Sensory Regulation: A Gateway to Easeful Family Travel
Traveling with children is an adventure within an adventure. It's a unique journey marked by unpredictability and discovery. However, for many parents, the excitement of exploring new places can be overshadowed by the challenges of keeping their children happy and calm in unfamiliar settings. This article isn't about keeping your kids quiet on a plane or fitting a week's worth of clothes into a single carry-on—it's about something deeper. It's about understanding how sensory regulation can transform how we approach family travel, making it not just bearable, but enjoyable and memorable for both parent and child.
Sensory Regulation in a Suitcase
To grasp the impact of sensory regulation on family travel, imagine it as a set of lenses through which your child experiences the world. Every new place, from the bustling streets of a foreign city to the tranquility of a mountain cabin, bombards the senses with a wave of unfamiliar stimuli. For a child, this can be overwhelming.
But why is this sensory regulation important?
A regulated sensory system is the cornerstone of a child's confidence and exploration. When their world is unfamiliar, children need to feel safe and comfortable to open up to new experiences. This isn't just a matter of psychology—it's a neurobiological fact. Sensory stimuli form the building blocks of a child's perception of safety, comfort, and adventure.
How can parents translate this into practice?
It's all about providing a consistent sensory ‘home base’ amidst the flux of travel. Whether it's carrying a familiar blanket, establishing a nightly bedtime routine that echoes home, or just pausing to take deep breaths in a crowded marketplace—these small sensory anchors tell a child, "You're okay. Now let’s go explore."
The Expert Perspective: Brenda Chilstrom, OTR/L
To amplify our understanding of sensory regulation during travel, I turned to an expert. Brenda Chilstrom, Founder of That Makes Sense OT and a pediatric occupational therapist, has worked extensively with children and families to navigate the intricacies of sensory regulation.
Pitch A Fête: What insights from sensory therapy translate well to family travel?
Brenda Chilstrom: Sensory regulation has a lot to do with exposure. We’re constantly looking for cognitive connections to tie into our sensory experiences. This is especially important in feeding therapy, where many of the children we see eat fewer than 10 foods and are very restrictive in the presentation of the foods they'll eat. So if a child loves french fries and we're trying to get them to accept and explore carrots sticks, we may go from exploring a french fry to a veggie stick, and work all the way up to thin matchstick carrots and eventually even cooked carrots. Whether with traveling or eating, you want to create a progression that helps your child find similarities to make it make sense to them and build connections in their brain.
Pitch A Fête: How does one instill a sense of felt safety during travel with children?
Brenda Chilstrom: If you're feeling safe and connected with somebody in a place, that's when it opens up your sensory system to be more curious about things. And when we are feeling curious, that's when we feel more adventurous. Being adventurous means that we step outside of where our boundaries were before, and we feel confident in our abilities to try something new.
Pitch A Fête: How can parents promote this kind of safety and curiosity?
Brenda Chilstrom: If a child is not regulated in their sensory system, they might fall back on their favorite comfort things. It could be their favorite comfort jammies or even wearing sunglasses to block out some of the stimuli visually. Once they feel more comfortable and habituated to that environment, slowly introduce new things while retaining familiarity. It might take them some time to warm up.
Sensory Secrets to Successful Family Getaways
Equipped with Brenda's insights, let’s unpack some sensory secrets to turn family travel from a test of patience to a wellspring of memories.
Sleep: The Sensory Sanctuary
Sleep, or the lack thereof, can make or break your family's travels. When we’re not in our normal space, be it a child or an adult, we tend to regress in the comfort of our routines. This is especially true for children. The key is to recreate elements of their sleep routine, such as the order of evening events or the use of familiar pillows or blankets. These sensory cues signal their bodies that it's time to rest, even in the most exotic locale.
Sensory Bonding through Activities
The activities you choose on your travels are more than simple pastimes—they're opportunities for sensory bonding. Brenda points out that familiar activities can be like a sensory life raft for children in unfamiliar environments. Whether it's a favorite game or a pile of familiar books, these activities knit together the common thread of their experiences, providing comfort and connection.
A Feast for the Senses: Sensory-Smart Eating
On the topic of introducing children to new foods during travel, Brenda's approach is refreshingly sensorial. "Vacation is actually a great time to expose children to some of the new foods and new flavors, especially if they're presented in kid-friendly ways," she says. "Comfort food might be the go-to, but there's immense value in presenting new tastes if children feel relaxed, safe, and open to exploration."
Resilient Routines for Flexibility
Routines are stabilizing and predictable, something every child craves in a world turned topsy-turvy by travel. Yet, counterintuitively, these routines are not the rigidity that hinders spontaneity. Brenda emphasizes that these routines aren't about being strict; they're about laying the foundation for flexibility. "The more that you have exposure to things, and the more that you can make connections between them, the easier it will be for your child to handle the deviations of travel."
The Power of Sensory Savvy
Understanding sensory regulation doesn't just ease the hiccups of family travel; it enriches the entire experience. It fosters in children a sense of confidence and exploration, providing them with a template for embracing newness with open arms. As parents, weaving sensory awareness into our travel plans means not only flying from place to place but growing and learning alongside our children.
Next time you're gearing up for a family adventure, think sensory-first. Sprinkle the familiar into the new, let routine join the adventure! And as you do, watch as your family embarks not just on a trip, but on a journey through the landscapes of their senses. After all, the truest adventures are those that speak to every part of us, grounding us in the new and exciting, while still rekindling the embrace of the familiar and loved.
About Our Collaborator: That Makes Sense OT
That Makes Sense OT believes in curiosity over compliance, and motivates children to use their strengths and interests to help them build more skills. Their purpose is to help families create a safe space that allows their child’s natural curiosity to emerge and transform rigidity and power struggles into joy-filled, adventurous exploration.
Brenda Chilstrom, OTR/L, is a pediatric occupational therapist specializing in sensory processing and feeding services. She has over 30 years of experience working with children and families and believes all gains, no matter how big or small, are worth celebrating. If you’re struggling with sensory challenges with your little ones, check out Brenda’s free download, Co-Regulation Tools with That Makes Sense OT.