Love To Dream Self-Soothing Toys

Essentials

At Love To Dream™, we understand the importance of a healthy sleep routine for the whole family. Our new Self-Soothing Toys, created with Senior Occupational Therapist Emily Saunderson, are designed to help your little one learn to self-soothe.Lyric The Fox™ and Stevie The Bunny™ cater to different sensory preferences, offering comfort and reassurance in various situations. Learn more about the benefits of self-soothing and sensory support below.

6 min read |

13 May, 2023

What is self-soothing?

Self-soothing is an essential, often automatic ability that is part of a process of self-regulation. It refers to the way an individual is able to regulate their level of alertness and emotions in response to the incoming sensory information and activity coming in from the world around them.

Self-soothing provides comfort for little ones and helps them to calm themselves as necessary to navigate their way through the world. It’s important to keep in mind that every individual has different needs so what works for one child, might not work for another and equally, what works in one moment might not always work in another.

All babies and little ones can learn to self-soothe with the right guidance and support - and that’s where we come in.

How is sensory development linked to self-soothing?

Our sensory systems enable us to engage and interact with the world through sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound along with internal senses of body position and movement - and we know these types of stimuli can help promote self-soothing.

Sensory development starts in utero and continues to develop throughout childhood, with the most transformative stage occurring between 0-7 years. Comforters such as pacifiers, teethers, blankets, movement and toys are common ways parents encourage their children to self-soothe.

Check out our chart below to discover how your little one's sensory preferences can develop and change. It’s important to remember that children can have multiple sensory preferences and their preferences will change throughout the day depending on the situation and environment.

What are some of the different sensory types?

To encourage your little one to self-soothe and develop self-regulating behaviours and patterns, you need to be aware of their evolving sensory preferences. Today, we’re going to talk about two sensory preferences.

At Love To Dream™, we understand that every child is different. Children need the aid of movement, touch, sound or visual senses to help self-regulate. Designed for two sensory types, our Self-Soothing Toys will encourage your little one to learn how to self-regulate through innovative sensory cues.

Working alongside a senior occupational therapist who works with children with sensory processing challenges, we have created innovative Self-Soothing Toys that will act as a buddy for your little one. Depending on how your child is feeling and their needs at different times of the day, you might want to alternate between the toys.

Watch the video below to find out more!