Having A Happy Halloween with Sensory Sensitivities
I love Halloween but it can be sensory overload for anybody with all the noise, crowds, and unexpected things jumping out at you. When you have a child with Sensory Processing Disorder you know you have to take extra care with most holidays. I've put together a list of four things we did this year that truly have helped us to have the best Halloween yet!
1. Start early! We think this really made all the difference. Ransom would actually go up to houses and say trick-or-treat! This was a milestone for us. We started around 5pm while it was still bright outside and that hour of sunlight and being able to watch the sunset and ease into the night helped both my girls feel more comfortable when it got dark.
2. Which brings us to our next point. Bust out the wagon! Once it got dark, Ransom felt much safer staying in the wagon and watching everyone run around in their costumes trick-or-treating. We're so happy she had a safe, familiar, and comfortable place to hang out and observe.
3. Talk about it! This is something I learned that is so useful for every time we do something new and different. When I tell them how things are going to go then they feel more in control and prepared for what’s going to happen next. I spent some time narrating what we saw to help them process it, and with spooky things we talk about how it's all make-believe and like playing dress-up, which they love.
4. We know we can’t prepare for everything and that’s ok. Take it all in stride and go easy on yourself! Sometimes, we get so stressed out trying to make things "perfect" that we can forget about having fun. Ransom decided to change her costume about a million times but we just rolled with it!
Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!