Sensory Stimulation

We live in a vast world that provides an array of sensory input.  Our bodies are trained to recognize this input and analyze its significance.  Through our recognition of touch, taste, sight, hearing and smell, we learn to stay away from dangerous or foul input, while we learn to seek positive stimuli.

We can help our toddler understand their sensory environment by giving them a variety of sensory experiences. The new levels of exploration will provide opportunities for labeling your child’s feelings and their new discoveries. Ask your toddler if it is “nice” or “bad”, “warm” or “cold”, “soft” or “scratchy”, “quiet” or “loud”?  Help them to find a language of their own that describes their feelings and findings.

Begin this process by evaluating any areas of “Sensory” concern you have for your child. 

• Does your child eat anything and everything or is she a “picky eater”? 
• Will she wear any piece of clothing in the closet or does she only wear “soft” clothes? 
• Is she a thrill seeker and craves the impact of the fall or is she so cautious that she rarely tries anything new?
• Is your child afraid of the vacuum cleaner or is she attracted to loud noises?                                                                                                                

These questions can determine the areas of sensory intervention you would like to concentrate on.

Tactile Stimulation is a wonderful way for your child to gain a broader comfort level with touch.  Start by placing a child’s plastic pool in a “playable” space in your home. (It does get messy:} Fill the pool with a new sensory media each week.  For example the first week you could fill the pool with uncooked beans.  Allow your child the opportunity to explore the pool gradually. Perhaps, encourage your toddler to sit outside the pool and only dip a cup in the beans and pour them out.  Eventually, your child will develop the confidence to sit inside the pool.  You can also dress your child in moderately light clothing so  she can experience the tactile media on as many skin surfaces as possible.  Switch the tactile media as often as your child tolerates.

Try different types of foods and textures masked in FUN forms! This can be extremely helpful inexpanding a “picky” eaters appetite.  For example, to encourage your toddler to eat fruit, make an “Apple Mouth Sandwich” using two apple slices held together by peanut butter. Let you child place small marshmallows in the opening, as the teeth…   Then tell your child to SMILE!

To enable your child enjoy pressure seeking activities, provide a safe, cushioned area for your child to explore BIG jumping and rolling. Be sure to set safety boundaries for your toddler as they engage in this tumbling activity.  They will learn their limits as they explore this activity.  It is critical to stay very close to your child as they engage in this activity. Help them to “label” their new skills and feelings of FUN and FEAR!

Our world is filled with noise, some pleasant nice and some not so pleasant…  To help our children’s comfort level with sound, we need to explore many different sounds and their origins.  As an example, before you vacuum, invite your child over to look at the vacuum, explain its function; you can even place an item on the floor and let your child suck it up in the hose.  Label your child’s feelings of fear and talk about how it feels to be afraid. Allow your child the opportunity to take control of this cleaning task, by joining you.

As a parent, you need to understand that your TODDLER is learning from a variety of activities and stimulus. Sensory Integration is key to helping them understand their environment and not be afraid of it. Have FUN while you continue to learn together using our five senses!