The Daily Clothing Battle

If this blog post's title resonated with you, it's likely that your child struggles with sensory sensitivities. When a child has a hard time with sensory integration, small things like shoes and socks can become huge meltdowns - putting strain on the entire family. 

How can you help your child, while giving them experiences that prepare them for the real world? We have some practical tips to help you reduce the size of the battle. 

(1) Seamless socks!

No kidding, these things work like magic. Without seams poking into sensory sensitive little feet, shoes will go on easier and you'll be out the door faster. The sooner you buy 50 pairs of these socks, the better. Look at the selection on Amazon - you don't even have to leave your house for this piece of sanity.  

(2) Shoe choices

For children who have delays in fine motor development, shoelaces can pose a whole new battle. Many children with sensory integration challenges prefer tight fitting shoes, because it helps them to feel where their body is in space. While velcro shoes are a short term fix (given that the child can put their shoes on independently), problems can arise when the velcro begins to wear out and the shoes become loose. One way to get around these problems is to purchase slip on shoes (like Vans) which are both fashionable and practical for a child. Another solution is to practice lace-tying on the regular, because it will become awkward for an older child to not know how to tie laces further down the track. 

(3) Tagless tees

Certain clothing brands (like Old Navy) have decided to veto the tag and print the brand information straight on the clothing itself. If the majority of your child's clothing is tag-free, you will avoid meltdowns. 

(4) Relax 

Apart from making sure that the clothing is weather appropriate (and clean!), relax a little on the weird and wonderful outfit combinations that your child will invent. If they want to wear something that's too tight, it's probably for a sensory reason. If they are fixated on wearing the same article of clothing every day, it's also probably for sensory reasons. Loosen your grip on the outfit war, and watch your child's personality shine through.