Thursday, February 5, 2015

Five Special Needs Winter Essentials

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February 2nd, the groundhog predicted an early spring.  Great news if you have a special needs child suffering from cabin fever (um-hum... not mentioning any names.... Noah!)
But to survive the last few weeks winter is going to throw at us.  Here are some Winter Essentials to get you to the first sign of spring when the your little flower bulbs push out of the ground to let you know you've made it through another season...

Sometimes you need just a pinch of sweet comfort.  Or in Noah's case a TON of sweet comfort.  Noah's not shy about his wishes to indulge his sweet tooth.  We stumbled upon a great line with packed with some reasonably big calories in relation to portion size. (Calories ranging between 180 and 250).   The Cremery Dessert line by Dannon.   It comes in eight flavors: blueberry cheesecake, caramel cheesecake, vanilla pudding, dark chocolate pudding, milk chocolate pudding, strawberry cheesecake, cherry cheesecake, and lemon cheesecake.  With a completely creamy texture it's great for children who have oral sensitives to textures, or need consistencies that are smooth and pureed they make the perfect Winter pick-me-up.


Before spring expect at least a tad bit more snow.  So you're going need to find a little bit of outdoor fun.  We're having the best winters using our Cerebra Sled by Gordon Ellis.  A must have for special needs households in the winter.  With it's smooth design and surface glides effortlessly through the snow.  And makes the perfect piece of winter equipment for family participation.  With shipping and handling the cost is roughly around $600.


Jumbo Coloring Books have become our winter miracles.  Have a child that needs a large surface to color on?  Or perhaps a child like Noah who simply likes to shred them to teenie tiny pieces with his hands and then roll around in it for extra sensory fun?  The Dollar Store has you covered.  Buy a case and stock up for only $48.  Guaranteed to give you some extra winter fun on those cold and bitter winter days.


Winter can sometimes be a bit boring if you're stuck inside.  Finding toys that are interactive can sometimes ease a child's desires to be outdoors.  The Zoomer Dino and Dog have both been a tremendous hit this year.  They work great if you give your child's eye gaze device the commands or if your child likes to touch and engage with it.  The perfect toy that acts much like a real pet.  A bit on the expensive side, but truly worth it for a child who is significantly physically limited. 
 
Inevitably those winter months can leave your skin chapped and flaky.  Noah's skin is extra sensitive in the winter, but we've found a great thing to help his cheeks.  Waxelene is an all natural and organic petroleum jelly alternative.   It won't clog pores and is also an excellent treatment for eczema.  It stays on for hours and is non-greasy.  It's our first line of defense for skin needing a little winter love.


And let's hope that groundhog was right.  I'm counting down the days until spring!

Love,



Noah's Miracle by Stacy Warden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.