child tightly in the blanket

rolling up blanket

(LEAVE THEIR HEAD OUT OF THE BLANKET WHEN ROLLING)

4. Stop rolling up the child when you run out of blanket when the child is on his back (don’t leave him face down) and tuck in any extra blanket edge

rolling up blanket 2

5. Give some slow, deep squeezes down your child’s shoulders, arms, hips, and legs while they are in the cocoon.

blanket squeezes

 

blanket squeezes 3

6. Continue to give the deep squeezes for 5-10 minutes or as tolerated, making sure not to leave them in the blanket too long to prevent overheating.

cocoon

7. Finally, slowly unroll the child from the blanket when finished

Safety Reminders:

Keep their heads out of the blanket the entire time

Make sure your child does not get overheated in the blanket and only have your child in the cocoon for 5-10 minutes or as tolerated

Make sure your as asking your child if they are comfortable while in the cocoon and readjust if needed

What are some more calming ideas?

If you liked how easy and effective this activity was, take a look at the calming cookie dough activity and calming joint compressions. Both of these activities are just as simple and require minimal to no equipment.

cookie dough fi

joint compressions FI

 

Now go relax and get cozy… who knows, maybe you’ll get a turn too!


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Filed Under: Sensory Regulation Tagged With: Calming activity, sensory activities

Disclaimer

Kids Play Smarter is a blog about general ideas, theories, and concepts related to the field of occupational therapy and the growth and development of all children. The information presented on this blog is not intended to serve as or replace occupational therapy services for your child. The information on this blog is for entertainment, informational, and educational purposes only. This blog is not meant to replace formal professional consultation or evaluation from a qualified clinician. All children need to have the approval of a physician to participate in physical activities, including those described on this blog. In addition, children need to be supervised by a responsible adult at ALL times when completing activities that are illustrated and described on this blog. The author of this blog is NOT responsible or liable for any damage, injury, accident, illness, death, or adverse reaction due to participation in the activities described on the website.

Welcome to Kids Play Smarter

Amy Smith I am an occupational therapist with over 10 years of experience working with children. I created this website to offer parents, teachers, and therapists FREE ideas, strategies, and activities that they can do with their children to improve their fine and gross motor skills, handwriting, academic learning, and regulate their sensory system all while "playing" (just playing smarter)! Read More…

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