Anyone want to join in an SPD venting session?

[Tiramisu]

It's very cold outside. Younger SPD dd is still wearing sandals and only sandals. On a good day, she'll wear socks with them. It looks weird but at least it's warmer. She will wear one skirt, but prefers a pair of yoga pants with rips in the knee. I have other yoga pants for her but she doesn't like the waistbands. It's so embarrassing. I've been through this before and I know it gets better over time, but right now--ugh! She goes shopping and finds pretty things, but after trying them on, she puts them back (with a sad face). She wore uggs-type boots for years and wore them all winter through the summer. Now she says her toes have become more senstive and she wants to stick with sandals. When my frustration shows, she says, "Do you think it's easy for me to be so sensitive?"

 

Anyone else want to share an SPD story to make me feel less alone in this?

[Arcadia]

My older is always warm and my younger is always cold. People look at us funny because one is in a fleece sweater and long pants, the other is in tshirt, shorts and sandals. Strangers even ask me to get my older a sweater thinking he forgot to wear one going out.

 

We are limited in choice of clothes but boys selections are already pretty limited. Older prefer well worn shoes to new shoes. So two identical pairs for him but he will still wear the old pair for comfort sake and the new one only if the old one is wet and dirty. Besides sandals he only likes mocassins and fleece lined rain boots. He does not do socks so I get weird looks for that too,

 

ETA:

while going over the SPD checklist and reading the out of sync child, I readlise I am probably SPD hypersensitive too

[mybluesky]

I love a good SPD venting session! My ds (5) won't wear anything but shorts and crocs. Absolutely no socks. I just bought some seamless socks, and just the idea of trying them on sent him into tears. It's winter here, so I almost feel cruel taking him out! I now let him wear pj's everywhere, because at least he will wear long pj's. Somehow I can't get him to even try on sweat pants. I keep thinking "natural consequences" but those don't work at all when you are talking about SPD!

[Mukmuk]

DS only has 3 pairs of shorts, two of which are riddled with holes. It's really hard to find soft, polyester type shorts with no pockets! And gosh, I thought I was the only one who let my child wear PJs out! DS has a friend who only wears sweat pants. His mum complains, but from my perspective, that would be an improvement!

[Guest]

How about a small vent from my parents :lol: ! When I was little they had to carry me at the beach because I could not handle the feel of sand on my feet. To this day, I cannot walk without slippers. Just a speck of dust on my foot is enough to drive me crazy! Also, just a small crease in my socks and my parents had to tolerate several sessions of removing my shoes, fixing the socks, and putting them back on again. Lets just say that after what I put my parents through, especially my mom who was understanding since sensory issues come from her side of the family, I am very tolerant of my kids sensory issues :lol: .

[Reya]

I didn't start growing out of clothing issues until I was 11. :) Now I can wear anything. So there's hope!

[Tiramisu]

Thank you for venting along with me. And thanks to Marie and Reya for giving me hope. I decided to order a pair of the style of boots she wore in the past as a Xmas present. I got a decent price. They will be from Santa. It might take a while, but maybe she'll decide to try them before June. ;)

[Plink]

Ugh! We are dealing with the same thing here. I actually threw away my DD's sandals one night while she was asleep so that she would be forced to wear real shoes (any shoes, her choice) in the snow. I wasn't a great day, but I'm glad the transition is over. She is still wearing sleeveless shirts, but has agreed to wear a coat outside. I'll fight the shirt battle another day.

 

On the upside, we learned that chewing gum helps her to focus while doing math. I feel like I have discovered the holy grail.

[FairProspects]

How about taking FOREVER to put your shoes on because the velcro straps have to be yanked as tight as they possibly can go short of tearing them off? Yup, happens multiple times a day here.

[Tiramisu]

Ugh! We are dealing with the same thing here. I actually threw away my DD's sandals one night while she was asleep so that she would be forced to wear real shoes (any shoes, her choice) in the snow. I wasn't a great day, but I'm glad the transition is over. She is still wearing sleeveless shirts, but has agreed to wear a coat outside. I'll fight the shirt battle another day.

 

On the upside, we learned that chewing gum helps her to focus while doing math. I feel like I have discovered the holy grail.

 

Interesting. My older dd with SPD also does better if she chews gum during math. I hadn't thought about trying it, but I think I should with this one. Thanks for the idea.

[srs]

I'll join in. My son has worn nothing but pajamas since February, when I put him in pajama pants with no underwear for potty training. He still won't wear underwear, and the jammies haven't come off either. At least he did great with the potty training.

 

And... he's not even the one with the SPD diagnosis. That would be my oldest. She's come a long way since the year she wore nothing but short sleeves (I got her to add a scarf and hat when it was 29 degrees once). And what is this thing called a sock that you speak of? :)

[placeofgrace]

HaHa! I love this! My ds will tolerate clothes if we leave the house, but right now, in the house, he is only wearing shorts, no shirt. He only wants to wear pants with elastic waist bands. He is 12 now and that is hard to find except for sport type pants or sweat pants. I HATE sweat pants! Oh and he only wants to wear crocs. No socks of course. Oh...and don't even get me started on the food issues! This child has the most sensitive taste buds known to man! He can tell if I change brands of food or drinks without even looking at the packaging. So frustrating!

[Mukmuk]

We have the velcro-tight-till-the-straps-burst issue. I thought that was just a personal habit, but I see now, it's due to his SPD (of course). Food - he's GFCF. Tk goodness he can have eggs! The other day, I made stew with (a lot of) leftover red wine. He loved it, ate the most among us, but his eyes swelled up for 2 days after :crying: . Putting a positive spin on this, maybe it'll put him off alcohol when he's older :lol: .

[placeofgrace]

 

On the upside, we learned that chewing gum helps her to focus while doing math. I feel like I have discovered the holy grail.

 

Thank you for this reminder! I keep forgetting about the gum. I sooooo need to try this again.

[Bree]

This post makes me happy :) And it was started on my dd b-day who has SPD...how appropriate. It makes me feel better that my dc isn't the only one out there that may not be dressed like a normal person but she isn't going crazy :) She might wear socks but she likes them inside out but mostly she likes crocks. If she wears shoes they are 2 sizes too big and second hand shoes work best for her. She loves her yoga pants and is oh so particular with her tops and each day can be different so I have a nice variety of shirts for her. THankfully I know my 2 year old will eventually grow into her clothes so they aren't a waste :)

[Mom-ninja.]

I've got to try the gum idea. I'm beginning to wonder if ds is ADHD. I know he has sensory issues but his attention span, focus, and self control are sorely lacking.

 

My kid is cold all the time so he looks funny in the summer with long pants and long sleeve shirts. Getting him to stop wearing clothes that are too small for him is a huge challenge.

 

I also need to buy more flannel and jersey sheets. He hates crisp cotton sheets so much that he has a meltdown every time I change his sheets.

[*Lulu*]

Well we went through Punk's clothes today and when I tried to remove the TWO SIZES TOO SMALL shirt and shorts from his drawer he acted like I was trying to kill his dog or something equally heinous. Evidently they are "perfect" and he, "really, really, really, really needs them."

 

*sigh*

 

At least we can get him to wear jeans now.

[Dmmetler]

I'm dealing with it too. DD hates long pants, barely tolerates pajama-type pants (and usually rolls them up above her knees every chance she gets, which looks ridiculous), hates wearing shoes other than sandals, and just trying to get her to wear a coat seems to push her over the edge. Then we get the anxiety overreactions about everything, that have me wondering if the kid has an anxiety disorder on top of everything else. I keep trying to remind myself that it's probably just that her system is overloaded to start with, and that if we just wait a few months, it will get better! It's times like this that make me want to move to Florida or somewhere warm for the Winter.

[Mommee & Baba]

My dd9 has been wearing garden clogs and now they are too small and I can't find them anywhere. Or at least the type she likes. Her slippers she got for Christmas bug her immensely so I went out and purchased her flip flop slippers and she loves them!? I did have her pick out a pair of boots for family pictures and it took a few hours of searching and we found a pair, needless to day when they rang up at almost $40 I didn't even think twice! Whereas before learning all about SPD I would've refused to pay that! I was just glad we found her a pair. The tennis shoes she will wear are simple canvas ties that I find at Walmart for $5! She likes flip flops too, but I tossed those as soon as she attempted to wear them in dead of December!

She is constantly wearing tank tops or soft cotton tshirts (not the scratchy kind) and her gym shorts. She can only wear leggings or jeggings. I've tried blue jeans & skinny jeans with her and its a crying battle and then she just won't be herself. Thankfully she wears a bra without issue anymore but in the beginning she had a hard time adjusting to the scratchy back snap piece so I had to find some sports bra style ones.

I remember in the beginning if all this that getting her dressed was a huge battle. Now we've all learned how to help her get the items she feels safe and comfortable in and then we move on! :)

[Ecclecticmum]

Sandals with socks is pretty normal here.

 

I'm not sure how hard it is with older kids (at least they are more aware of what's going on I would think) DS has other issues besides SPD.

 

Trying to talk a child who has a limited understanding, they must take off the shirt for their own health is fun. He decided he would be wearing a longsleeve thick turtleneck on, on a 43degrees C day, and refused to take it off, even though he was sweating up a storm. In these cases, it unfortunately is neccessary to get it off, which requires lots of cajoling, bribes and tearing the wardrobe apart to find another suitable top that he'll agree to, along with meltdowns. Then, because of this, the other two think they can get away with it *sigh*

 

He's also taken to folding the bottom of his shirts up over one arm (arm is interchangable, one arm one day, another the next) like a sling, because he has a non-noticeable sore finger. Thats fun to explain in public, and its hard to do any school with a one handed boy.

 

He had an accident a while ago (can fell on his toe) it cause the toe to turn blue, swell and the nail to fall off (this happened about 6 months ago, its been fine for the past 4 months (nails grown back all looks fine, but nothings changed in his attitude towards it) . All it took was the two others getting scared by his toe, and that started a whole new catastrophe. He refuses to take his socks off, ever, and has to wear each pair of socks at least two days in a row. He won't bathe, that requires taking his sock off, not happening, I've tried getting him to bathe with the sock on at least, doing sponge baths. I am ending up having to give him a bath once or twice a week, these "baths" take 2-3 hours. Again cajoling, bribes, toys to play with, at least 2 people needed to help with certain parts, meltdowns, I have to get the sock off and thoroughly clean his foot (it gets filthy inside the socks), then replace the sock with a new one, bag the foot/sock/leg, like he has a cast, run the bath, I have to hop in and sit down, DH has to help me get him in (like putting a cat in the water), then DH has to go away (he doesn't like anybody else but me there), he calms down as long as I have him in my lap continually hold with one arm, his bagged leg out of the water, then I have to use my other arm to clean him. Then if he has a tantrum for any reason, mid-bath, I take the brunt of it (he straightens, kicks out flings etc) and my head ends up hitting the back of the tub. joys.

 

He has inconsistent SPD with sensory stuff. One day he'll like an activity, next day not. One minute he''ll be having fun with the shaving cream, the next second he'll be freaking out because he got one dot on his knee/shirt or figuring out after 10 minutes of play that he hands are filthy, other times wanting them to stay filthy.

 

He'll like only a certain pair of trousers, then the next day have a melltdown if I offer those ones to him. He's woken up in the middle of the night before having a meltdown because suddenly his pyjama trousers/shirt/socks or whatever he doesn't want anything to do with. A pair of trousers will be fine "yes! want those!" later on the trousers will "hurt/itch/etc" and he'll chuck a wobbily till they are out of his sight.

 

He wears his sandals with socks and his rainboots without socks (thus causing blisters that he then freaks out about, but still refuses to not wear the rainboots or to actually wear socks).

 

And he has the type of SPD that always means he tries to be superman. He jumps from the furniture, he climbs the tree near our house thats taller than our house and I have to rescue him (climbs up it in a few seconds flat) he climbs/jumps the backyard gate and manages to get all the way up our country drive and towards the street within a few seconds. This unfortunately means I cannot take the kids out into the yard. Outside play is a 2 person job to watch over the kids (one person to watch over the 2 girls, one to watch him). So yard is weekends only, elsewise they are allowed on the verandah (more closed in, so I can sit and watch all three kids at once.

 

It probably all sounds a lot worse than it is (it always seems to when you type things out lol). I'm just happy to have a little place to vent for a minute. I feel much better now.