Advice on hair bands/bobbles etc for my neice (13) who has DS and autism

[nooka]

My sister tells me that my neice now has hair long enough for hairbands and may keep them in for a bit. I wondered if anyone had any recomendations? I'd like to give her some pretty things that are robust enough to cope with being pinged across the room when dn is bored with them or otherwise treated in ways other than they are designed... She looks nice with bright pretty colours and has honey blonde hair. My experience of these things with dd is that lots of hair stuff is pretty fragile and break or deform with ordinary use, so if anyone knows where to go for a higher class of accessories I would be very grateful for advice. I don't mind paying out a bit

I'd just be careful of ones that could be chewed off! I was looking for some High School Musical accessories for a friend's dd with autism and decided half of them were too easy for her to eat (she's 10). Perhaps ask her Mum how robust they have to be?

Thanks yurt. They are a new thing, so I'm not sure my sister knows what will work yet. She doesn't generally eat things (well apart from food, plants and gravel/sand) but I'm sure they will get ripped out and discarded or maybe waved about or sat on. I'd like to find something bright coloured and chunky, but not too babyish, because it matters to my sister that things are age appropriate.

Hi Nooka,

What about the fabric one that go all the way round IYKWIM, Maybe go for the Adult size ones so that there not so tight. My DD tolarates this type (for so long).

And maybe some hair slides. But just be carefull of which type. I find that with the ones that sort of snap together DD rips chunks of hair out when she take them out.Would your DN hair be thick enough for comb slides.

Toys r us do some lovely chunky, funky hairbands by "bang on the door".

Nooka - not much advice on the hair accessories I'm afraid, although I agree that fabric scruchies sound like a safe way to go. However, I'm very interested to know more about your neice, as my DD3 also has a dual diagnosis of DS and autism. She is only 7, and I've not come across another girl like her! (have met a couple of boys) I'd love to hear about a child with similar problems who is further along the road IYSWIM. Would you CAT me if you don't want to chat on the main board? Caroline x

DD1 will remove and eat pretty much everything, which is a bit of a pain as if she does manage to remove it, she then eats her hair.

I haven't found any brand particularly good, but I have found the cheapie sets from eg Tesco to be completely useless. There is very little elastic in there, and after a couple of uses it's like using string, really.

The best hair elastics we have at the moment are from Boots, I found them (as is my wont) by ambling about the aisles, surreptitiously "pinging" them to see which were the most elastic. They're actually rather pretty - plain covered hair elastics in bright colours but with flowers "woven" into the covering somehow. And very robust!

Bump in case this has dropped out of Nooka's watch list. - re. my earlier post

Bump for headgirl

oooh how lovely that your neice will tolerate hairbobbles, even if its only for a lil while. I'm soo chuffed that my lil lady, she's 11 will now let me put hairbobbles in, she didnt for 2/3 years!

If you have one of those cheapy shops near you, not a pound shop, but the ones up from that lol they often have stands with hair accessories.. 2 packs for a pound.. usually some nice pretty ones with the pattern on the action bobble so you dont have to worry about her pulling the things off or getting her hair tangled up in them.

good luck with your search!