5 Sanity-Saving Sensory Tips for The Holidays

The holiday season is upon us and it’s time to start thinking about how to capture it with joy and peace.  

But what if you’re raising children with special needs?  A child who has meltdowns over the one speck of pepper on their buttered pasta?  

Maybe you have a child with one of the following:

• Autistic, 
• ADHD, 
• Anxiety, 
• Or sensory processing challenges

How are you to have joy and peace this holiday season when every day is so hard?

Oh, Friend.  I hear you as I went through the “hard and messy” of parenting for years.  

However, I promise with a little bit of planning (10-15 minutes), you can save yourself a lot of stress and enjoy the season.  

So, here are 5 tips to help you survive the holidays and all the sensory overload that comes with it.

Diagnosis Not Needed

Let me clarify this from the start.  Your child (or you) do not need a diagnosis in order to experience sensory overload.  

When most people think about sensory needs they immediately think of Autism or Sensory Processing Disorder.  And while it’s true that these kids do have sensory challenges, they’re not the only ones.  

Every human has multiple sensory systems that receive and process information from the outside world.  God designed us with these sensory systems to safely navigate this world.  

However, the human brain can only process so much sensory input.  We’re not God, which means we’re not all powerful, right?

Because He’s designed us each uniquely, all of us have different needs and responses to sensory input.

Your Sensory Needs

Think about it this way.  Has this ever happened to you?

You’re in the family room watching a movie with your kids.  Suddenly, your nose twitches, you begin sniffing, and you ask your children, 

“Is something burning?!” 

They look at you and shrug.   You know you smell something burning so you continue.

“Quick!  Turn off the TV,” you order your oldest child.

It’s quiet and you begin inhaling again.  Sniffing as you rush to the kitchen.  

Why did you turn off the TV?  You certainly don’t need your ears to “smell” the burning smell, right?

You turned it off to remove the extra sensory input distracting your brain.  

Specifically, by removing the sound and visual input from the TV, your brain was able to focus on the burning popcorn in the microwave.  

Our brains can only handle so much before we need to remove sensory input or worse, we lose it. 

Sensory Overwhelm Leads to Overwhelm

With the holidays comes lots of excitement, responsibilities, and celebration.  

However, for children with sensory sensitivities, it’s important to understand that sensory overwhelm can lead to hard behaviors.  

In order to prevent your child from experiencing a season of intense meltdowns, there are a few things you can do to help.

1. Self-Regulation Support Tools 

One simple way to help your child better navigate this holiday season (and daily lives), is by equipping them with self-regulation tools.

Specifically, you can equip them with self-regulation strategies they can use to diffuse big emotions before they turn into meltdowns.

For example, if your child likes bubbles, blowing bubbles is a great way to encourage deep breathing.   Breathing deeply activates the release of calming chemicals throughout the body.  

Not a bubble blower?  Here are 47 emotional regulation activities for kids.  Browse through the list and try some of these with your child.  

Even better, download the FREE Cheat Sheet PDF.  Stick the list to your fridge, and go through the activity ideas with your child.  Then ask your child which ones they want to try.  

The more agency you give your child in their own emotional-regulation, the more likely they are to use their new tools.  

2. Set Appropriate Expectations

Here’s my next tip.  Set appropriate expectations for the season.  Ask yourself these questions.

• What are the essentials for this season?
• Do I have specific experiences I would like our family to share over this holiday season?
• Knowing my child’s needs and my ability to handle them, what do I say yes to?  What do I say no to?

Think about how you’ll feel the day after Christmas or the day after New Year’s.  What will you regret missing if you don’t prioritize it?

Pockets of Christmas Connection?

Perhaps you’d like to set aside pockets of after-dinner family time for Christmas-related connection.  

Choose a small number of activities you’d like to try.   Maybe shoot for one a week.  Keep your expectations reasonable.

Here are a few ideas.

• Decorate gingerbread houses 
• Watch a Christmas movie together
• Read a Christmas story
• Drive through your town to enjoy Christmas light displays

When choosing activities, ask your children for their input.  This is especially important for children who struggle with executive function.  

Specifically, for children (ADHD, Autism, anxiety) who have trouble with flexible thinking or who tend to resist engaging in non-preferred activities.

3. Consider Sensory Needs & Accommodations

The holiday season comes with celebrations with friends and family.   In a perfect world, this can be wonderful.  

However, it can also be extremely stressful for special needs moms and kids.  It’s not uncommon for our kids to become unregulated and melt down in these very public spaces.  

1. Set them up for success by accounting for their sensory needs ahead of time.  

If going to Grandpa Bob’s house always ends up loud and crazy, bring the right sensory toys and tools for your child.

Pack a bag of fun and calming activities for them.  

2. Then, when you arrive, identify a quiet safe spot for your child.  

That safe place could be:

• On a couch in an office area 
• In a corner in a guest room

Think outside the box, but find and point out that safe location for your child.  If there is no quiet safety spot available, you’ll have to be more creative.  

• Allow your child to hide out with their activities in your car 
• Let them go outside on a porch or patio

Another option you may want to consider is saying “No” to any events where you know your child isn’t able to tolerate.  

4.  Bring Your Own Food

Many neurodiverse kids are on special diets free of colors, gluten, dairy, and other inflammatory allergens.  

Set both you and your child up for success by bringing approved treats for your child.

You’re going to have to say, 

“No, you can’t have those red food-dye stained Christmas cookies.”   

So, make sure you have delicious allergen treats available for your child.  If you don’t and they meltdown out of sheer overwhelm, you’ve set them up for failure.  

Make it as easy as possible for your child to thrive in an overwhelming sensory holiday party.  

5.  Say “No!”

Autistic, ADHD, or not, this next tip is essential for every family member.

Don’t overschedule.  

As an extrovert myself, I’ve made this mistake way too often because it’s easy for me to be around people.  I love gathering with just about anyone, especially around the holidays.  

However, God designed each one of my family members uniquely.  The same is true for you and your family.

Over the next several weeks, this means we’ll have to say NO in order to say YES to the important things.

When you say, “Yes,” to an invitation that includes your children, schedule at least one day of nothing the following day.   Allow your child the downtime they need to re-regulate.

In the end, this rest will be good for everyone in the family.

Recap: Holiday Sensory Survival Tips

Again, regardless of whether your child is:

• Autistic
• Has ADHD
• Struggles with Anxiety
• Has Sensory Processing Challenges

Your child wants to do well.  They want to enjoy the holidays just as much as you do.  However, extra cognitive, emotional, and sensory needs bring the need for extra support.  

Depending upon the season you’re in, the thought of planning can feel overwhelming.  I know this from years of brutal personal experience.

In the end, give you and your children lots of grace and enjoy them as much as you can during this Christmas season.  If all else fails, know this.

You’ve been chosen by God to raise your child.  Even when they’re losing it and nothing you do works, He still chose you on purpose.  If you need more support, sign up for the FREE 5-Day Parenting Devotional for Relief and Tools that Work.  

My prayer for you is that you’re able to find the pockets of joy this Christmas season.  

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