"I guess we also always make sure to bring all his sleeping gear with us.......so he feels like he is at home. He has a blow up mattress on his bed. So we bring his mattress, his blankets, his pillow, and his two stuffed animals he sleeps with. He has a very strict bedtime ritual. So we have to make sure it is as close to "like home" as we can get it. He doesn't enjoy sleeping other places than HIS bed. So we pretty much bring it all with us........otherwise, he gets very upset!
Oh, we also have to pack a pump to blow up his bed......"
I like how she brought up the idea that he needs to feel like he is at home. Peyton is lucky to have such caring parents who go to such lengths to make him comfortable and loved. Bringing all of this stuff can also take up a lot of space if traveling by car or if you are packing for an airplane. I would imagine this would have an affect on your mode of transportation.
I think it is great that Peyton's parents know him so well and are willing to go out of their way to accommodate him and make him feel comfortable wherever they go. I think it is a neccessity to be very consistent and surround all children will familiar things. On the other hand, do you know if they ever try to have Peyton come out of his comfort zone a little? I have heard of slowly acclimating children with autism to new things and new experiences. I also agree that packing a whole bed would probably determine the type of transportation, as that would be expensive to bring onto an airplane.
ReplyDeleteAs a parent I know that making sure oyur children feel comfortable while you are away from home is very important. When I recently took my children to Gatlinburg I made sure that I brought their favorite books and cuddle blannkets to make them feel at ease when they had to go to bed. Peyton's parents are awesome for thinking of everything that he needs in order to ensure that he has the sense of feeling at home. Something else that may help is listening to classical or soothing music to help relax him before he goes to bed. I know that when my children are in the car and they are restless I have them listen to the classical music station (90.9) to make them relax a bit and feel comfortable.
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