The Marvelous Flying Marco has "flown" again.

[AimeeM]

So, he already didn't have a real "bed" in his room (because he jumped off it, etc).

He had his mattress on the ground (new house is carpeted), prettily made up with his new cool-dude dinosaur bedding.

 

This morning (I was still asleep) there's a big band and I hear a blood curdling scream over the baby monitor that connects me (downstairs master bedroom) to his room (upstairs). DD14 shares a jack-and-jill bath with Marco's room, so she was able to reach him first. When I get to his room he's sobbing, holding his face - and his mattress is skewed away from the wall. We'd had issues before with him using his mattress as a trampoline, and apparently this time the mattress slid out from under him while he was jumping and he flew into the wall, hitting his face (cheek area). 

 

Now the mattress is gone. To be clear, I am NOT taking the mattress as punishment - it's simply the only way right now I can think to keep him safe, since he's still waking in the middle of the night to play and early in the morning, AND of course he wants to play in his bedroom. This morning he also had in-home therapy with his intervention specialist, who didn't seem to be joking when she suggested a bedroom with padded walls for him.

 

I just don't feel right with him sleeping on the carpet (he has his pillows, and blankets, and doesn't seem to care in the least, but I still don't like it). 

 

Are there any "pallet" options - with NO bounce to them - for floors? Something with some cushion, is wide, and would keep him off the floor - without allowing him to jump on it.

Edited April 15, 2016 by AimeeM

[myfunnybunch]

Futon?

[Jyhwkmama]

Maybe a futon mattress.

[AimeeM]

Score. Thanks guys. I didn't event think of a futon mattress! Kind of fun, too :)

[ktgrok]

The thin foam mattress from Ikea doesn't bounce. And it's not slippery so may not move out from under him if he tries. I specifically didn't get the spring one for that reason. Another thought is to just get an egg crate/foam type pad, the kind people put on top of their mattress, and put that down. Enough to soften things, but not bouncy at all. And it would be foam so it would grip on the carpet. 

[hornblower]

Yes, I'd suggest a heavy futon mattress, no frame.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Um_2_4]

Umm, seriously the padded walls might be an idea. At least around his bed. Could you make it part of the decor? Like if Dino's are the theme, get dino fabric and some thick foam like is used for cushions, cover it and somehow "hang" it from the wall along his bed, almost like a headboard? Is that in any way clear lol?

When I was newly married I got a thick piece of foam and covered it and used it as a headboard. Also non slip mats, like for rugs, under the bed on the floor to keep it from slipping.

[Garga]

My son loved to sleep on the floor of his room and did so for about a year. We had an egg crate foam bed topper that he slept on for a little bit of softness. We'd wrap it in the fitted sheet. There was no bounce at all. Just a layer of foam.

 

Then again, The Marvelous Flying Marco might end up trying to rip away at the foam. I wonder if there are foam toppers out there that come in sealed cloth bags so the foam can't be torn.

[ktgrok]

Oh, another thought is a feather comforter. My mom once folded her large one in half for my kids to sleep on the floor on. It was soft, but not bouncy. 

 

Now, if he will cut it open and throw the feathers around not a good plan. 

[MooCow]

A feather bed topper?

[Alessandra]

Camping stuff, like a Thermarest Z Lite pad and a sleeping bag. A new thing for campers is a pad and a sleeping quilt, so that could be another option,

Edited April 15, 2016 by Alessandra

[AimeeM]

He isn't destructive, actually, so I don't think he would rip anything OPEN to get to feathers... but he does still mouth things so I would be concerned with an egg crate foam topper he would chew on it/mouth it - if he could get the sheet off.

Edited April 15, 2016 by AimeeM

[Garga]

Oh, another thought is a feather comforter. My mom once folded her large one in half for my kids to sleep on the floor on. It was soft, but not bouncy.

 

Now, if he will cut it open and throw the feathers around not a good plan.

He will 100% cut it open and throw the feathers around. All it will take is one feather popping through the fabric of the comforter for him to realize, "Huh? Feathers?! Oh yeah!" And then...Feather City.

[AimeeM]

The thin foam mattress from Ikea doesn't bounce. And it's not slippery so may not move out from under him if he tries. I specifically didn't get the spring one for that reason. Another thought is to just get an egg crate/foam type pad, the kind people put on top of their mattress, and put that down. Enough to soften things, but not bouncy at all. And it would be foam so it would grip on the carpet. 

Ugh. I so wish we had an Ikea somewhere near us! The cost of shipping is MORE than what the items themselves cost us. 

[AimeeM]

He will 100% cut it open and throw the feathers around. All it will take is one feather popping through the fabric of the comforter for him to realize, "Huh? Feathers?! Oh yeah!" And then...Feather City.

Ah. Didn't think about a feather sticking out and him noticing it. He wouldn't cut it open if he was none the wiser regarding the insides... but, yeah, if he knew there were feathers in it, he would A) eat the feathers and B) try to get "more" feathers...

[Beaniemom]

Maybe add some of the no slip stuff that goes under rugs to whatever you go with. It might slow things for a moment.

[Garga]

Camping stuff, like a Thermarest Z Lite pad and a sleeping bag. A new thing for campers is a pad and a sleeping quilt, so that could be another option,

 

This seems to be a good idea.

[ktgrok]

Ugh. I so wish we had an Ikea somewhere near us! The cost of shipping is MORE than what the items themselves cost us. 

 

Wamart sells one very similar, I seem to remember. You want the thinnest one :)

 

Oh, and the Ikea one at least is encased in a zip up cover. 

[aggie96]

Memory foam has no bounce either.  In fact, it absorbs the bounce.  Sleep Innovations mattresses from Amazon are reasonable.  We had one on the floor while waiting for new furniture to arrive.  No bouncing at all.  Good luck!

[ktgrok]

As for padding the walls...what if you got those stick on carpet squares? It's not a LOT of padding, but it would be some shock absorption. And fairly easy to do. Otherwise, I'd be hot gluing some of those big colorful foam squares that people get for babies to crawl on, on the wall. They're practically decorative :) You could do it just halfway up the wall, like a really crazy version of wainscoting :) Heck, get extra and he can sleep on some too. 

 

These are the squares I mean. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/verdes-jumbo-foam-playmat/1040730967?skuId=40730967&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_baby_&adpos=1o2&creative=43742623429&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKEAjw_7y4BRDykp3Hjqyt_y0SJACome3T_FUILQ6geMyMZAaQuBx8e2z6QhpHOmLMbZZc3Cgo2xoCHHrw_wcB

[aggie96]

Those would make an excellent, fun wainscoting!  You could even cut the tops into dinosaur shapes (think shadows) to go with his "theme".  :) 

[zoobie]

3" latex mattress topper would be comfy but not bouncy. Costco has one: http://m.costco.com/NovaForm®-3%22-Pure-Comfort-Memory-Foam-Mattress-Topper.product.11765557.html(might be in stores?) or some place like sleepez online has great latex mattresses and toppers and fast shipping. We've ordered 3 mattresses from them.

[mom2samlibby]

I'd get some of these for the walls.  http://www.gophersport.com/pe/pe-equip-mats-1-1/wall-mats-offer/?sku_id=7998&gclid=COP2g4Haj8wCFVE0aQoda8MO0Q

[Arcadia]

My boys had managed to bounce off our tempur-pedic mattress and also Ikea's foam mattress that came with the sofa bed. Energizer bunnies :P

 

The gym walls PP linked might work much better.

[KungFuPanda]

What if you put those foam mats that fit like puzzles on the whole floor and some sort of tatami mat for sleeping? Or a camping mat?

[Tsuga]

Did he break anything? Could he break anything or will he just get boo-boos? There are a lot of good ideas in his thread but I wouldn't necessarily move him off the mattress for boo-boos only.... a bouncing kid is going to have scratches. My daughter is finally over her most recent problem of a wrist contusion caused by falling off a bunk bed she wasn't supposed to climb, and a bruise on her eye she got by playing spin with another little girl. The game is, you hold something heavy, arms extended, and see if it makes you spin around faster. 

 

Luckily at the school they know my daughter and know it's not child abuse.

 

Also is he in gymnastics? Might give him some bounce to look forward to. At three he should be old enough for some trampoline work.

[waa510]

The Japanese sleep on futon mattresses that are made to be folded and put in a closet when not in use, while also being able to easily be washed as well. Might be something to check out on amazon.jp :)

[The Governess]

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=34916924&category=SEARCH+RESULTS

[AimeeM]

Did he break anything? Could he break anything or will he just get boo-boos? There are a lot of good ideas in his thread but I wouldn't necessarily move him off the mattress for boo-boos only.... a bouncing kid is going to have scratches. My daughter is finally over her most recent problem of a wrist contusion caused by falling off a bunk bed she wasn't supposed to climb, and a bruise on her eye she got by playing spin with another little girl. The game is, you hold something heavy, arms extended, and see if it makes you spin around faster. 

 

Luckily at the school they know my daughter and know it's not child abuse.

 

Also is he in gymnastics? Might give him some bounce to look forward to. At three he should be old enough for some trampoline work.

He has broken something in the past. Nothing this time - but he easily could have. I saw the distance he had to have "flown" to meet the wall, from where the mattress was skewed, and he had to have made some pretty darn good bounce to meet that distance. Luckily, there was another mattress under where he would have hit the floor after hitting the wall. Small blessings, I suppose. 

 

Part of the reason he is in therapy is because he doesn't understand... boundaries? He has no concept, or doesn't care, that he will continue to get hurt if he does these things. In other words, hurting himself (even greatly) doing something will not deter him from doing it again. I will say, with no hesitation, that this kid doesn't know the meaning of the word "quit," and I suppose that will serve him well in adulthood :D

 

He is not in gymnastics and as he has proven with OT, he will replicate what others have him do, so he will be attending a dance class, but not gymnastics. We have to wait until fall for the dance class since all have closed registration until then (because of spring recitals). He enjoys dancing, so while this won't be a tone of sensory output, it will be burn energy. We aren't comfortable with him and gymnastics. 

Edited April 15, 2016 by AimeeM

[AimeeM]

Those floor mats on the walls?! What a cute idea! Both my boys will like those!

[QueenCat]

Hugs to you.......... no new suggestions to add.

[mom2samlibby]

Those floor mats on the walls?! What a cute idea! Both my boys will like those!

 

My elementary school gym had those on the walls.  They were nice because the gym was short and if we were running there often wasn't time to stop before the wall was there!   I would do those, so he could have a mattress on the floor.  

[mathnerd]

 

He is not in gymnastics and as he has proven with OT, he will replicate what others have him do, so he will be attending a dance class, but not gymnastics. We have to wait until fall for the dance class since all have closed registration until then (because of spring recitals). He enjoys dancing, so while this won't be a tone of sensory output, it will be burn energy. We aren't comfortable with him and gymnastics. 

 

When The Marvelous Flying Marco turns 4, please consider putting him in a Tae Kwon Do class. A good TKD school will teach him how to use hands and legs with good control, whole body co-ordination and concepts like how to fall "safely", impulse control etc. We put our then 4-year-old version of the Flying Marco in TKD and it was one of the best things that we did for him. 4 is the earliest age that kids start in our area.

[Tsuga]

When The Marvelous Flying Marco turns 4, please consider putting him in a Tae Kwon Do class. A good TKD school will teach him how to use hands and legs with good control, whole body co-ordination and concepts like how to fall "safely", impulse control etc. We put our then 4-year-old version of the Flying Marco in TKD and it was one of the best things that we did for him. 4 is the earliest age that kids start in our area.

 

My LO did Kyokushin Karate because I wanted her to experience the hit over and over. It really taught her a lot about what it means to use your arms and legs with consequence. In addition to the regular martial arts stuff, the sparring was like... "Wait... they're still hitting, this hurts a bit." And getting out of a neck hold. Of course only the instructor did that stuff with the very small ones but it was so good for her. Before that she was like, she wanted to fight, to hit. Now she is much more careful with her hands. My kids don't learn quickly. Basically my daughter learned after 4 months and one meet in Kyokushin that hitting is pretty serious. Twice a week and then a match with a little girl a year older than her (so five). It was a great match, actually--the older girl lacked confidence and had been bullied at school, and her parents put her in to learn confidence. I have a little flyer, boom-boom, but the other girl really took her. I should mention this was all extremely heavily supervised and regulated with full safety equipment, helmets, etc. But she learned. She learned. My kids don't learn with words or taking away. They learn physically--with the music or the rhythm or the motion.

 

If they have scars so be it. I'm proud of my scars, from running, jumping and climbing, they should be too. My aunt was a pilot in the Marines. She's very proud of her scars.

 

 

 

He is not in gymnastics and as he has proven with OT, he will replicate what others have him do, so he will be attending a dance class, but not gymnastics.

 

 

I guess we are lucky to have a gym that takes kids with this level of repetition. Bounce after me, somersault after me, etc.

[Arcadia]

Is he sensory seeking? I have one that is sensory avoiding and one that don't care about pain to the extent he doesn't notice bruises and cuts.

[AimeeM]

Is he sensory seeking? I have one that is sensory avoiding and one that don't care about pain to the extent he doesn't notice bruises and cuts.

Yes, he's sensory seeking. Always :P

[Noreen Claire]

Ugh. I so wish we had an Ikea somewhere near us! The cost of shipping is MORE than what the items themselves cost us. 

 

Okay - this is ridiculous! We have this mattress from Ikea for the top of our Kura bunk bed. It literally comes with the air vacuumed out, rolled up in a tight little tube, and weighs 8lbs. I checked shipping to my house (in MA) and it was $169! Do you know anyone who lives near an Ikea who could pop it into the mail for you? Shouldn't cost more than $20. It is comfy (my 7yr old says so) and has NO BOUNCE.

 

Good luck!

[AimeeM]

Okay - this is ridiculous! We have this mattress from Ikea for the top of our Kura bunk bed. It literally comes with the air vacuumed out, rolled up in a tight little tube, and weighs 8lbs. I checked shipping to my house (in MA) and it was $169! Do you know anyone who lives near an Ikea who could pop it into the mail for you? Shouldn't cost more than $20. It is comfy (my 7yr old says so) and has NO BOUNCE.

 

Good luck!

I don't know of anyone who lives near an IKEA, no :( I know how ridiculous the shipping is because I had wanted to use IKEA furniture for my school room, but the shipping was INSANE.

[maize]

Amazon sells low-cost foam mattresses, also futons. One of my children sleeps on a wool (with cotton cover) mattress topper for a bed, it's a couple of inches thick and quite dense.

[maize]

Has Marco had multiple serious injuries from his antics?

 

I'm curious because I have a very sensory seeking three year old boy; my approach is to provide him with all the sensory opportunities I can--sure jump on the mattress, jump on the trampoline, swing on the swing set or in the therapy swing, climb the monkey bars, wrestle with mom or dad, take a tumbling class...

 

OK, I'm not so fond of him climbing every chair, table, counter, etc. in sight then jumping onto my back, but I really can't stop him so I tolerate it.

 

He gets bangs and bumps and bruises all the time, but we haven't had any major injuries. I can see how multiple concussions or broken bones would give me pause.

 

He sleeps with me, and is the reason we got rid of our bunk beds.

[maize]

I sleep on this, it is quite comfortable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W67PCTE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[maize]

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01BZ6MTC4?psc=1&th=1 For a light weight child, any foam mattress topper would probably be comfortable.

[AimeeM]

One skull fracture and a dislocated elbow/area (which came about from someone trying to stop him from injuring himself, and almost repeated in the ER with another, somewhat similar, "let's climb the hospital christmas tree" attempt). Serious enough that I do hesitate to give him too much freedom, because I've seen what he can do to himself without having to try terribly hard. Tonight my chess club students (and parents) were treated to quite a show when I couldn't figure out how Marc wanted me to put the straw in his juice, and the chaos that followed as he flung himself from one end of the kitchen to the other, onto the hardwood floors and came this close to busting his head open at least a half dozen times before I was able to grab him into a hold. 

I'll ask his therapists for more ideas regarding sensory activities, but right now his main therapist is at just as much a loss as I am, so I'll ask the psych who is doing the rest of his eval work, I guess.

 

I'm not comfortable with him sleeping with us in our bed. DH is too hard a sleeper and our bed (which is high from the ground and on hardwoods) is what resulted in the skull fracture. 

I did sleep on his bedroom floor with him from the time he was 8 or 9 months old until just several months ago (so... years).

Has Marco had multiple serious injuries from his antics?

I'm curious because I have a very sensory seeking three year old boy; my approach is to provide him with all the sensory opportunities I can--sure jump on the mattress, jump on the trampoline, swing on the swing set or in the therapy swing, climb the monkey bars, wrestle with mom or dad, take a tumbling class...

OK, I'm not so fond of him climbing every chair, table, counter, etc. in sight then jumping onto my back, but I really can't stop him so I tolerate it.

He gets bangs and bumps and bruises all the time, but we haven't had any major injuries. I can see how multiple concussions or broken bones would give me pause.

He sleeps with me, and is the reason we got rid of our bunk beds.

 

Edited April 16, 2016 by AimeeM

[EmilyGF]

For a while, my now 4-year-old son would ask to sleep on his floor because he liked it. I wouldn't feel guilty about having a little guy sleep on the carpet if he doesn't dislike it. My son still asks to sleep on the floor frequently.

 

Emily

[heartlikealion]

Ds has a child couch that dd takes naps on sometimes. I actually have fallen asleep on it myself although it's not thick enough or long enough for me. It won't bounce, but it may or may not be the safest alternative. Just sounded a little softer than plain carpet. The futon would probably be hard to slide and offer more padding.

[KungFuPanda]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01BZ6MTC4?psc=1&th=1 For a light weight child, any foam mattress topper would probably be comfortable.

You could even get some foam cut at the fabric store that would work.

[maize]

One skull fracture and a dislocated elbow/area (which came about from someone trying to stop him from injuring himself, and almost repeated in the ER with another, somewhat similar, "let's climb the hospital christmas tree" attempt). Serious enough that I do hesitate to give him too much freedom, because I've seen what he can do to himself without having to try terribly hard. Tonight my chess club students (and parents) were treated to quite a show when I couldn't figure out how Marc wanted me to put the straw in his juice, and the chaos that followed as he flung himself from one end of the kitchen to the other, onto the hardwood floors and came this close to busting his head open at least a half dozen times before I was able to grab him into a hold.

I'll ask his therapists for more ideas regarding sensory activities, but right now his main therapist is at just as much a loss as I am, so I'll ask the psych who is doing the rest of his eval work, I guess.

 

I'm not comfortable with him sleeping with us in our bed. DH is too hard a sleeper and our bed (which is high from the ground and on hardwoods) is what resulted in the skull fracture.

I did sleep on his bedroom floor with him from the time he was 8 or 9 months old until just several months ago (so... years).

Yah, that is tough, I get it.

 

When ds3 was 10 months or so I actually bought two different head cushioning helmets for him, he was banging his head so much I was seriously worried.

 

Took him all of 8 seconds to figure out how to get the straps off.

 

My bed is a mattress (the one linked up thread) on the floor.

 

A sensory swing (cocoon) might be a good, relatively safe way for him to meet some of his sensory needs; we hang ours from a doorway pull-up bar. I bought mine on Amazon, it is basically a big piece of strong stretchy fabric.

 

Best of luck, these kids are hard.

Edited April 16, 2016 by maize

[AK_Mom4]

Hugs, OP!

I don't have any great suggestions for you (though I love the Padding The Walls suggestion!).

 

I just wanted to give you some encouragement as I know this stuff is soooo hard day after day after day.  Hang in There!

[OneStepAtATime]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug: