Playing with Navy Beans

Emerson had OT today and the therapist put her in a big bowl of navy beans. She loved it and kept digging her hands in and then very slowly pulling them out. I love the intense look she gets on her face when she is really focused in on something. Her mouth opens up and the tongue comes out. She kept trying to eat the uncooked beans and my paranoid mommy side came out and I finally told the OT, "Okay, we're all done with that." Emerson doesn't appear to have any sensory integration issues so far, at least they haven't manifested themself yet. She does love to spin around and around in her johnny jumper. When she would do this, I would always stop her because it made me ill to watch. Her OT told me to let her spin because it is good for her occular and vestibular development. "Okay little Em, spin away!!" I've worked a lot in the past with children with sensory issues so I thought I would put some ideas out there that are fun to do at home. 1)shaving cream in the bath tub 2)shaving cream on windows 3)making jello jiggler cut-outs 4)ball pits 5)indoor sand box 6) washing a baby doll and toy dishes with dish soap and making bubbles 7) making a sensory book with various textures on pages (ie. sandpaper, satin ribbon, noodles, etc...)

Emerson had been having a hard time eating in her high chair. She would go into some type of strange self-stimming behavior where she would put her chin down, stick out her belly, and pump her legs up and down. Needless to say, not a lot of eating was getting done. We then tried feeding her in the Bumbo, but I gave up with that because she became a slimy mess and was ruining all of her clothes. We finally figured out that putting her in the little Fisher-Price portable booster seat with it's own little tray was the answer. She fits perfectly in it and is the right size for her to practice with her finger-foods. It's amazing how much better she is getting at actually getting the food in her mouth. When we first started it was almost comical watching her try to figure out where her mouth was. She would get so mad and just toss her cracker to the side. She is definitely improved! By no means does she have a pincer grasp, but she is getter there. I am so appreciative of every little step of development we conquer. Each of these small steps is going to take so much work and effort. When she gets frustrated and puts her head down into the floor in frustration, I just want to hug and rescue her. We just love her so much.