New Year, New Equipment (Pt. 2)

I'm going over some of our new sensory equipment and toys that are making our lives a bit easier. Everything has been a hit, but we have a current favorite:

The trampoline. 

Never in my life did I imagine letting my kids have a trampoline in the house. Honestly I hate trampolines. That might have to do with seeing multiple accidents from them as a kid (teeth knocked out, broken arms, pinched skin the springs - not pretty). Even as a kid I was cautious of them. 

Now I have one in my living room. 

We were gifted this unexpectedly from my sister in law, who had it sitting in her garage, unopened, for a long time. We mentioned that we missed the Black Friday sale on this item and she offered it gladly to us. 

It was an immediate hit with both the boys, but especially Rocket Boy. For a sensory seeking kiddo, this is heaven. Movement, joint compression, hard work - all rolled into one compact bouncy gizmo. 

I really like this model, though I do wish it folded up for storage. But luckily after we moved the tree out of the living room this was able to be tucked into that corner perfectly. It would be nice to put a side table there instead, but oh well. Such is life with kids! 

Not only is this fun for Rocket Boy whenever he randomly decides to bounce, but it is also proving effective for redirecting energy and impulses. When he starts to get too rough with Rocket Baby, I can redirect quickly and say "I see you need to get some wiggles out - lets do 15 big jumps!" He gets to jump and get out the energy that was about to get him in trouble, he practices counting, and we are all happier and have no injuries. Win win! 

A lot of parents of sensory kids have a trampoline, so this may not be the most creative bit of equipement, but it sure is effective! 

New Year, New Sensory Equipment (Pt. 1)

I mentioned before Christmas that we were waiting on a Sensory Pod/Sock. It came in, and I have to say I am impressed with it! 

The quality of this sensory pod seems very sturdy and nicely made. The seams are holding up perfectly, and Rocket Boy plays hard in this thing. The color was also just as bright and vivid as showed online, which is always a nice surprise. 

The pod is easy to use - it's sewn envelope style and you just slip in the long end, and if you want you can slip the short side over your head. This gives the full experience of wrapping in blankets or being enclosed. 

For Rocket Boy, this is used as a replacement for his ritual of "blanket tornados" - basically destroying a bed in about a nanosecond, wrapping in the blankets, and going nuts. He has even ripped holes in sheets doing this! 

So this for him is an active therapy item. He jumps and rolls and stretches the material as far as he can (hello joint compression!). He can see through the Lycra type material pretty well, even though it is pretty thick. 

For other kiddos (and maybe for Rocket one day too) this could be a very calming item. It envelopes you, and while it doesn't shut out light or noise, it does give a quick safe space. It folds small, so it would be good for traveling, a portable safe space if you will. 

We only use this a few times a day, for five or ten minutes at a time since it is so stimulating for Rocket Boy. As he gets more able to regulate he will be able to use it more on an on-request basis.