Bean Bag Chairs for Children
Bean bag chairs were invented in the 1960s and their popularity continues. Bean bag chairs for children are especially desirable because they are soft, safe, comfortable and playful. Bean bag chairs are also therapeutic for children, especially those with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Sensory Processing Disorder. Whether you're purchasing or making your own bean bag chair for your child, choose durable materials so these chairs will last for years of playing, studying and relaxing.
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History of the Bean Bag Chair
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Bean bag chairs were highly popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The creation of the bean bag is attributed to either Roger Dean in 1967 or Italian designers Paolini, Teodora, and Gatti in 1969. The original bean bags were filled with thermocol pellets, eventually replaced with shredded polyurethane foam, urethane foam, polystrene beads, Styrofoam or PVC pellets. More recently, some bean bag chairs have been filled with scrap foam of the type used in carpet padding.
Autism Spectrum Disorder and Bean Bag Chairs
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Bean bag chairs can help children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a disorder that effects one in every 150 children. Safety is a shared desire of children with ASD, and bean bag chairs can help by making children feel safe. Bean bag chairs are also lighter and softer than traditional furniture, making them easier to relocate and move about, as children with ASD are known to do. The light pressure bean bag chairs place on the body may be soothing to a child with ASD and may also be incorporated into exercises, helping with motor skills development.
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Sensory Processing Disorder and Bean Bag Chairs
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Children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) can benefit from bean bag chairs because the chairs calm them. Bean bag chairs surround a child with support and softness. The pressure a child feels against his body when sitting in a bean bag chair provides input to his body that he needs to calm down. Bean bag chairs are recommended by SPD professionals as a tool to help children crash, relax, and remain sedentary through a task, which can be difficult.
Bean Bag Chair Safety
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The biggest safety concerns when purchasing bean bag chairs for children are choking hazards, flammability, and suffocation risks. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued recalls and standard regulations in the 1990s specifically for bean bag chairs. Chairs must either have a lockable zipper, a disabled zipper, or no zipper at all in order to prevent suffocation if a child crawls inside or choking if a child releases the filler and chokes on the filling fibers. Fire risks should be taken into consideration by purchasing bean bag chairs that meet U.S. flammability standards. For example, polystrene filler will not ignite when exposed to flame. The material on the bean bag chairs should be durable, as well, preventing tears or rips that could expose children to the filler.
Make Your Own
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Adults can make a child's bean bag chair following various tutorials and sewing patterns, using durable materials such as denim, leather, or vinyl. Children can help make their own bean bag chairs with the help of a National Geographic Kids tutorial, which calls for a large laundry bag and packing peanuts. Make sure to follow safety requirements for younger children.
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References
- Photo Credit Young pretty women on red bean bag relaxing and using laptop image by Christopher Meder from Fotolia.com
