Useful Items

I noticed the other day that we have acquired a lot of fancy looking things to help the kiddos adapt to the world. I also noticed while taking pictures that most of this stuff was actually gifted to us. #spoiled

Here’s some of my favourite things:

1. This awesome lock

Our kids have a tendency to try and escape the house on the regular and they’ve figured out the deadbolt, so these are fantastic. I have accidentally locked a lot of adults in my home because they are unsure of how to unlock it. We have it fairly high up on the doors because Penny would have it figured out in an instant – she’s too smart for me. I think it’s called a Door Guardian (or maybe that’s the brand name) but they’re amazing. I’ve seen them at Wal-Mart and Home Depot, but we happened to get all of ours (unopened) at the Thrift Store.

2. A Nest Swing

This actually had to be installed into a beam in our ceiling and was a bit tricky to put up, but it was totally worth it. The kids tend to go nuts in it (as do most kids who visit our home), but it’s actually really calming. I kind of want one for myself. Ours was bought for us from Ikea but I don’t think they sell them anymore. I’ve seen similar ones on Amazon.

3. Headphones

These headphones are from Princess Auto and were like, $5/pair. You can get actual noise reducing headphones (which we may invest in later) but these serve their purpose quite well. Both kids struggle with loud noises, especially Penny. She wears these a lot in school, at parties, basically anywhere in public. Also of note, loud noises to them is often different than how most people would describe “loud” – it could be a ceiling fan or music in a store. Often times the fans from bouncy castles are particularly bothersome.

4. Double Toilet Seat

These are great for any kid. When we were teaching Penny to potty train we didn’t want to use an actually potty because later we’d have to train her again using a toilet (generalising a concept is sometimes a struggle). So, we taught her to pee on the toilet from the start. Little bums stop falling toilets and potty training went half smoothly for her. Rory on the other hand…well, we’re working on him. He will sit on it though! We were gifted one for our downstairs bathroom, but the other we bought at Canadian Tire.

5. Therapressure Brush

We do sensory brushing with Penny which really calms her down. Ironically this was bought for Rory on suggestion from his OT, but he is not usually a fan of it. In a very basic overview, you brush their arms, hands, legs, feet, and back, then do joint compressions and super light chest compressions. You can literally see the calmness washing over Penny when we do it. All you can see with Rory is a giggle and then a scream. I bought this one at the Janeway giftshop.

6. Tablet Case

These are easy to carry around for the kids because of the handle, and super durable too. The kids definitely do not go easy on them. Weird story: we bought the pink case for Penny’s first tablet, but when we replaced that tablet and bought a purple case instead, she refused to use it. (We have one in blue for Rory, but that does not stop Penny from stealing his, of course.) We got ours from Amazon.

7. Exercise Ball 

These are amazing for both kids because they love a lot of gross motor movement. Their OT’s always suggest a lot of exercises with these, often to work their belly muscles. Rory mostly just likes to bounce on it and laugh because he’s adorable. You can get these anywhere. I originally bought this years ago when I thought I would work out at home (spoiler: I did not).

8. My laminator

I could write a love letter to my laminator. This is literally the best gift I’ve ever received (thanks, Mel!). I make a lot of visuals with this, which is essentially pictures or schedules used for communication, and then they’re laminated for durability. I do have the option of having our Senior Therapist do up visuals for us, but I tend to do them myself for a few reasons – often because I’m impatient and I tend to be a perfectionist about it. And if I want to be super honest (because why not?), it’s probably because it gives me some control in a life where I don’t always feel I have a lot of it.

Also, I was able to make these durable Backstreet Boys faces for a Bachelorette Party the other week – so we all win here.