Have you tried a huggable therapy pillow yet? They're meant to be hugged… and hugging them feels good!
Pillows come in different sizes, from small to large. They're made by several different companies. All have have brightly colored, satiny, spandex covers. They're filled with microbeads and they are sooooo huggable.
The Sharper Image carries a brand called HugOO; there's also a sleep mask in the same material.
I bought a primary red, tubular Homedics Squish, the other night at Bed, Bath, & Beyond. It was in a bin with a bunch of "square" , mpillows of the same fabric and feel.
I liked the tubular one best. So did the cashier; I almost couldn't get it back from her! She kept hugging it. 🙂