Clothing tags and other sensory hot buttons

[trinityroyal]

"by the way: Someone said something about clothing tags. More info on the subject please!"

In another post, someone asked for more information about clothing tags.

Children who have sensory integration issues often find certain sensations difficult, even unbearable. Clothing tags are a major source of grief for some, with others it's food textures, etc.

I live in the Hilarious House of Aspie, and here are some of the sensory matters that rub us the wrong way (sorry), in no particular order:

Clothing tags. Feel like sandpaper. difficult child cuts his out of clothes and sometimes leaves holes. Often I break out in a rash at the spot where they make contact with skin. I've started buying the t-shirts that come with a silk screened or printed label rather than a tag, and we all feel much better

Seams in the toes of socks. Drive me crazy. Little easy child is showing signs of this too. Between the 2 of us, we can't keep socks on our feet because they just feel weird. If I have to wear socks for more than a few minutes at a time, I turn them inside out so that the seams don't touch my feet. This is WAY better. husband has recently found a brand of seam-free socks that he bought for me and Little easy child. difficult child on the other hand, needs to wear socks all the time. Even to bed. It's difficult to convince him to take them off even for bathing and swimming

Food textures. Some foods just feel wrong in the mouth. I can't abide beans, because the're too beany. I can't really explain what I mean by that, but it's a combination of the pastiness, mushiness, and the way they crush when you chew them. Little easy child likes very crunchy things, difficult child likes hard things (cauliflower and broccoli stalks, cabbage cores, etc.) that need to be knawed on.

These are just some random things off the top of my head. I will do a search on Sensory Integration Disorder and post any useful links I find.

Hope this helps,
Trinity

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

Thanks for posting this, Trinity.

These are very good examples! In addition, my daughter (who lives in the Silly house of Sensory issues) also reacts strongly to the odor of certain things. Not just things like onions or garlic, but she will say that she does not like the smell of cooked meat, salad dressings, even salsa. She will, however, take the top off of a Sharpie marker and smell it forever. I have hidden the Sharpies.

Certain sounds drive her over the edge. It is not the volume, but the pitch or timbre that gets her. She can have the TV at full blast and it not bug her. A plane flying overhead makes her nuts.
We can stand next to the railroad tracks and watch trains all day, but if we are going under a viaduct while a train is going by overhead, she covers her ears and screams.

Motion is another key sense to focus on. Some children with sensory issues either crave or avoid certain motions. Some like slow, repetative motion. Some crave fast motion taht would make ME sick to my stomach! (i.e. spinning).

An Occupational Therapist is a good avenue if your child seems to have sensory issues.

 

[trinityroyal]

she does not like the smell of cooked meat, salad dressings, even salsa. She will, however, take the top off of a Sharpie marker and smell it forever. I have hidden the Sharpies.

Certain sounds drive her over the edge.

BBK, you could be describing me as a child. (For that matter, you could be describing me a few days ago). I have learned so much about my own Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) issues by observing them in my children and having psychiatrists and tdocs explain them to me.

Growing up I was always told that I was a "diva" and a "prima donna" and to "stop making such a big fuss over nothing" (Those are the kinder comments, the ones I can type without being censored). In a way it feels so good to know that it's a recognized condition and that I'm not just a brat, Know what I mean??

Sensory issues cover the full range of senses, and they can vary tremendously from child to child.

LoneStar, if you've been noticing this sort of thing in your children, it's definitely worth doing some further research.

Trinity

 

[totoro]

K has all of that as well as she likes to, GAG, LICK things... taste things, feel them with her mouth... It is a Spectrum and Sensory thing.
N who would be my more Spectrumish child, does the mouthing as well, not so much as K...
She is the movement child. Toe walker, hand flapper. But she loves to Swing... last night she swang, bath, read then bed. It really does help calm N... the spinning and swinging.... She climbs and swings. it is like a sensory "orgasm" if you will... she feels the swinging with every sense... she even says she feels the swing "breathe"... OK???
For K the clothes have to be SOFT... the sound of a ski coat fabric drives her nuts... which is awesome since we live at the base of a ski-hill and we ski!!!
That is partly why I give in to K's burrito fixation... it may end and she will eat some other thing or not eat!!!
For awhile it was nothing RED... or the food had to touch the whole bottom of the bowl...
But I have sensory issues as well so I get it... I can't stand the feel of cardboard... and I have had to move a lot!!! Popsicle sticks... yuck. My hands are clenching just thinking about it!!! Cotton balls give me the yucks also...
I can't stand the feeling of things in my face... sensory overload. I have to s-uck it up when the girls get in my face and get all lovey and touchey!!!

 

[flutterbee]

My difficult child has the tag issues, the sock issues, clothing issues, food texture, sounds, smells, etc.

Swinging and rocking has always set her off. Even as an infant, I couldn't rock her in the rocking chair like I did easy child. She'd scream. Same with the swing. To this day, she doesn't swing at school or the playground.

But, she loved the car. As long as the car was moving, she was as happy as could be. If we stopped at a red light, she'd scream.

I have the tag issues, food texture, sounds and smells.

 

[4sumrzn]

Interesting to see all of the different sensory issues going on. My difficult child, some things have calmed down a bit. Tags, socks, "being itchy".....not as bad as it used to be. Certain noises throw her into a covering ears, crying mess.....others that make me jump don't phase her. Smells......wow, the child smells EVERYTHING & normally takes a taste too! YUCK! She screamed non-stop in the car as a baby, the same when being rocked......but loves to swing & spin now.

I noticed some of you admitted the sensory issues as well. Me too. I am VERY sensitive to smell....I catch myself smelling things all the time & notice many smells that others don't. The "itching" part....lucky me got blessed with chronic hives last year, so I actually "itch" on certain days. Tags don't bother me, but tight things around my neck do (turtle neck, necklaces). FEET......argggg.....nasty.....baby feet, fine....keep those size 1 & up outa here. But, I do realize I have my own sensory issues & pay really close attention to how I respond to them....thanks to difficult child. She's only caught me "smelling" the clean laundry a couple of times & has witnessed me covered in hives from head to toe twice. Not too bad. I originally thought maybe it was all my fault.

 

[susiestar]

We deal iwth food issues, clothing issues (finally I just decide to buy all his clothingin thrift stores. I can then AFFORD to replace the shirts when he chews holes in them.

Food issues are a major thing in our house. There are foods I just don't do. Brussel sprouts, liver, raw tomatoes by themselves, some pasta (esp overcooked pasta - mushy to tolerate). We have had to work VERY hard to have either boy either NOT speak or be very very careful and polite.

Anyway, gotta run! HAve a good day!

Susie

 

[Alisonlg]

C is my sensory child. Tags are an issue, no hoods on shirts, no buttons, no half-zippered tops, no turtle-necks, and a sweater is PUSHING IT! Just this week I got him to wear his very first sweatshirt!!!! Pants have to be a certain length...if they're too long, he FLIPS out and you either have to cuff them immediately (which isn't always sufficient) or change to another pair. Socks have to be a specific brand and style, which he calls "hot socks" for some unknown reason...any other socks are "tickley socks."

He has always been a picky eater...started out with mostly liquids and easily dissolved foods...he has now expanded his food choices, but still snacks most of the day and prefers liquids and snack foods. Though, he loves the stimulation of high flavor foods like balsamic vinaigrette dressing on lettuce.

He also loves body simulation....deep pressure play (pushing him into the couch), riding his rollercoaster, the slides, etc.

Scared of certain sounds/tones...the vacuum cleaner, the dust buster, etc. and when I use my firm "mommy voice" he gets upset and insists I'm "yelling" which I'm not.

M is mostly just affected by certain sounds and foods (he judges them by looking at them).

 

[babybear]

Cotton balls give me the yucks also...

Eew cotton balls gross me out big time. I have been known to hunt down someone to take the cotton ball out of an aspirin bottle. Ice cubes are a big one for me too. Can't touch them at all if my hands are damp.

 

['Chelle]

AHHH the sensory issues. My difficult child has the tags thing, the socks thing, the food thing, the noises thing, the heat/light thing. Some of his best meltdowns at school, when we got right back to what started it, were actually sensory issues that just got too much for him. One was his desk was sitting near a window and the sun shone through directly on his leg, and he ended up in a meltdown that had me having to pick him up. I find that with clothes if we find something he likes we stock up on that certain item. He really liked this one shirt I had bought him, the feel of the fabric, fit etc. So he was just as happy to go out and buy 7 in different colors and he wore them until he outgrew them. I always buy the same brand socks, same brand underwear, and hurray for the t-shirts with no tags and silk screened onto the material.

I have seen that over the years, most recently anyway, he's added more foods to his list of what he'll eat. He still will not eat cooked veggies, but has started eating Ceasar salad - something actually green LOL

 

[DDD]

My difficult child has outgrown most of the issues, thank God. Until middle school he had a major problem with tags and textures. He still prefers soft clothes. I found that how I washed/dried his clothes made a big difference. When I washed his clothes with "gentle" detergent AND ran them through the rinse cycle twice..he was much more comfortable. Of course, fabrick softener was necessary too.

Someone mentioned biting holes? My difficult child would stretch the neck out of his t-shirts and **** on the neckline or upper shoulder material. Yuk!!
DDD

 

[flutterbee]

Like Alison, if I use my 'firm Mommy voice', difficult child covers her ears and insists that I'm yelling at her.

Like DDD, we had laundry issues. For years, the only detergent I could use was Cheer Free. THAT took a lot of trial and error. And of course fabric softener. easy child still has an extra box of dryer sheets in his room. After he gets dressed, he runs the sheet inside his clothes.

First thing difficult child always did when she got home was take off her socks and shoes. easy child and I always had on our socks and shoes and she was always taking them off. She still does.

 

[trinityroyal]

Oh the chewing. I forgot all about the chewing.
Little easy child chews the neck of his winter jacket, and the sleeves of all his shirts. I can't give him balloons to blow up because he chews them instead, and I am terrified that he will choke on one.

Skin lotion is another source of freaking out in our house. Little easy child and I both have the driest skin in the world. Like sandpaper, it is. But neither one of us can abide the feeling of lotion. It's cold and slimy, then it burns terribly when it starts to actually moisturize. You can watch us both jumping around the house, going "eew! ick! it BURNS!"

Finally, I found a giant tub of Glaxal Base (the foundation cream that pharmacists use when they mix up medications in cream form). It's slightly less icky and doesn't burn as much.

And difficult child likes to poke the side of his neck with the eraser end of a pencil, from which he's pulled out the eraser. He leaves little red circles all over the place.

As for fabric softener, we should buy stock. Every load of laundry is double rinsed with liquid softener, and then we put two dryer sheets in the dryer. Otherwise, difficult child, Little easy child and I will be pulling at our clothes and scratching all day.

Someone else mentioned tickly socks? I thought we were the only ones.

Okay...I am rambling and free-associating, and the fridge is "muttering" at me (you know, that cooling noise it makes). Time to get to sleep. Night all.

 

[DDD]

I get such a kick out of being "censored" because it always surprises me. Geez, I don't use BAD words. I'm a Mama...for heavens
sake!

On the other hand I also know how to fabric correctly. LOL! DDD

 

[DDD]

by the way, if you have the extra bucks to do it, try buying
Vita Bath. If you don't have "a thing" about bubbles,
it makes your skin feel terrific. It also cleans the dirtiest kid AND leaves no ring in the tub. difficult child loved it because he didn't have to even use a wash cloth..
which is rough on the skin, of course. DDD

If you're into sensual as an adult, the yellow Vita Bath is not "girlie" and fine for bubble bath sharing!

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

You know, I almost forgot Tink's biggest Sensory hot button, which got me looking onto Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) in the first place.

Cutting her nails and brushing her hair.

I remember waiting until she was dead asleep to try and cut her nails. She would wake up and sit bolt upright and start screaming. It's not like I cut her. She did not like the feeling of the clippers under her nail/touching her skin. She thought THAT hurt and that THAT meant I was going to cut her. So now we try filing them. Sometimes it works, other times she just has to bite the bullet. She really fights it though.

Brushing her hair? To this day I put it in basket C. So she leaves the house looking like a ragamuffin some days. Most days, if she refuses to brush it or let me, at the very least she will let me pull it up and put it in a pony on the top of her head. As long a I don't brush it to get it there. So it looks kinda sloppy, but at least not crazy. I had a neighbor when she was 3-4 who came over and thought she fell or cut herself by how bad she was screaming. "Nope, just brushing her hair..." We go through a ton of conditioner to keep it as tangle free as possible.

Yep, those two are the absolute worst...