Bedtime Struggles Now Night Time Snuggles
Updated: Sep 2, 2019
Having 2 children on the spectrum not only came as a surprise but with it all the challenges of having to wear so many different "hats" to try and understand how their head works. Not that their way of thinking is wrong they just come to different conclusions then someone not on the spectrum and to be honest I find their way can often be a better way of thinking about it. They seem to think outside of the box sometimes more practical.
Bed time has always been a struggle in our home, our eldest Tyler along with ASD has ADHD and getting him to settle at the end of the night has always been a nightmare. I remember him being only a wee thing and attending a Tripple P course to help me find ways to get him to sleep. Nothing they advised seemed to work at this stage we had no diagnosis. Once he was diagnosed they gave us a script for Melatonin this worked to start we had to hide it in his food as he couldn't swallow it whole but after awhile it became just too much of a mission as he became suspicious of any treat we tried to ply him with before bed laced with the Melatonin and eventually just refused to take it at all.
With Tyler quite often he gets anxiety at bed time, it might be something as little at a notice I need to sign and send to school, I will sign it and pop it in his bag showing him but this does not always help and he will ask 101 questions mostly asking the same question but in a different way. Back to square one we didn't know what to do, after much research and tediously finding the best supplier we came across the Snuggle Me Sensory Compression blanket.
Since having the blanket it is giving him that hug feeling he feels secure and safe it seems to help with his racing mind and although he will still ask a few questions before bedtime he settles far more quickly and we do not find ourselves having words 10-11pm at night telling him to go to bed, having me lie down and scratch his back until he drifts off to sleep.
It works by stretching over the whole body giving a firm pressure like a hug that will calm your child. They are a bit more versatile than the weighted blanket as they are easily packed and mobile (I wish we had this when we travelled overseas) We were carrying bulky heavy blankets and as we were away for a month travelling the states there were many airports and cramped planes that we had to carry them on. It will not overheat your child like a weighted blanket or fall off in the middle of the night. It is especially great for children who wriggle a lot throughout the night as it stops them from falling out of bed.
This is how we came to start Smoosh NZ , with forever purchasing items from overseas that the occupational therapist has told us to try we have done the hard work for you and sourced the best products and have them in one spot for you to look at and purchase from. I hope to share more experiences with you all with our children on the spectrum and next time will introduce you to our daughter Paige. You can also follow us on @asdandmemakes3
Briar x