Thank you to KidCompanions for providing tools to help my child from being overstimulated and for sponsoring this post. Has your child ever blatantly disobeyed you when out and about? You might be familiar with constant meltdowns at the grocery store; but sometimes it’s not easy to tell if a child is overstimulated. I’ve slowly noticed some signs in C that I’m going to share with you.

How to Tell if Your Child is Overstimulated

Early Signs

These are things that you may notice that will alert you that a child is beginning to get tired.

• Thumb sucking This is actually a good thing. This is actually can be a sign that your child may be trying to self soothe.
• Chewing Both my children have been known to chew on things when they’ve had too much.  The usual victims are shirts and blankets, but some skirts have fallen prey as well.
• Silence A quiet child may be welcome; but this often can be a sign that your child has had too much stimuli.

Danger Signs

If you notice these behaviors in your child, you will want to take immediate action to build a meltdown, if possible.

• Playing alone If you are in a group situation and your child is suddenly off in a corner by himself, take that as a sign that you need to go home. 
• Stimming Your child may run around the room or flap his hands when overstimulated. I find that it’s really hard to reverse things at this point.
• Loud talking I find that the tireder C is, the louder his commentary for play seems to be. 

Meltdown

Most signs of a meltdown are obvious; but some things may seem like common misbehavior.

• Screaming Your child may seem like he is just mad because you won’t buy him a new toy, but try to notice if there is a pattern. If every little thing sets him off, he may be overstimulated.
  
• Lashing out C has a certain time of day when he doesn’t want anyone near him. If someone looks at him funny during that time, he has been known to hit, bite, or throw things.
• No appetite An overstimulated child may not eat anything, even though he is hungry. 

Solutions

• Aromatherapy Essential oils such as lavender may help to calm a child, especially when combined with massage.
• Special movie or music When my son gets worked up, the first thing I do is put on The Hobbit. It holds his attention pretty well, so he tends to calm down.
• Redirection You can give your child a quiet activity to do. They can also use a fidget or “chewie” to focus on. We recently tried a Chewelry fidget from KidCompanions. It is a circle piece made from thermo-plastic elastomers and is free of BPA, phthalates, lead and latex.

The Chewelry also comes in a heart shape. It is made so that the child can either hold it in her hand as a fidget or wear it on a lanyard (18″,20″,24″) around their neck. C has his on a 20″ lanyard; but I think I might get a 24″ undyed one because he tends to chew on it. Right now he’s enjoying the Chewelry so much that he starts chewing on it well before the danger stage for him. I just wish it was a tad bit bigger because he tends to shove the whole thing in his mouth at once. W has even asked for her own Chewelry; hopefully that will encourage her not to chew on her blanket!

KidCompanions has been kind enough to offer one of my readers a Chewelry piece. Please enter by using the Rafflecopter form below.

This giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on June 27. It is open to residents of both the US and Canada who are 18 and older. Some restrictions may apply, based on location. Once the giveaway has ended, the winner will be picked using Rafflecopter. Winners are chosen at random. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond. If no response is received in that time period, a new winner will be drawn. In order to be eligible to win, the winner’s entries will be verified. False or incomplete entries will negate eligibility. Let’s Go on a Picnic! reserves the right to refuse any entry based on false information or instructions not followed. Let’s Go on a Picnic! is not responsible for prize shipment. The sponsor will be responsible for shipping all prizes which can take up to 6 weeks.

Disclosure: I was provided with a Chewelry piece in exchange for my honest review.

a Rafflecopter giveaway