Calming toys

I have to say we keep a sensory bucket filled with goodies we picked up here and there.  The best place in my opinion, is by far Stacey's Sensory Solutions.  She has amazingly cool little gadgets for your kiddo.  You might be extremely overloaded with all the stores and options available for your little one.  You are not alone in this.  Many of us are at some point in this journey.  Trying many different ideas your therapist suggest or you read on a site.  This leaves you with a basket of useless toys you just knew were going to work, but your kiddo took one look and kept on moving.  Let's just discuss the chew necklace for example.  Wonderful idea this little rubber gadget on a necklace so your kiddo will stop chewing on their shirts or body.  Not my kiddo!  He cannot stand anything around his neck so that was a waist for this family.  The light up sensory balls and other objects made to stimulate and calm them didn't really make a huge impression for my guy either.  Moon sand, mad matter, thinking putty, and the floof pocket pack, all items from Stacey's sensory solutions, were a big hit in this house.  I must say a few of those items I found myself playing with them and I was mesmerized.  Sometimes you just got to test the product so no judging.  If your real lucky and can use a little bit of imagination like I did, you can use items around the house.  Getting a couple yards of lycra from fabric store for $20 and using a old pull up bar laying around in garage made a great sensory swing.  This was probably the most used sensory tool in our home for a good year.  Combined with soundscapes from different sites on you tube, this was a blessing.  There are many on you tube for autism, adhd and anxiety.  Long, warm showers with nice massages and some lavender oil behind ears and on wrist can put your little one in a trance.  I must warn you though it tends to make you want to pass out too.  There is so much out there that it can leave you confused and not sure where to start.  It is okay to feel like this.  Lets face it, everyone of our children are different.  This means what works for my child might not work for you.  This is because every child has different sensory needs.  The struggle to figure that out can be long and hard.  I can tell you for us that moment of finally "getting it" can in the form of literally the best occupational therapist ever!  I mean she could have possibly been wearing a halo.  To this day I believe she saved our lives.  The therapy we had been giving him for two years was completely wrong and making my little guy worse.  She explained that in the sensory world there are Tigers and Eeyores.  Tigers are naturally hyper and bouncing off the wall so they need opposite sensory therapy.  Eeyores are very slow and apprehensive to every sound and sights so they need opposite in therapy.  That brings me back to my kiddo who was literally bouncing off the walls.  I mean this kid couldn't sit still if his life depended on it.  What is unfortunate is we were told to bounce, spin, throw and give him all the sensory he needed.  This was extremely wrong to do to him.  By doing this his body could never slow down which prevented him from learning.  His little mind was spinning even when he was sitting.  When this stunning revelation slapped me in the face it quite literally changed our lives.  I cried when our angel left us, but I was happy in the knowledge that she crossed our paths.  Without this new grasp on my son's needs I cannot imagine where we would be today.  Please share your ideas and what worked for your family.  I would love to hear from you and I hope my story helped.