Every parent knows how stressful, hectic, and time-consuming the morning can be living with a child that has sensory sensitivity, ADHD, or any other kind of sensory issue. Children will run around, protesting appropriate clothing, immediately taking it off once it has been put on. They will scream, cry, and even refuse the “dressing ritual” altogether before you’ve had a chance to have a nice, hot cup of coffee.
If you’re looking to change up the hectic morning routine in your house, here are 5 tips that will help you get your children dressed and ready to go:
- Pressurized Clothing: If your child has anxiety, autism, or ADHD, consider clothing with a “pressurized,” tight design that will hug their body with a closeness throughout the day. Companies like Under Armor create thermalized clothing that will enhance this sensation, with double-sided clothing engineering that also keeps their bodies cool. It’s a win-win.
- Avoid Hypersensitivity Fabrics: Whether it’s itchy tags, cheap fabric, or notoriously uncomfortable mediums like wool, be sensitive to your child’s complaints and fears when it comes to clothing. Do your due diligence to remove all tags, and consider fabrics that are easy, soft, and nice to touch, like 100% organic cotton and so forth.
- Keep it Simple: Your children don’t need clothing filled with buttons, zippers, and other stimulants. It’s very easy to get your hands on simple clothing pieces that come with nothing but the shirt or pant design. The less bells and whistlers, the better.
- Easy Shoes and Socks: Putting shoes and socks on can trigger nervous behavior in children with sensory issues, which is why it’s worth considering an investment in Velcro shoes that go on in a fraction of the time. Snug socks that won’t ride down within the shoe are a worthy investment as well.
- Prepare the Night Before: Prepping ahead of time for potential meltdowns will always make the morning that much less stressful. As a result, try going to bed earlier, as well as putting your children to bed earlier. Build in an extra 15-30 minutes in the morning that will make you – and them – much less stressed.
And overall: view the entire activity like that of teamwork. Engage your child in the process, and break it down into easy, approachable steps that make everything much simpler and more tangible once the sun comes up over the horizon.
Center4PlayTherapy
We are a private play therapy practice located in Brooklyn, leveraging the interactive element of fun and engaging activity to help children with behavioral issues, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and so forth. We understand how challenging it can be to manage a household with a child that suffers from one of these disorders, which is why we recommend you follow our 5 steps above to streamline your entire morning routine moving forward. All it takes is a little preparation and team effort!