Weighted Item data tracker

Weighted items get recommended a lot and measured rarely. A lap pad gets sent into a classroom, a blanket goes home — and three months later nobody can actually say whether it helped, because nobody wrote anything down.

The Weighted Item Tracker turns "let's try it" into a short, honest trial: set the item up properly, log every use, rate regulation before and after, then decide from the pattern — keep it, adjust it, or drop it. Decisions from data, not from one good afternoon.

What's inside (6 pages):

• How It Works + Safety Checks — the trial method, and the non-negotiables: the child can remove the item independently at any time, adult supervision throughout, never used as a restraint or during sleep, stop for distress, overheating, numbness, or pain, and check medical considerations with the child's team before starting
• Regulation Scale — a simple 1–5 before/after rating with plain descriptors, so "did it help?" becomes a number you can compare across days
• Item Setup — client weight, each item's weight and % of body weight (with the formula), what it's used for, and trial start date
• Use Log (2 pages) — Date | Item | Weight / % BW | Time used | Activity during use | Before | After | Response & notes. Refusals and skipped uses get logged too — they're data
• Response Summary — per item: uses logged, typical before → after, and a keep / adjust / drop verdict, plus "what the data showed" and "plan going forward" sections to share with the team

How OTs are using it: Print a set per client, or copy it into a running Google Doc and type as you go. When a teacher or parent asks "is the weighted blanket actually doing anything?" — you'll have the answer, with numbers.

Pairs beautifully with the Weighted Items Parent Guide: the guide explains weighted items to families; this tracker documents the trial like a clinician. Conclusions carry straight into the Goal & Session Data Tracker.

You get: Printable PDF (US Letter) + editable template (Word/Google Docs) — make a copy per client.

Please note: This is a documentation and planning tool for occupational therapy practitioners. Weighted item selection, weight amounts, and duration should be based on your own clinical judgment, each child's plan of care, and team/caregiver input. Weighted items must always be used under supervision and never as a restraint. General education resource; not medical advice and not a substitute for individualized evaluation.

From @sammyvibes_pediatric_OT — pediatric OT, sharing the systems I actually use on my own caseload.