Sensory issues in a car seat :(

My almost 6yo dd has been complaining about her Radian the past few days. I don't think it is just this seat - I have a feeling she would do this in any seat. She says the harness slots bother her (the ones not being used). She also claims that she can feel the warning label. She wore a thin jacket the other day and claimed that the jacket bothered her. I don't dare put her in a heavy winter coat due to compression issues and I have a feeling that would bother her as well.

She doesn't have any diagnosed sensory issues, but this isn't the only thing she complains about. She is very sensitive when it comes to socks, shoes and underwear. She can't wear socks with toe seams, her shoes practically have to be too big or have NO seams on the inside and her underwear has to fit just right or she says it hurts.

The problems with socks, shoes and underwear are easy enough to solve, but I don't know what to do about her seat. She arches her back to pull it away from the seat which I'm sure isn't safe. She has asked me to put a pad behind her, but I know anything not approved by the seat manufacturer isn't safe. Is there anything at all we can do about this? Can I put a very thin blanket behind her? If I could use one of her favorite, thin knit blankets that might help. Just knowing her blanket is behind her would probably make a huge difference even if it doesn't effect what she can "feel" through it. Any suggestions/advice?

I'd be okay with a blanket behind her, as long as you make sure it's not affecting the tightness of the harness, or getting in the way of the harness slots, of course. Put her in the seat, tighten the harness, then leave the harness in that position while you put the blanket in. Put her back in the seat and if you can still buckle the harness without loosening it, the blanket's fine.

KsJET said:

She doesn't have any diagnosed sensory issues, but this isn't the only thing she complains about. She is very sensitive when it comes to socks, shoes and underwear. She can't wear socks with toe seams, her shoes practically have to be too big or have NO seams on the inside and her underwear has to fit just right or she says it hurts.

The problems with socks, shoes and underwear are easy enough to solve, but I don't know what to do about her seat. She arches her back to pull it away from the seat which I'm sure isn't safe. She has asked me to put a pad behind her, but I know anything not approved by the seat manufacturer isn't safe. Is there anything at all we can do about this? Can I put a very thin blanket behind her? If I could use one of her favorite, thin knit blankets that might help. Just knowing her blanket is behind her would probably make a huge difference even if it doesn't effect what she can "feel" through it. Any suggestions/advice?

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I agree with Defrost. Thin padded blanket would probably help and not hinder. I know with our Radian, the padding against the back isn't that much. If I press my hand against it, I can feel the lap belt that threads through it. There's also all sorts of bumps & ridges. I don't know if dd would be comfortable in any drive longer than an hour.
One of multitude reasons that the Giant Regent is the primary carseat. It has superior padding in the Madison version at least. :thumbsup:

I completely understand where your dd is coming from re: sock seams & shoe fittings. Why they can't make smooth seams on socks for all styles is a complete mystery I hate them when they don't lie flat. My shoes have to be practically seamless too. Otherwise, I have problems with toe bones rubbing on the sides. It's hard to find styles with roomy toeboxes, but narrow heel areas in size 10 women's though The next common size up is 11 and that's just clown feet on me. Men's shoes are too wide and the arches wrongly fit. I'm in such total sympathy for her.

Just because she's hyper aware of her environment, doesn't make the rest of us ignorant folks, normal. She's just alert and we're dulled down & indifferent.

I agree with Debbie. My sensory issues are very similar to your daughters. Only in the last couple of years have I been able to wear regular socks and shoes. I'm still picky but at least I can find something that works now. It also drives me insane to have loose clothes against my skin. Like a shirt moving around, I have to wear a bodysuit underneath everything.

I know for me it would just keep bothering me and bothering me until I couldn't handle it and got really upset. I would try the blanket idea and see if that helps or not.

You also may have better luck with a Regent. If she isn't as confined she may not be as sensitive to the other stuff if that makes sense. Like if my socks are already bothering me I am overly sensitive to anything else that bugs me. But, I could deal with those things if my socks weren't bugging me. It's the combination of them all that really sets me off. If you have the option I would try her in a Regent and see if that is more comfortable for her. I think I remember it being more well padded.

Also keep in mind when you move her to a booster, the seatbelt may drive her totally nuts. If I have to drive in a vehicle where the seatbelt height doesn't adjust, it is miserable for me. If I'm in one where I can lower the top of the seatbelt so it fits right... it is awesome. I'm only 5'1 so this is a common issue.

I know this is a challenge as a parent. Good for you for helping her around these sensory issues instead of forcing her to deal with them. My parents forced me to wear shoes and socks even though I would spend the time throwing a fit or crying or screaming. It just made me dislike them more, and took longer for me to try and adjust as I got older. If they had done things more like you are, I probably would have done much better.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Thanks so much for the help! I don't have the same issues as dd, but I do have some of my own and if anyone told me to just "live with it" or "get over it" I would be miserable. I try hard to accommodate her needs. It's not like she makes unreasonable demands - the things that bother her are pretty random so I don't think it's a control thing. I bought her seamless socks and non-elastic underwear which both make a huge difference. It makes everyone around her much happier, too.

We tried her favorite blanket (knit by her great-grandma) behind her and she said that was much better. I made sure to follow Debbie's suggestion of tightening the harness without the blanket first. We were able to keep it as tight even with the blanket behind her.

We decided against the Regent because it would have made it hard to install 4 car seats (my niece rides with us a couple times per week). I hope the blanket is a permanent solution, but if not he sister can have the Radian and we'll try to work with the Regent. Even though having them in two different types of seats makes my OCD tendencies flare up. LOL

Thanks again!

LOL Funny you say that. I've been trying to figure out the best solution for us with a second set of seats. I've thought so many times that I could go with one Safeguard and 1 Regent so they would fit side by side better. And then I go... no no no they can't be different! Those first few months that my second one was in the infant seat drove me insane, I was so relieved to move her into the Marathon just like her sisters. lol

I even got rid of our Cougar cover for an Onyx one so the Regents we have will match. Very interesting the things that will drive me nuts.

I hope the blanket solution keeps working for you!