DIY Therapy Swing

Adam and I have/ will have the privilege of raising two kiddos with special needs. Our son Pierce is a boisterous 2 year old, who has some fun sensory quirks that makes it so he can benefit from the calming motion of a swing like this. Our son who we will be bringing home this year will certainly benefit from this Therapy Swing, so it was a no-brainer to install one. He currently is unable to walk unassisted, talk, and has achondroplasia. He also has been living in an orphanage/ institution for 7 years, so has had very little stimulation to aid in his physical and mental growth. But your child does not need to have special needs for this swing to be something that would benefit them. It is loads of fun for any child to play and release energy on!

We live in a very small house, so space is limited for this sort of set up- so our therapy swing is right in the centre of our living space. It has the option of being taken down when company is over, or the swing is not in use. This DIY Therapy Swing is a very simple project that can be completed within hours. In total this project cost us $13 to do (keeping in mind that we got the hammock for free).

You will need:

-A Fabric Hammock (the conventional hammock that you hang on both sides)
-2 Carabiner Hooks (we bought ones that can hold up to 500 pounds each)
-2 Eye Lag Bolts (we bought ones that can hold up to 300 pounds each)
- Drill

Instructions:
1) Screw the Eye Lag Bolts into door frame (or consider somewhere that there is ample space, and they won't pull out of the ceiling). We screwed them about 40 inches apart, but test out your hammock first and what width would make sense. We wanted more width because we wanted our sons to have the option of using it both as a swing, and lying in it like a more conventional hammock. |
2) Attach the Carabiner Hooks, and give them a little tug to ensure everything is secure.
3) Attach the loops of the Hammock to the Carabiner Hooks. Have an adult take the swing for a test drive before allowing your child to swing on it. In doing so, you ensure that it is completely safe.
4) FLY!