Lycra sensory sheets are super easy to make. Use this tutorial to learn how to make your own DIY compression bed sheet for cheap!
I had been debating for months whether or not to sew a weighted blanket for my son before deciding to try making my own sensory bed sheets. I mean one look at the DIY weighted blanket tutorials and I'm like heck no, too much work. Plus, polyfill pellets are expensive!
So me being me, I figured that I could make one for super cheap.
And I did (obviously).
However, before I splurged on some fabric for making some a homemade compression sheet, I wanted to make sure my son would actually like the idea of it. I took our homemade sensory tunnel, which just happens to be the same length required to wrap around my son's mattress, and tried it as a temporary sensory sheet. It worked really great!
So I decided that it was worth making a trip to the fabric store and finally making a legit DIY lycra sensory bed sheet for him.
About this Homemade Lycra Compression Sheet for Kids
The inspiration for this project is this stretchy lycra sheet that costs $70! Geez, that's a lot of money, isn't it?
Thankfully, my final price tag was $15.
Yes, FIFTEEN dollars.
Much better price, right?
How to Make the DIY Sensory Sheet
First, I measured the entire dimension of my son's mattress, top, bottom, and sides included (it was 120 inches). Then I converted it to metres so that I knew how much fabric to purchase. I needed the exact same amount of fabric that I used to make our sensory tunnel: 3 metres (which is about 3.3 yards).
However, in the end I had to cut off about a foot to a foot and a half off to make it tight enough to provide good sensory input to my son.
So K and I headed to the fabric store to look for something in the clearance section.
I was looking for stretchy and cheap. I didn't care what color it was as long as the price was right. It also didn't have to be lycra as any stretchy fabric would work.
I ended up searching and searching and finally found this peach cotton spandex blend for 70% off. So I paid $15 for 3 metres of fabric and I was happy as a...wait for it...yes, as happy as a peach.
At first I thought the color was hideous, but it's kind of grown on me, to be honest.
How to Sew Your Own Lycra Compression Bed Sheet
To sew the stretchy sheet, it's just like sewing the sensory tunnel or stretchy resistance bands.
Simply take the two ends of the fabric and zig zag stitch them together to create a giant sleeve.
Yep, that's seriously it!
Remember, you can use any kind of lycra or spandex material for this project as long as it's nice and stretchy.
How to Use the DIY Sensory Sheet
Using the DIY sensory sheet is straightforward. Simply slide the stretchy sheet onto the mattress. Nice alliteration there too, eh?
I know it sounds easy, but try putting it on a regular mattress on the bottom of a bunk bed when room is limited...It's a bit challenging, especially if the sensory sheet is snug. You'll work up a sweat and say a few curse worse in the process, I'm sure.
Then climb in underneath for a calming night of sleep! Awww, you can sense it can't you?
Hope you found this tutorial helpful. I've got tons of other great sensory hacks just like this.
Other Ideas You'll Love
Holy crap, I can't believe this worked. Thank you, I almost spent a fortune on those sheets, I can't wait to try this.
ReplyDeleteHA! Well, leave it to me to share a DIY tutorial first to save some money. Let me know how yours turns out!
DeleteDoes the lycra make it hot? I mean, does it still breathe?
ReplyDeleteMy son has never complained about it making him hot, but he also likes to sleep under a mound of blankets every night.
DeleteDid you also sew the bottom? So it looks like a potato sack? Think that would work? My son wouldn't want his feet to peek out.
ReplyDeleteI didn't mostly because I'm lazy. Also, J's feet are nowhere close to the end of his bed so his feet don't peek out. You certainly could sew it like a potato sack though. I think that's how most of the ones that you can buy are made.
DeleteHow did you determine how tight to make it? I would like to make one for a double sized mattress.
ReplyDeleteWell, to be honest, I just sewed it after I measured the size of the mattress, discovered it was too loose, then resewed it until it felt snug on the mattress. I even climbed inside to feel the tightness of it. Not very precise, is it? But it worked! My guess is it would be a few inches smaller than the mattress' measurements, if that makes sense.
DeleteI made a weighted blanket for my daughter....only to have her never use it. So I made this stretchy sheet as an alternative and she loves it! I need to make a new one now as she has upgraded to a double bed though. Thanks so much for this idea!
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful to hear! My son absolutely adores his too!
DeleteThank you! This is fabulous idea! I can't wait to make some for friends to try.
ReplyDeleteHope it is helpful for your friends!
DeleteI'm making this today in hopes of getting my autistic kiddo into his own bed in our room. We've learned that he loves "feeling tight" and rolls around all night trying to stay wrapped up in our blanket. Thank you so much for saving me money and the awful shipping time to Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, I hope it works well for your son!
Deletethis is much needed! can't wait to make this for my son! he rolls and fidgets through the night and even squeezed himself in between mattresses and pillows. hope this will help! Thank you for this idea and many resources you've put out there! xx
ReplyDeleteHave you had a chance to make it yet? I'd love to hear how it's working for your son!
DeleteMade this for my son with a Jersey knit material. 1.6metres for About usd 14 after conversion. Tonight is the 1st night, probably too loose. He still took 1 hour to sleep and climbed out of it quite a few times... My son never really slept in a blanket before this... Ill try to tighten it tomorrow
ReplyDeleteHow is it working out for him now?
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