The ONE Must-Have Sensory Item My Son Can’t Live Without (and Neither Can I)

Are you searching for the perfect sensory outlet for your seeker? While there are a LOT of sensory products out there, the one I think gets overlooked the most is…. (read on to find out!)

Today, Jeni from from Heavy Metta is sharing her sensory discovery that is changing how she manages her sensory seeker in the house.

This post is part of the Sensory Summer series, hosted by Mommy Evolution in partnership with The Sensory Spectrum. I encourage you to follow us all summer and visit our Sensory Summer landing page to get the latest sensory fun for your kiddos! This post contains affiliate links.

The ONE Must-Have Sensory Item My Son Can’t Live Without

Ah, summer. The best of times, the worst of times. It starts with promise, then towards the end, well…lets just say for a lot of parents it’s the most wonderful time of the year – back to school! Whether you “free range” it, or perfectly craft the months with activities for your kids, it’s a challenge. Needless to say, we parents with sensory kiddos have extra.

My 5 year old guy is a seeker and avoider. Oy, the best of both worlds! He’s has super auditory sensitivity, so although he is very active, he can’t stand loud, unpredictable noises for very long. (He has no problem making a whole lot of noise of his own, but I digress).

With physical therapy he’s gotten much better, but still when we do go out it’s in short, controlled bursts, leaving us with a lot of inside time. So, when he is not at summer school for a few hours, he’s pretty overstimulated and wants to play with me in the safety of his (mostly) quiet, predictable home.

QUIET?

And how does he want to play? Rough! He has intense proprioceptive needs, and although we give him plenty of items to push and pull around, but by far his favorite way to blow off steam has been slamming into things, such as the couch or me. He’s our little bull in a china shop!

At the beginning of summer I told my husband that there was no way me, or my back, can take the slamming anymore! He simply gotten too big, and does not know how hard he is hitting. We had moved into a smaller place that could not accommodate his beloved Hvy Metta, and since his needs are so high in this area, we had to find a solution. 

Introducing Solution Crash Pad! 

What a godsend this has been! He can jump on, crash into, roll around on, jump off chairs onto (with supervision of course), wrestle with daddy on, and even rest on it when he’s done thrashing (although I’ve yet to see him do that, a mom can dream). It can take a beating, has a removable/washable cover, and will last for as long as he needs it. Along with saving my aching body, his using it before and after school has been very regulating for him. His teachers say he can actually sit still for a little while!  

See that blur? That’s my guy in action!

With our little guy, predictable schedules rule. He has very narrowed interests, doesn’t like art (so far…what do you mean you don’t want to make a Fairy Jar??), and although I keep trying, he loses interest in new things quickly. His mainstays have always been space, and crashing. Yes, he does crash his space ships on the crash pad too! So the walls, floors, and his toys owe the pad a lot this summer, as well as my back and sanity.

Now, if only I can convince him that our kitty doesn’t particularly care for crashing either. Still working on that one.  

About Jeni

Jeni writes at Heavy Metta, trying to respond to life in a way that is skillful, not hurtful. She strives to find a way to accommodate her chronic illness while balancing her son’s special needs (SPD) as well as her own anxiety about it all.

Looking for a crash pad? Consider the following items: