The Calming Chair

Isabelle Ramras

Izzy: 

The Night Light Blankie exhibition gives the user a chance to experience what it may be like for a child in the hospital and how the Night Light Blankie can comfort them. The Night Light Blankie is a weighted children's blanket with an LED-illuminated canopy that can be pulled over the child's head to comfort them in the hospital which is often an extremely scary environment. The installation helps the community of Cambridge engage with the Night Light Blankie and inform them about the stresses a child faces during a stay in the hospital. To try the blankie, a visitor sits in the chair designed specifically for testing and using the Night Light Blankie. Bars along either side of the chair attach to the blanket, hooks secure the blanket when it is pulled up, and a ring around the back of the chair supports the canopy when it is up. The user sits in the chair and pulls the blanket over their lap to appreciate its weighted comfort. If they would like to, visitors can also flip the canopy up over their head for a fuller experience of calming isolation. 

The hope is that raising awareness will bring the Night Light Blankie to children's hospitals all over. The exhibit may make people wonder how else they can help children who have a hard time adjusting to the hospital setting, as well as how else this product could be used in other settings. Children with sensory issues or autism who are often extremely sensitive could also greatly benefit from the Night Light Blankie at home, so the chair is installed in a friendly bedroom setting.