Crowded rooms.
Loud noises.
Bad smells.
Unknown adventures.
Change in routine.
Lack of good sleep.
Time of day.
Amount of food intake.
An OT today described Sensory Processing Disorder as the premature filling and/or overfilling of a child’s bucket. That filling of the bucket causes the meltdown, causes the tantrum, causes the shut down. It’s important to know what fills the bucket in order to help alleviate a meltdown. It’s equally important to know what allows the bucket to drain a little to keep the water just below the surface.
10 hours of sleep
Jumping on the trampoline
Playing “Angry Birds” by using the lycra swing to catapult into the crash mat
Eating… and eating… and eating… and eating…
Legos
Tight squeezes
Sand
Compression shirts
Small spaces – being allowed to hide in small spaces when needed
Climbing high on the jungle gym
Solving math problems
Star Wars
It is my goal to remember his bucket list and do my best to keep it less than full. More importantly, to teach him to keep it less than full. To utilize those things we know help him drain the bucket.
There’s a hole in the bucket dear Liza, dear Liza. There’s a hole in the bucket and let’s keep it there!
Brotherly Love
Brotherly Love 
You totally brought back some memories of my kids watching a sing along video with that song in it! I miss those days…
Keeping that damn bucket from overflowing can be impossible some days.
P.S. I’m glad Keegan is feeling so much better now!
I think we’re all like that, don’t you? We can’t overfill the bucket or chaos ensues. Eli is just like us, although our buckets are far deeper than his. Glad Keegan is on the mend!
I agree completely. Some days my bucket is incredibly shallow and others it can be an endless cavern. It’s a good lesson for all of us to keep in the back of our minds.