Want to Play?

Before Ethan was born I always said I wasn't going to be one of those parents who had tons of toys for their children. No child needed that many toys - especially enough to dedicate a whole room for all their stuff. Within months of Ethan's first therapy appointment in 2008, those thoughts and expectations went right out the window. As a mother of a child with special needs, I constantly struggle with whether or not to purchase some type of toy, book, equipment, etc. with the thought that MAYBE this will be the one thing to help him progress. Every week we see a minimum of 5 different therapist, all with their own toys or therapy items that, in some way, encourage him to do something new. After watching how he reacts to those items, I wonder, "Should I get that for the house so he can be working on this skill more often?"

Many times the answer to that question has been, "yes." Because I will do anything within my power to help him progress. Consignment sales have helped us from going broke - I have found a bunch of toys (and even some therapy equipment) at a fourth of the cost it would be in the store. And family and friends have been very helpful in purchasing things for Ethan over the years. Which brought us to the point where I never thought I would be...in need of a playroom! For a while now, I've needed a space where I can keep all of Ethan's therapy items (many of which are just toys to him) so that I don't have to spend so much time searching the house for things that I need when I'm working with him.

Our new house has a perfect space for just that and we recently hired a contractor (who is actually the father of one of Ethan's therapists) to install two supportive beams in the ceiling for Ethan's swings and any future equipment. Swinging helps children with special needs to regulate their bodies, find themselves in space and gives them sensory input they don't otherwise receive. We have found that if we swing Ethan before working on any fine or gross motor skill, he does much better than if we don't swing him. We've been swinging Ethan in a lycra swing since he was 6 months old (introduced by his first physical therapist), however, the swing we were using just tied on the end of a closed door and at least half of the weight was held by us on the other end. We knew that, as Ethan gets older, holding his weight as he swings was going to be impossible - and in fact is already impossible for me since I've been pregnant. Here are a few pictures of the finished product...

The beams are bolted to the rafters in the attic, so we can "support the weight of the whole family" on those things.

Ethan's little reading nook - his favorite spot in the room. My weakness, when in comes to purchasing new things for Ethan - mostly because he LOVES books and also because they don't take up too much space.

Why did we hire a contractor just to bolt a few beams to the ceiling? Well, I love my husband, but he would agree that he isn't the most handy guy when it comes to house projects. However, he did a wonderful job attaching hooks to the wall so I could hang as many of the toys as possible - so as to increase floor space.

Therapy balls off the floor! These things take up so much space, but are so helpful with balance and coordination. We had to keep them around, but I just didn't want them all over my house. I think this might be my favorite thing about the room.

My sister thinks it's funny that I categorize Ethan's toys by developmental skill. I guess all these therapists have brainwashed me or something. I purchased a few bins with wheels at IKEA and each one has items that help Ethan with one skill or another. You are looking at the fine motor bin (right) and pretend play bin (left).

Here is a picture of the finished product.

As you can see out the window - we recently purchased a new (used) van - another one of those things I said I would never do! But it is exactly what we needed for Ethan. The van allows me to put him in without having to bend over (a huge plus since he now weighs 35 pounds), transport his walker/stroller/wheelchair all in the same trip and will allow Ethan to get in and out of the vehicle on his own.

Ethan in his swings

Once we've saved up, we also plan to purchase a glider bolster swing like this one (http://www.southpawenterprises.com/Glider-Bolster-P204.aspx) which helps tremendously with balance, coordination and can be used to work on tons of different gross motor skills. I hope you've enjoyed the tour! Now, as Ethan and Cara would say, want to "go play?"