A Bug's Life (Part One)

So I thought I'd deviate a little bit from our normal "progress" report and do a little more explaining about Bug's world. I'm thinking there will be two parts, one focusing more on the physical world (ie, our home) and how we're making a more Bug-friendly environment and the other part focusing on how Bug interacts with his world.

Bug tends to have a lot of "sensory seeking" behaviors--meaning he requires more stimulus. However, he also can get overstimulated easily, so we are learning to make an organized, simple and comfortable home for our boy.

The Playroom:

This is where we spend the majority of our day. When we bought our house, I wanted to create a designated playroom for the kids--where they can be pretty free to do whatever they want. This room is constantly a work in progress to keep it as sensory-friendly as possible.

Sensory-friendly toys:
Trampoline- This was a great deal I found online. Just $62 and free shipping from Rakuten. It supports up to 100 pounds so hopefully we can use it for several more years

Huge beanbag: Bug likes to lean against this for reading. He also loves it when we throw him on the beanbag when roughhousing.

Chalkboard easel: Using chalk is a fairly new thing for Bug to do. He doesn't draw on the chalkboard a ton, but it is always available for him.

Bilibo: The green "shell" shaped seat in the middle of the rug is called a Bilibo. It's a free-play toy, meaning kids can use it however they like. Bug likes to be spun in it, stand on top of it, and scoot himself around in it.

Waterbeads:

I've read about these on the Play at Home Mom blog which I'm a big fan of. Waterbeads are a great sensory toy. They're kind of soft and can be difficult to pick up, but they bounce around and are fun to play with. We like to fling them around our box. I got our beads on Zulily but you can find them at Joanns or Michaels. They are traditionally used as vase fillers.

Our Chewy Tubes are a crucial sensory "toy" too. These were designed for kids who need to strengthen their jaws, but our OT recommended them so we can redirect inappropriate chewing. When we see him chewing on something he shouldn't be we ask him to get a Chewy or offer him one. This allows him to meet his sensory needs without being scolded all the time.

We have a lot of traditional toys too. The play kitchen, cars, trains and tracks, Duplos, some balls. I have them in bins that are easy to pull out of the wire cubes. This helps things be put away but still very accessible. We've found this works much better for us than a toybox. We also have a bookshelf where we keep all Bug's books and puzzles. Obviously, Bug loves his books so he needs full access to them. The puzzles see a lot less use, but occasionally Bug will do the simple wooden puzzles for us.

Just outside of the playroom is the daily chart:

We don't use this a ton right now. A certain newly-mobile little man I know has a penchant for removing the pictures and trying to eat them ;) The idea, however, is to have a daily plan that Bug can see so he can better anticipate what will happen during the day. This is especially important on the days we have therapy or are going to do something out of the ordinary. Bug does not cope well with things being "sprung" on him.

Bug's Room:
I don't have a great picture of Bug's room. The only "sensory" specific thing we have in there is a new addition and a work in progress:

This is Bug's tent. Our occupational therapist suggested we create a "safe spot" or a "nest" for Bug to hunker down in when he's feeling over stimulated. I plan on putting a bunch of pillows in there so it's nice and cozy for him.

Around the house:

We have a water table that goes outside during the summer. During the fall/winter/early spring we keep it indoors and put beans in it. Bug loves to run his fingers through the beans. We also have some scoops and cars that can go in it too.

 One of Bug's other favorite places is our bedroom. He loves to be tossed onto our bed, pretty much until Daddy or I call it quits.

He also likes to play peek-a-boo in our closet. We use the physical activities as a way to encourage him to talk. He has to ask "Throw me on the bed please" or "More" or "Again." Opening and closing closet doors gets us to work on "Hi" and "bye" and cooperative play.

We also like to go to nearby parks or Maymont to meet Bug's physical needs. Bug loves to swing. One of our goals for the next year (or so) is to put a swingset in the backyard so we can go out more often, but we have a park within walking distance that we go to fairly often.

While we have pretty much stopped any focused attention on a "sensory diet", we have found that Bug enjoys sensory-intensive activities and that we can use them to encourage language, cooperative play and social skills. 

Hopefully this gives you a little peek into Bug's world. The next post will be more about how Bug experiences things (from my eyes, of course) and how we cope and help him cope.