Living a Sensory Life!
Living a sensory filled life is truly the key to progress, consistency, and follow through. When you make your home sensory friendly and provide the necessary sensory tools and equipment, your child will learn to be independent in seeking out what their nervous system needs. Sometimes they will need swinging, sometimes they will need a sensory retreat and proprioception, sometimes the urge to jump or hang. The sensory needs will change throughout life...but there are a few essentials that can be an investment all through childhood. Here is my list of the essentials....
- An indoor swing, preferably one for calming input like a hammock or cuddle swing and then one for more active alerting input such as a trapeze or disc swing
- A sensory retreat (pillow cave, squish box, or a cozy dark place just for the kiddo)
- Hippity hop ball (they come in all sizes)
- BOSU ball
- Therapy ball, to be used for various sensory activities as well as a replacement for a chair
- Proprioceptive tools such as weighted balls, body sock, weighted blanket, weight set
- Oral sensory tools such as a Camelbak water bottle or the supplies for bubble mountain.
- And of course sensory strategies and tools as needed for sensory defensiveness if this is a factor, such as noise cancelling headphones or compression clothing.