Sensory Kidz Universe

 If your child was doing fine with potty training and then suddenly… wasn’t? Accidents. Refusal. Fear. Total nope. First things first — this is not a failure . And it definitely doesn’t mean you’ve gone “back to square one”. For sensory kids, potty training regression is often a nervous system response , not a skill issue. And once you understand why it happens, everything feels a bit less terrifying. If potty training has felt impossible from the start, this explains why traditional methods often fail sensory kids -  Why Potty Training Fails Sensory Kids (And It’s Not Your Child) Let’s Say This Clearly (Because Parents Need to Hear It) Regression does not mean: your child forgot how to use the toilet they’re being lazy you rushed them you messed it all up It usually means: 👉 something tipped their sensory or emotional load over the edge. Potty skills are often the first thing to wobble when a sensory child feels overwhelmed. Why Potty Train...

 Let’s clear something up straight away. If potty training has been: painfully slow full of regressions working one week and exploding the next making you question everything …it’s not because your child is lazy, stubborn, or “just not ready.” For sensory kids, potty training doesn’t fail because of behaviour. It fails because their nervous system is overwhelmed . And nobody tells parents that. Potty Training Advice Is Built for Neurotypical Kids Most potty training advice assumes a child can: notice bodily signals tolerate new sensations handle pressure cope with noise, cold, echoey rooms perform on demand Sensory kids often can’t do those things consistently. Not because they won’t — but because their bodies are processing the world differently. So when parents follow the advice perfectly and it still doesn’t work, the blame quietly shifts onto the child… or worse — the parent. The Sensory Reasons Potty Training Breaks Down 🚽 1. The Bathroom Is ...

  Let’s just say it. Reward charts look great on Pinterest. They sound logical. They promise structure, motivation, and calmer behaviour. But for sensory children? They often don’t work . And when they fail, parents are left thinking they are the problem. They’re not. Reward Charts Assume Children Are Calm Enough to Choose Reward charts are built on one big assumption: 👉 That a child can pause, think, and choose different behaviour. Sensory children often can’t do that in the moment. When a child is overwhelmed: their nervous system is in survival mode logic shuts down motivation disappears future rewards mean nothing A sticker tomorrow cannot override a body that feels unsafe right now . That’s not defiance. That’s biology. Sensory Overload Kills Motivation Here’s the bit nobody talks about. Reward charts rely on dopamine (motivation and reward). Sensory overload floods the body with stress hormones instead. Stress and motivation don’t play...

This post might make some people uncomfortable — but sensory parents will feel seen.  Let’s say the quiet part out loud. Your child is not difficult . They are not naughty . They are not manipulative , attention-seeking , or testing boundaries . They are overstimulated . And honestly? Most of the time… adults are the problem . (Deep breath. Let’s go.) The World Is Loud. Bright. Fast. And Completely Unforgiving. Imagine being dropped into a world where: Lights buzz and flicker constantly Background noise never stops Clothes itch, labels stab, socks feel wrong Expectations change without warning You’re told to “calm down” while your body is screaming DANGER Now imagine being small… With a nervous system that feels everything at full volume… And no words for what’s happening inside. That’s not bad behaviour. That’s survival mode. “But Other Kids Can Handle It…” Yeah. And other adults can drink coffee at 10pm and sleep fine. That doesn’t mean everyo...

If your child turns into a feral kangaroo the second pyjamas go on… welcome to the club. The running. The jumping. The flapping. The spinning. The sudden urge to parkour off the sofa like they’ve just downed three espressos. Bedtime hits and instead of winding down, they’re winding UP . Before you blame sugar, screen time, or your parenting skills (spoiler: it’s not you), here’s the truth: 👉 Bedtime zoomies are incredibly common for sensory and autistic kids — and they’re not bad behaviour. They’re regulation. Why Sensory Kids Get Zoomies Before Bed 1. They’ve Held It Together All Day School. Rules. Noise. Transitions. Social stuff. By bedtime, their nervous system has had enough and needs to release all that built-up energy. Zoomies = pressure valve opening. 2. Their Body Is Seeking Sensory Input Movement helps regulate the nervous system. Jumping, spinning, flapping, crashing into cushions — it’s their body saying: “I need input to calm down.” Ironically, stillness ...

Sensory Children Aren’t Overreacting — We’re Just Still Expecting Them to Cope We call it overreacting because it makes us uncomfortable. The crying feels too loud. The flapping feels too much. The meltdown feels sudden, embarrassing, inconvenient. So we reach for the easiest explanation: “They’re overreacting.” But what if they’re not? What if what we’re seeing isn’t an overreaction at all — but a nervous system that’s already been pushed past its limit? Overreacting Assumes Choice And sensory overload removes it. When we say a child is “overreacting,” we’re implying that they could respond differently if they tried harder. That there was another option available. For many sensory children, there isn’t. Sensory overload isn’t a tantrum. It isn’t defiance. It isn’t attention-seeking. It’s a physiological response — the body’s alarm system switching on when too much information hits at once. Noise. Light. Crowds. Smells. Textures. Transitions. Individually, ...