Can I start an SN products hit amd miss thread?

[staryeyed]

I thought it might be useful just to have a general tried and tested thread to share our experience about things that have been useful /waste of money:

Hit

Baa baa blackout blinds - the complete darkness really seems to have helped ds sleep problems settle (more than melatonin ever did)

Miss

waterproof sheets that are just waterproof on the top- the pee just leaks down the side when ds wiggles about at night.

oh, second the baa baa blind - fabulous, and easy to pack to take away on holiday too, to (try to) ensure reasonabe sleep when away too.

I would like to nominate the Pelikan Griffix range of writing implements which I have just bought for dd1 (very poor fine motor control)

she struggld with pencil/pen grips - too fiddly for her. but I bought her the wax crayon version of the Griffix, and even wihin a week she has shown much improvememt in her mark making/tracing.

Recommend shadow light from argos it's wonderful and dds love it.

stary - fab idea for a thread :)

LittleLife Day Sack - couldn't do without it.

This pushchair (although not strictly an SN one)

DS loves the hood, can get rid of all the upsetting stimuli and I like the height. He can't drag his feet, impede progress and ruin shoes

Plenty of product fails but I can't think right now, out of sight out of mind as it were.

we have both of those for DD2, although we have baby jogger elite. :)

physio balls of different sizes get used a lot in our house

the snuggie blanket with arm holes ds loves to snuggle with it while hes watching tv or playing ps3 its a big comfort to him and ASDA's 10ft trampoline with encloseure for £99 wears DS out ready for bed yay

Stabilo left handed pencil and pen for Dd3 who is hypermobile and has poor motor skills.

A gym ball, for fidgiting/bouncing/rolling on.

A trampoling for burning off some pent up energy and aggression.

White boards ( for planning and breaking down the day, lists of things to be done and rewards gained.. And for hand eye cooridination )

wobble cushion ( £15 is well worth it to sit still)

weighted lappad

A good sturdy punch bag ( sometimes I like to use it as well!)

gym balls

Oh good my thread has taken off...

Hit

moon in my room and ceiling stars
rainbow in my room (both help ds1 relax before bed)
the old Mothercare toilet lock- the only one that has lasted
B and Q door alarm (Incase Ds does a runner)
will ditto trampoline ds loves his
Guitar we got for his birthday (not SN but he loves it)

Miss

bilibo- rarely gets played with by DS1 DS2 however loves it
plastic cupboard locks they just break very easily.

What are physio balls?

Were did you get your physio balls? We need a couple of different sized ones too.

we got ours from Aldi
well they're fantastic!!

Also recommend the Stabilo pen -ds1 dyslexic and ASD and can write fairly neatly with this (but with nothing else)

Hit; trampoline, back pack with 'lead' (IFSWIM), ear defenders, (+++ hit), big sand timers (5 , 10 and 15 mins). and oddly enough a potty... (stays in the car and if we are having a 'no public toilet day' it can be used at road side), ds loves the idea of a wee while watching traffic,

will try out the wobble cushion...

Just purchased two baa baa blackout blinds!

No Aldi here :(

DS couldn't use a bilbo yet but I've bought three so far for friends toddlers and they've been bit hits

Hits:

Can also second/highly recommend:

Stabilo pencils (left handed for ds and now they do them with a finer lead for older children)

wobble cushion - his teacher thought it wasn't making any difference until it went missing over the holidays, then she rushed out and bought him a replacement out of her own pocket!

Little-life daysack - third child now using the original one we bought for ds 8 years ago and its still in as good as new condition.

We have both the Baby Jogger City Mini and the Baby Jogger City Classic for dd (nt). They are ridiculously easy to steer and fold and the suncanopies/hoods are the best on the market for preventing sun-glare and overstimulation. Dd can sleep in hers in the most busy/noisy places possible - can't recommend them highly enough.

Caring cutlery - only had it for about a month, but it has made a huge difference to our mealtimes with ds1 and I am no longer having to scrape the table on his side after every meal, because he can cut his food without sending the contents of his food flying across the table.

Theraputty - brilliant for fine motor and also as a fiddle toy - win/win.

Hippychick Mattress Protectors - lovely and soft quick to wash and tumble.

Misses:

Moon in my room was a miss for us - ds1 got distressed because it only stays on for half an hour max and ds2 (who shares a room with ds1) couldn't sleep because it was too bright.

sport you can get physio balls from physio if you have one for dc otherwise tesco's,argos.Peanut balls are good as well.
My dd loves her glow bear and glow dog when she goes to bed.
She hated her bed knee blocks and sleep system

Weighted blanket (home made one)
Physio balls and space hopper and trampoline are fab. Ear defenders are great as magic putty.

I still can't think of any misses yet although dd1 isn't keen on CDs that are meant to relax you

Thanks growly!

Another hit for us is our Scootababy - could not manage without it (recommended by sleepysox - I'll be eternally grateful :) )

Interesting thread!
Bilibo worked for us - DD loves it, but wobble cushion was a dead loss!!
Best ever product is probably chewy tubes.

Bilbo- is a great hit in our house, gets used daily for spinning.

Moon in my room - dd1 loves her moon.

Gym ball - a great hit but a few accedents when dd2 lunges on it ,rolls off and hits her head on the furniture.

Ear deffenders - have been great for days out, hand dryers and school assembely.

hit:
a tunnel made from 2 bits of lycra (home made) - he could spend hours in it especially when you flap it
vibrating massager, i think from argos
genie head massager from amazon - ds is very sensory seeking
beach ball - took me ages to realise these were easier for him to try to 'catch/throw' than other balls
a duvet cover full of those balls you get for ball pools (home made) - he gets inside the duvet cover with the balls
ELC pop up tent and tunnel
jolly phonics cd and images
big chalks for drawing on the ground outside

miss:
can't think of any right now but i'm sure i've wasted ££s on SN products, especially books - will try to post later if i get all my jobs done!

theraputty brilliant, or playdough, sandpaper, special green blanket to mark ds2's seat that he's coming back to it, plastic desk pad thingy that acts as a work station x

I just wanted to say thanks for this thread, I have just ordered a baa baa blind from amazon, just what I was looking for.

Apart from making me lust after a new Baby Jogger this thread is brilliant!

What's with the gym balls? DS has suddenly become a bit boisterous and it's supposedly sensory. We're not a rough-and-tumble sort of family. He isn't bothered about the trampoline so would gym balls address this? He does have a huge beach ball he likes to play with.

Pre-school has recommended gladiator-type toys but I can't find them and not really keen on the idea in any case.

Flamin, sounds like a gym ball would be great for your DS as long as you have enough room for him to roll around on it, dd2 likes rough play (sensory), she loves me rolling the gym ball over her (and bouncing it off her head), also anything that involves pulling and/or pushing is great.