OK ... here's a good one for you!

Today as we were driving home from work, Catherine pulled her shoes and socks off as usual, but this time she noticed imprints from her socks around her ankles. Now, her thin socks are not in any way too tight and the imprints were barely there.

She went totally bat-:censored:! She kept screaming "take off, take off!" at me; she wanted me to get the marks off her skin. She was all but strangling herself wrenching this way and that in her carseat. Our commute isn't long -- 7 miles but in city traffic it takes about 20-30 minutes. There was nothing I could do other than ignore her and try not to crash the car with the ice pick that was now firmly lodged in my brain.

What could I have done differently? A more general question is how can I, if any way possible, diffuse a shrieking fit when we're in the car? Pulling over and getting her out of her carseat would not be an option as I'd never get her back into it.

Lesley:

I am coming down to San Antonio to kidnap your precious princess after I remove your ice pick...lol! There is nothing you could have done knowing Catherine's history during this breakdown. However, if it is routine for the sweet baby to pull off her socks and shoes while in the car, maybe you should let her do this before you actually get on the road. This way you can both examine her feet together and make sure there are no marks or lines that bother her. I am going to send you a Wilbarger brush with brushing protocol so you can brush the tops of her feet to help prevent Catherine's wheels from shooting off again. This will help with desensitization. The other part of Catherine's meltdown may have been coming down from the end of a long day. In addition, being in a car seat is the worse place for our GERDlings because of decreased gastric emptying when they are flexed at the hips. This places increased pressure on their tummies. Add to this Miss Catherine's sensory issues. Send me your addy. She needs a brushin'!

I so enjoy Lesley's threads...she keeps me in stitches while at the same time challenges my OT intellect! :party0049:

Robynne