<I have no affiliation with LEGOLAND, I am just sharing information>
Back in June, we did an overnight at LEGOLAND, NY. This was our second annual trip, but last year was just for the day.
If you’ve read this blog before, then you know I’ve talked about experiences at Disney. We’re a family that enjoys Theme Parks, but navigating them with someone that has sensory difficulties can be tricky. However, LEGOLAND is making that easier!
Stepping into the world of LEGO with lots of colors and creativity all around can be awesome but sometimes overwhelming. LEGOLAND has a Sensory Guide on their website, ensuring that every moment at LEGOLAND is magical and inclusive. From quiet spaces, to exciting attractions that cater to all, LEGOLAND lets you know what you’re going into at every stop.
Once you’re in the park, you’ll seen signs like these at each attraction:
Believe it or not, this summer is our first experience with Crocs.
My 6 year old really wanted them and while shopping around for them, my 9 year old decided he wanted them too. They each found a pair they liked and put them on in the car.
My 9 year old had a sense of calm come over him and couldn’t stop talking about how much he loved the way the shoes felt on him. He didn’t want to take them off and asked if he could sleep in them. The texture, the air flow, it was all a plus for him.
My 6 year old didn’t love the texture under her feet and wanted to keep socks on with them. She kept talking how it was bumpy and felt weird. Since then, she mostly wears them with socks and loves them.
It was the sensory experiment I didn’t realize I was conducting. I didn’t expect Crocs to have such an effect on them. They also really wanted to decorate the shoes. My 6 year old got some Princess pins for hers and my 9 year old got some Mario pins for his. They wear them daily and love them.
It’s a great reminder of how little things can have a bigger impact when it comes to living a sensory life. They were able to personalize shoes that brought a lot of comfort and calm to one and happiness to the other.
The Princess Crocs pins we ordered are no longer available, but I found a similar bunch: https://amzn.to/45gC54D
If you have a Mario fan in your life, here is a link to the ones we purchased: https://amzn.to/44OXt0u
However, for today, I want to chat about reading it on your own, as a parent.
Description from the back of the book:
Many kids suffer from an overactive “Fight or Flight” response, which can affect them in all areas of their lives. Follow Poppy as she explains some of her struggles with anxiety, anger, and friendships as a kid with an overactive amygdala. This book was created to help build understanding and empathy for children with a wide range of mental health challenges. This type of behavior can be seen in many children, including but not limited to those kids with DMDD, ADHD, ODD, Anxiety, Bipolar disorder, PANS/PANDAS, RAD, Autism disorders, PTSD, IED, and Conduct disorder, among others. While many of the children struggle with comprehension of their disorder, they all have one important factor in common. They did not choose this. As adults, we have a responsibility to build understanding, encourage empathy, and continue to grow our own set of skills and knowledge in order to best serve our most vulnerable population: Children.
Both of my kids have anxiety and one has confirmed sensory processing difficulties. Here is what I already know: going through everyday activities that we all take for granted, can be really tough for someone with sensory processing difficulties and anxiety. Here is what I need to be reminded of: going through everyday activities that we all take for granted, can be really tough for someone with sensory processing difficulties and anxiety. I try my best to continue to educate myself, to listen to podcasts, read books or social media and watch videos, all in an effort to make sure I’m doing everything I possibly can to make things just a little easier. But, I am also human. I have good days and bad. I’m always juggling all the things in life. And sometimes, I start to take the day to day for granted and slip back into needing a reminder.
This book is a good reminder. A reminder of the emotional storm that can happen quickly and easily inside a child. It talks about the ups and downs, the negative thoughts they experience and what adults can do to help them through it.
If you’re like me and aren’t always perfect, I recommend you read through Poppy and the Overactive Amygdala, on your own, thinking of your child going through the things that are described. It may be just the reminder you need to get yourself back into the routine.
I remember reading awhile back that children often keep a cap on their emotions during a school day and by the time they get home, the cap pops off. They know they’re in a safe and caring environment. They’re in a familiar place. They can now just be themselves.
My son is now 9, my daughter is 6 and the cap comes off each day. Some days it’s for a few minutes and some days (I’m looking at you Wednesdays) it lasts until bedtime. Being at school is a lot of work. When you’re experiencing different anxieties or having trouble grounding your senses, it can be completely overwhelming.
In school, kids have to:
Sit in one spot for a good chunk of the day
Interact with different kids and adults
Be able to handle distractions going on around them, whether that’s another child calling out in the class or something happening outside
Visit the cafeteria with different smells, an increase in volume from everyone talking, different lighting, etc
The list goes on. Now let’s throw in things like a child who is starting to get sick, maybe they have something going on at home, maybe they’re in the midst of a move or maybe they’re having a hard time making friends.
Now your child walks through the door at the end of the day carrying a suitcase full of mental, emotional and social experiences. It’s no wonder it pops open!
Consider this blog another reminder that kids are just small people trying to figure out life. Not so different from adults. Being a kid is hard and giving them the tools to help process all the ups and downs will help them as they get older and all of that stuff they’re carrying grows too.
The after school eruption can be tough, remember to regulate your own emotions from your day in order to help them regulate their day.
(Sometimes easier said than done but we’re all out here trying our best)
For the past few (or more) years, we have always known the Holidays are pretty overwhelming for ‘J.’ Typically the month leading up to Christmas (and his Birthday) prove to be a challenge. In years past, that has been expressed through tears, extreme frustration, attitude, being on edge, acting out of character, etc.
In November, we attended a lunch for my dad’s work. We were at our family’s favorite restaurant, which was a familiar place for ‘J.’ We sat at a table with my parents, my brother, sister-in-law and niece. Immediately, ‘J’ wanted out of the situation. There were moments he seemed settled and then once he was done eating, he just kept asking if we could leave.
Through some tears on the way home, we focused more on having a calm drive. When we got home, I sat with him 1:1 to talk through what he was feeling at the restaurant. The first thing he said was “Why is Christmas so overwhelming?”
It may sound weird, but I felt a bit of relief in that. And not that I want him to feel bad or be sad, but the fact that he was able to communicate that was HUGE to me. We talked through what felt like a lot to him, how it was different than other times we were in the restaurant and everything that happens in the month of December. I told him how great it was that he was able to communicate how he felt and that it’s important that he feels comfortable. I asked what we could do to make the holidays easier and what changes we could make. In the end, he was feeling better and ended the day on a high note.
Holidays are typically stressful for everyone. There are highs and lows, parties, gifts, seeing more family, etc. I think as adults, sometimes you feel like-eh, kids can get through it, they get gifts, what could be bad?
However for them, as they’re still figuring out the world, there’s a lot happening. Add in sensory difficulties and anxiety and the normal day to day struggle that ‘J’ goes through is now heightened. As adults, if we’re uncomfortable, we can remove ourselves from a situation, ask for help or change plans. That’s way tougher when you’re a kid.
This Holiday season, remember to listen to your child (or those around you). If they’re acting different, crying more, getting frustrated more easily, remember that there is always an underlying reason. They’re not trying to be bad or ruin the holidays. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, they are people with feelings and opinions that should be respected just like anyone else.
If you’re the parent of a child with anxiety and sensory processing difficulties, take things one day, one hour, one minute, at a time. Remember to remain calm and keep yourself regulated (easier said than done, especially in this season) in order to be a safe place for your child. The Holidays may not look like you imagined, but that’s ok. Make the magic however you can in a way your child would appreciate.
The vestibular system contributes to balance and orientation in space. It is the leading system informing us about movement and position of head relative to gravity.– SensoryHealth.org
There are times ‘J’ will jump on his bed at the end of the day. My immediate go-to is to stop him and explain how it’s time to get ready to sleep, not to play. But what he’s doing is bigger than playing. He’s giving his body what he needs in order to get to a more restful state. Yes, I know this seems like a contradiction, but trust me, it’s true.
I’ve been lucky enough to chat with Becky Lyddon from Sensory Spectacle on a few occasions and she is so awesome at explaining sensory life. I have mentioned her in previous blogs and I’ll be sure to link those below. For now, let’s listen to Becky explain the benefits of bouncing on a bed.
We have a trampoline in our backyard and ‘J’ could jump on it for hours. Over the years we have offered time on the trampoline when we can tell that it may be helpful in certain moments. Of course this is aside from just random playtimes when he’s bouncing as well.
I often have to remind myself that jumping on the bed is often exactly what ‘J’ needs and not something he’s doing strictly for the fun of it.
There are so many benefits to sensory items! They can help calm a child, regulate emotions, focus, enhance fine motor skills, improve language skills and so much more.
Amazon is currently running a Prime Early Access promotion today, October 11th and tomorrow, October 12th. Although the links below are affiliate links, they are products (or similar ones) we have in our home.
It’s October which means it’s Sensory Processing Awareness Month! I’ll be doing more posts in the coming days and weeks, but since it’s Thursday, let’s highlight some previous posts, #throwbackthursday style:
Are you on TikTok? Do you spend too much scrolling through and watching videos throughout the day? Have you moved up to posting yet?
I have. I started pre-pandemic just scrolling randomly, trying to stay young and keep up with cool apps. And now I’m on it everyday!
But this blog isn’t about TikTok, just inspired by it. There’s a current trend to the song “Che La Luna” where people share things in their homes, their places of work, etc that just make sense. Yesterday, I decided to do one for Sensory Items.
In the video I included:
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Sensory Swing
Sensory Bin (with fidgets)
Sensory Diet Options Chart
Trampoline
Sensory Sand
Looking around my house today, I could’ve included more like a wiggle seat, beads, molding clay, etc. I’ve talked about various activites with sensory items in previous blogs, but putting them together in one place makes you realize just how much one can accumulate.
What sensory items do you have in your house that just make sense? Feel free to comment on this blog or find me on social media!
It’s so easy to get caught up in the craziness of day to day life. I feel like most have returned to making plans, seeing friends and family and being generally “busy.” As adults, we often find ourselves having to hit the reset button. Sometimes we realize we need to get more sleep, eat healthier, exercise more or set new goals. As parents, it’s important to know when we need a parenting reset or our kids need their own reset.
Sensory Processing difficulties can play tricks on you as a parent. You may think you’ve found your groove or have a good routine going. Maybe your kids have grown more and they’re able to express their feelings in a better way. You may even find they’re having more good days than difficult. But kids are little people that are evolving, changing and constantly trying to figure out the world. When we’re in a routine with school, activities and playdates, it’s easy to put that fact on the back burner. We’re just doing instead of making conscious efforts.
‘J’ is seven and a half and in second grade. He’s doing awesome in school. He loves his friends and teacher (and doing extra homework). He was fully virtual last year but did great adjusting back to in person learning. Being around new kids and seeing how they interact was a bit tough at first. He witnessed some rougher play, hitting each other, yelling in each other’s faces, all of which is not his personality. It definitely made him uncomfortable but he’s good about knowing right from wrong and over time started to understand varying personalities.
We’re in NY and this winter has been tough. Not too many days where we could be outside and play. This has an effect on him every year. As soon as the weather gets nicer, we’re outside daily and it definitely helps him regulate his body. With the colder temps, snow and rain, it’s not so easy. His mood is affected, his body is affected and eventually a light bulb goes off in my mind that it’s time to hit the reset button.
With ‘J’ getting older, how his SPD affects him has changed as well. He can spot if there’s a tag in his clothing that he wants cut out before he even wears it which is an improvement from a few years ago. If he’s frustrated or not getting his way, he can’t process how his body reacts to that emotion. Some adults aren’t good at dealing with their frustrations and he’s human, of course he’s allowed to be frustrated sometimes.
However, for him, he takes it out on himself. There’s negative self talk, he physically takes out his frustration on himself and as parents, it’s hard to watch. Especially when, prior to 6 months ago, he never did that.
The best thing we can do in these moments is to stay calm and keep ourselves regulated. No problem when your kid is hurting himself right? It’s not always going to be perfect but it has to be the goal or else the problem will just escalate.
For us, hitting the reset button meant taking a step back to make sure he doesn’t do anything dangerous while also not automatically reacting to everything he’s doing. It meant reminding ourselves that we need to stay calm in order for him to get back to that place too.
Bedtime was starting to get to be a struggle and I finally asked ‘J’ what was overwhelming him. He basically said he didn’t like being told what to do with the routine. So we said no problem, here’s everything we do before bed, how about you decide what you want to do first. This has been a game changer. The routine takes a little longer at night but we’re not in a battle anymore and that’s a huge win.
We also started incorporating sensory activities into our day again. This is one of those things that we can let slip when we’re so caught up in the day to day routine. Were we doing sensory activities some days? Yes. But not enough with conscious efforts behind it. We’re now having both kids choose what they want to do in the morning and in the afternoon on a chart. We have play-doh, beads, exercises, sensory swing time, reading a book in a rocking chair and others on the list. Some days we’ve brought their bicycles inside, put the training wheels in our shoes and let them pedal away to release some energy. They love this activity! They’ve used their imaginations to say where they’re going, what kind of adventures they’re encountering and who they may see along the way.
Going back to basics and remembering how important a sensory diet is (in whatever way you can fit it into your day), has helped mitigate some of those frustrating times. Of course they still happen and we will continue to work on different ways to get through those moments. Nothing will change overnight. It’s all about us as adults and our kids continuing to evolve, understanding emotions and figuring out ways to handle them.
Just My MomSense 