How to order

Large and X-Large suit most homes — Large if space is tight, X-Large if you have the room. The XX-Large and XXX-Large are for when space is not an issue: they have more give, which makes them better for sprawling, jumping into and rolling about in, and big enough for a few children at once. Full dimensions are on the sensory beanbags page.

Fleece is the original and by far the most popular: warm, cosy, hard-wearing and machine washable, with a four-way stretch inner lining. It is the one for standing jumps, diving and firm resistance. The lycra version has stretch lycra on both the lining and the outer cover, which feels cool and slippery and yields to every movement — better for sinking in and lying down than for crashing. There is a side-by-side comparison on the sensory beanbags page. The lycra beanbags are made on request, so email or call to order one.

A fleece beanbag washes as one unit, beads and lining included, and the cover is easily removed for washing. A Medium beanbag can be washed in your washing machine and tumble dried as one unit — the beads stay in the bag during the washing and drying process. For larger sizes in a domestic machine, take some of the beads out first so it fits. Gentle cycle, a small amount of mild detergent, no fabric softener. Line dry, or machine dry on a short cycle, checking every 10 minutes.

A lycra cover should be washed inside a fleece cover, pillowcase or duvet cover, because the elastane can tangle and tear in the machine. Full instructions, including how to put the beanbag back together safely, are on the sensory beanbags page.

Top up as required — roughly once every two or three years. In practice most people go a good deal longer than that before they bother. A less tightly packed beanbag is actually better for sensory use, so there is no hurry.

For lap pads, around 5% of the child's body weight is the usual starting point — a three-year-old is typically well suited to 1.5 lb or 2 lb. For blankets for young children, 2 lb or 2.5 lb at roughly 97 × 92 cm is often plenty. Please check with your occupational therapist before ordering. There is more detail on the weighted products page.

Revolut or bank transfer. Cash on delivery is available in the Cork city area. Schools and services can pay by invoice — Julie is ETB registered. Discounts are available when you purchase more than one product.

Delivery by courier or An Post is €10–15 depending on weight, to your door anywhere in Ireland, and normally arrives the day after it is sent. Delivery in Cork city is free.

Beanbags usually take five to seven working days to make; custom weighted products take around ten days. Medium, Large and X-Large blankets between 5 lb and 8 lb in royal blue are often in stock.

Not at the moment. Delivery is within Ireland only.

Yes. In 2017 Julie sent her products and fabrics to an independent testing laboratory in the UK. The beanbags and weighted blankets were tested to the European toy safety standard for fire (EN 71-2), and the fleece and lycra fabrics for chemical safety (EN 71-3). Everything passed, and the beanbags carry a signed CE Declaration of Conformity to the Toy Safety Directive.

The beads are harmful if swallowed, which is why the inner lining's zip is designed to sit at the bottom of the beanbag, out of reach, once it is assembled. There is a note on the sensory beanbags page on putting it back together the same way after washing.

Test reports: fire safety (PDF), fleece (PDF), lycra (PDF).

Everything is made to order in your choice of size, colour and weight, so it cannot be returned simply because you have changed your mind. Julie will always talk the choice through with you before anything is made, and if you need to cancel, please get in touch as soon as you can.

If there is a fault or something is not as agreed, Julie will put it right at her own cost. In more than twenty years there has never been a return, and the few corrections that were ever needed were gladly covered.