1.What is the recommended method for washing and drying the blanket?

Wash in cold water on gentle or delicate cycle. Air fluff in dryer. Do not bleach or iron.

2.Does this have individual sections to evenly distribute beads?

Yes it does. I love this blanket, I’m a senior so it is a tad heavy but once I get it where I want it I’m very comfortable. I’ve even used it in warm weather but somehow it stays cool. During the winter it was perfect. I wish I had a blanket like this when I was young, maybe I would not have had such bad nightmares. It is soft, it folds up nicely and I bought one for my young grandson. I highly recommend this blanket, I truly love it.

3.My granddaughter weighs 40-42 lbs but I ordered the 7 lb blanket. The 5lb blanket wasn’t wide enough. The 7 lb should be ok?

The 7 pound should be ok if she doesn’t have any physical limitations. I don’t think 2 pounds difference would be that noticeable.

4.So do the beads move around a lot or do they stay evenly distributed? There's conflicting information from reviewers.

The beads do not move around. It is high quality and the beads stay evenly distributed. The blanket is inside of a duvet cover. And it has ties in 8 places to the blanket does not even move inside the duvet cover making it feel like one blanket as opposed to a blanket inside a cover. It is well made.