Everyday personal hygiene can be
a huge struggle with a sensory child. Their bodies are hypersensitive causing
distress to everyday tasks. Getting dressed, combing hair, brushing teeth,
clipping finger nails, washing face, and taking a shower can cause a meltdown.
When faced with these situations, try to brainstorm creative ways to take the
focus off the task and make it fun. Some days this will work. For example turn
on the television, so the child is focused on a show (you can even put on a show
that shows them the importance of good hygiene and grooming) or set a timer to
have the child race the clock and focus on it. For the other days when changing
the focus doesn’t work, here are some other tips on things you can do. The most
important thing though is to set a ROUTINE. Children depend on knowing what is
next. You might even make a visual chart to ease the anxiety of hygiene and grooming
times. The morning routine chart might show pictures of waking up, getting dressed, brushing hair, eating, and brushing teeth. The night routine chart might show pictures of clipping nails, taking a bath, washing the face, brushing teeth, reading a story, and going to bed.
Getting Dressed
Getting dressed is an area of distress in sensory children.
You have clothes that are too loose or too tight and the tag itch or scratch.
One helpful tip is to purchase under armor to go under the clothing to help
give the child deep pressure. It is also
helpful to cut out tags and buy seamless or seamless/compression socks. Also,
allow child to sit down on the floor to get dressed so the child feels more
stable and is not worried about balance. Last, buy clothing that is going to be
easy for your child to put on and take off, such as, elastic waist, pull-over shirts
and hoodies.
Combing and Brushing Hair
Combing and brushing hair can be
stressful due to the pressure needed to comb or brush long hair, and the feeling
of the bristles. It is helpful to go shopping with your child and buy several
kinds of brushes and combs. You might even buy colorful ones that are visually appealing.
Then, you have to try them to see which one feels the best on your child. For
my children, I also use a detangler, so that, I do not have to use as much pressure
while combing or brushing. If you use a detangler, be care how much you put in.
My children struggle with the wet feeling.
There are some days that I have
to literally hold my daughter between my legs to get her teeth brushed. They have
to be brushed. I would much rather struggle at home than give in and have a terrifying
trip to the dentist for a cavity. On days that it is not a struggle, this is
what I have found to work: trying different tooth paste favors (allow your
child to pick what flavor they want that night), try different tooth brushes (they
have tooth brushes that have soft bristles or hard bristles and can vibrate,
light up, or sing songs), and take the focus off the task with a brushing teeth
app or a timer. Also, it is a great idea to warm up the mouth before brushing the
teeth by doing teeth compressions or oral motor exercises to stimulate that
area. For teeth compressions, take your pointer finger and press down five times
on each side of the bottom teeth, and then each side of the top teeth. For oral
motor, you can use the chewy stixx and have the child bite five times on each
side. This can help the mouth not get over stimulated during brushing.
Clipping Nails
When clipping nails the sound,
pressure, and the thought of pain can be overwhelming. There have been nights
when I have clipped my daughter’s nails while sleeping to avoid the struggle. One
thing that has worked for her is treating her to a manicure and pedicure. She
loves getting her nails painted. My son now actually bites his nails, so he
doesn’t have to get his nails clipped, so I understand what a struggle this can
be. If it is the noise that bothers the child, try baby nail scissors (the ones
with round tips) or a nail file. You can also try soaking your child’s hands in
warm water before the nail trim to relax them and playing soothing music or
watching a show to help with the sound.
Washing the face
This is a huge struggle for both
of my children. The downpour of water on their face sends them into panic mode.
First, find out what causes their distress: Is it water temperature? (try
different temperatures), Is it water splashing? (try a wash rag), Is it water
getting in their eyes? (let them wear goggles), or Is it the amount of water
hitting the face? (use smaller amounts). Then, once you find out why the child
is having trouble, you can approach the problem. It is also helpful before
washing the face to prepare the child’s senses by doing a facial massage with your
hands. Rub in circles around the whole face. Tell your child that you are
waking up their face for a little bath. This will help stimulate you child, so
they will not be in over drive once the water touches them. Once washing, use a
fragrant soap such as lavender to calm the child.
Taking a shower
Just like washing the face, the
shower can be difficult due to the face being ultrasensitive. Most sensory
children hate showers because it hits their face. You can avoid this stress by
allowing them to wear goggles. It also might be a struggle due to water
pressure. Try to change up the water pressure settings and see if that helps. I
have found it helpful for my children to have a removable shower head with a
hose. This way the water isn’t hitting their entire body the whole time. It
also allows their face to not get wet on days when I don’t need to wash their
hair. It has helped my son “Do It Himself”. He feels more in control when he
gets to hold the shower head and wash the soap off his body. Another tip that
has helped my children in the shower, is allowing them to pick their soap that
night. I have a basket of soaps for them to choose from. This makes it less
stressful and fun when they get to pick something. Last, I always use 2 in 1
shampoo and conditioner to help limit the amount of time my children need to be
in the shower.
*As a side note, I have been
warned in the past that if my child continued to struggle with the shower, to
just allow the child to take a bath if the choice is available because it can
be disorganizing the nervous system in some children . We didn’t need to go
this route because the tips above worked.
Finding the right strategies to
help your child cope with everyday personal hygiene will help your child in the
future. A lot of this I hate to say is trial and error. Every child is
different, and you want to find out what works for your child. No one enjoys a
power struggle every morning and night. I hope these tips will bring peace
during those hygiene and grooming times.
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