Special Needs Essentials FocusPad Throw Pillow 16x16 Inches Vibrating Memory Foam Sensory Pillow for Calming Therapy Soft Textured

Very nice pillow device that vibrates is well tucked into the pillow but still easy enough to access if needed. Great sensory toy for child that loves to squeeze toys it provides good sensory feedback. Read more

This pillow is as described. It is colorful. The material is soft and kind of like a gelly- feel. The vibration is strong enough to feel, but not too strong that it hurts. You have to continuously press on the center of the pillow to keep it vibrating. It needs a good amount of force, but if difficult for a child, they can always sit on it. It does not feel hard, it is soft even though it has a mechanism inside it. It is good quality and stitched well. It is a nice size and fluffy. This pillow offers a variety of uses. I think you will be impressed. Read more

My son was born 14 weeks premature and is now 3.5. People tell me he looks so normal… they have no idea how hard we work for this. He has significant sensory processing, emotional regulation, and behavioral challenges stemming from his developmental delays and special needs. My son benefits greatly from intermittent use of a weighted compression vest upon advice of the occupational therapist. His physical therapist also used vibration therapy to help him with muscle tone/strength, balance, gait, and muscle spasticity (in addition to the sensory experience). He goes to a half-day developmental preschool, in the special education program with an IEP. He has been in a developmental spurt… for a while. He’s really growing and learning and it’s a lot for him to process. His teacher initially discussed her use of a vibrating pillow in the calm down corner at school… This made me think of his prior therapeutic experiences with compression, weight, and vibration. I then saw a SnuggleKids sensory weighted vibrating sloth pillow which we have been using for a while with success… but he views it more as a cuddle toy than a therapeutic item sometimes. So, when I had the opportunity to get this vibrating pillow, I was excited! My son LOVES minky dot and I knew this could be “it” for us! Going to compare this to the aforementioned sloth, also available here on Amazon. Both that product and this one are currently $35. Verdict: we will be using both in different ways. My son appreciates the sloth’s softness, cuteness, weighted bottom, and lugability (being drug around) more. The sloth also has much stronger vibration. Thats where the main differences are. The sloth is weighted. This isn’t. The sloth is a character. This is a minky dot pillow (my son loves the sloth but also loves popping the bubbles — very different approaches). The sloth has a strong vibration. This has a very minor and gentle vibration. My son usually has higher sensory needs, so I wish it was stronger. But I can also see this being perfect for another child. So - mentioning but no impact to rating. The sloth is much better for what I originally hoped for (slowing him down and the sensory pause). I think this is due to the weighting and stronger vibration. However the minky pillow can be sat on or put on one’s lap or laid on without major distraction. Plus, popping the bubbles is a different calming experience for him. I went in expecting to have this pillow replace the sloth and instead I am surprised in a different way. This will be a fantastic addition to our sensory calming tools, just in a different way. Kids, they keep you on your toes! Overall my only complaint is pricing for a basic little throw pillow with a vibrating element… unlike sloth, nothing super cute jumps out to justify the pricing. However it is well sewn, easily cleaned, and good quality. Overall 5 stars but I’d have liked to see pricing a little lower. But, as anyone with a special needs child knows, these sorts of “special supplies” are never cheap. Read more

This is marketed as sensory-seeking relief for kids, and while it is soft, well-made and does vibrate as described, I'm afraid my kid is too much of a kid to really get much benefit. This means that while he really likes it, he's taken it apart and I have no idea where the vibration pack is now. Now it's a nice comfy pillow! Read more

I wish the listing more clearly stated that the vibrations only work if you are actively holding down the button— there’s no way to have continuous vibrations. I bought it for sleeping, but it ends up keeping me awake bc any time my head slightly lessens up on pressure (like when I’m breathing out), the vibrations stop. It’s frustrating as an adult with sensory needs, I can only imagine how much more difficult it would be for a child. I am using it as a chair pillow now, and it does work well for that! But I probably would have just ordered the cushion had the listing been more direct about its intended purpose. Read more

A nice sized cushion, the size of a throw cushion you would have on your sofa, it's covered in a turquoise minky dot fabric, it would be nice if other colours were offered but the turquoise is a neutral colour for boys and girls and a soothing colour. Inside is a simple buzzer, you have to take it out of it's pocket and turn it on before first use but then it will buzz whenever you press against it. Maybe my cushion is a little over stuffed because I found it hard to press the buzzer, it needed so much pressure to make it buzz that I couldn't hold it for long. Maybe my grandson who I bought it for will just lie on it to make it work. I don't think he would be strong enough to make it work by just squeezing the cushion or at least not for long. He's five. It is soft and all kids and some adults love the minky dot fabric because it's so soft and the bumps are great for the tactile response, I can see that it would be a soothing cushion, I think the buzzer should be easier to press and I think it's a bit expensive. It really is just a cushion with a very simple buzzer in it. I feel it should be more around the $25 mark Read more

Very soft and comfortable. Great for sensory needs with it's textured cover. Durable functional and affordable Read more

This teal, bumpy fabric pillow is surprisingly soothing. It is an average throw pillow size and is made of polyester. Deep inside is a small button type mechanism that vibrates when pressed. The button in the middle was somewhat difficult to get to and activate, and only stayed on while the pillow was squeezed really hard which I suppose is part of the point. As an adult, i felt like it does require a surprising amount of force to activate the button. I thought it would be more effective if it was either a constant vibration after pressing it once, and maybe pulsed vibration patterns with additional squeezes. The vibration is a deep low frequency and does have an audible hum when activated which is very soothing. I thought it was too loud in my ears when I lay my head on it. The instructions suggest that children try laying on it to activate. Adults might enjoy it as a back support. For anyone seeking sensory input, the texture and movement of this pillow could be helpful. Read more