It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The festive season is officially in full swing giving us all that yuletide spirit. The holidays are filled with family, traditions, and oh so much shopping. For most parents, shopping for your kids is easy and fun. For others, it can be a somewhat stressful experience.
Having a sensory-seeking child changes the rules when it comes to purchasing presents. You don’t have the luxury of buying a Bluey playset or anything that comes with smaller pieces. It runs the risk of having them put those pieces in their mouths and potentially swallow them regardless of their age. Extra levels of thought must go into every toy purchased. Making sure it’s not only safe but fun. Meanwhile, it serves the secondary purpose of adhering to your child’s specific sensory needs.
As a mom of an Autistic boy who is constantly seeking sensory input, I am here to help you with all of your holiday shopping needs! Whether you celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or Christmas, this holiday gift guide is perfect for a sensory-seeking child. There are toys listed at different price points for all budgets. This should help take some stress away this season for you.
Under $25
- Sensory Slug
- Pop Tubes
- Pin Art
- Fidget Spinner
- Super Sensory Stretchy Strings
- Rocket Launcher
- Textured Stress Relief Toys
- Sensory Brush
- Dancing Talking Cactus
- Expandable Ball
- Submergible LED Lights
- Pop It!
- Chuckle & Roar Sensory Bin
- Pop-Up Play Tunnel
- Chew Necklace
- Fiber Optic Light
- Magic Wand Light-Up Toy
- Fidget Tubes
$25 – $50
- Vibrating Ball Pillow
- SANHO Yopo Dynamic Movement Sensory Sox
- Playlearn Mini Aquarium
- Hand2Mind Sensory Fidget Toy Kit
- Bubble Machine Gun
- Playskool Sit ‘n Spin Toy
- VTech ABC Learning Apple
- Foot Fidget Cushion
- Hand2mind Fidget Tubes
- Scooter Board
- Sensory Night Light
$50 and Above
- Ted Kangaroo Sensory Chair
- Indoor Hammock Swing
- Sensory Mats
- Tumbling Mat
- Obstacle Course
- Little Tikes Trampoline
- Wobble Disk
While tangible gifts are great, sometimes we don’t want to add to our ever-growing collection of items accumulating in our homes. What we desire is to give our children shared family experiences that create cherished memories that will last a lifetime. Here are some fun places to add to the holiday gift guide.
Enjoy that quality time with your children all while working with their sensory needs at these locations by purchasing a gift card:
- Let’s Bee Kids Play Center
- We Rock the Spectrum Kids Gym
- Great Wolf Lodge
- Altitude Trampoline Park (Sensory-friendly Saturdays)
- Southwick’s Zoo
- Jump Nation
- Regal Cinemas (My Way Matinee)
- Luv 2 Play
- Discovery Museum
- Chuck E. Cheese (Sensory Sensitive Sunday is the 1st Sunday of every month)
The pressure we have to create magic this time of year is enough to give us all unnecessary anxiety. Finding gifts for your child shouldn’t have to be so hard. I hope this list has taken some of that pressure off of your shoulders and given you peace of mind that your child is going to love their gifts. Wishing you and all your family peace, joy, and love this year into the next.
