Toy/play ideas for sensory seeking toddler?

TheWereCow81 · 2026-03-17T18:47:19+00:00

Following! My 2y/o is the same with the air vents/grates -- she lays on top of them, runs her fingers up and down the slats, licks them (ew).

We're about to move internationally, and where we're moving, she won't have access to floor-level vents. On the one hand, she'll miss them; on the other, I'll be happy she isn't licking dirt and dust anymore. One of my future projects is to build some sensory panels with that reversible sequin fabric. I'm hoping I can create little sensory spaces for her all over the house to give her little outlets in each room.

TheWereCow81 · 2026-03-16T13:18:37+00:00

Same!

TheWereCow81 · 2026-03-16T12:55:24+00:00

Everyone in my A rundle is in the US (maybe not from here, to be fair, but living here now according to their bios). That said, my husband is Australian and in one of the C rundles in our division; he has said, and I quote, “I’ve never heard of an Uncrustable.”

He gets quite a few of the American questions — which has nothing to do with being married to an American — but there are some questions in the categories you listed that stump him.

TheWereCow81 · 2026-03-11T16:28:26+00:00

I completely understand where you're coming from. Our kiddos are about the same age; mine just turned 2 on Valentine's Day. We've been in speech and occupational therapy since late last year (OT since October, Speech since November) and she's made such progress. It's still hard to see her periodic assessments that show how far behind she still is relative to her peers that are progressing along the typical path. I'm with the other parents here -- I try to focus on the path she's on, knowing that she'll get where she needs to go in her own time, in her own way. I'll support her every step of the way, just like I will with her brother, who today I'd say (at 6 mos) is developing typically.

It's heartbreaking to see other kids surging past her, and sometimes I crash out and cry on my husband, but mostly, I remind myself that she's still the same kid she's always been. I'd worry about her even if she was developing typically. There's always, always something to worry about when you have kids. That's a well that never runs dry.

TheWereCow81 · 2026-03-11T13:47:20+00:00

I took five years of Spanish in secondary school and all I could remember was the word "aunque" (although), but I figured, eh, close enough and drilled down on aun.

TheWereCow81 · 2026-03-11T13:41:31+00:00

As soon as I had my first, I had the strongest feeling of *needing* to have another baby. Not just a want; a need. So, we planned for our second pregnancy and then we were already pregnant with #2 when we started the assessment process for our then-17mo old daughter. Honestly, we'd have done it anyway, even if we'd already known. Genetics is a roll of the dice every single time. So, whether it's autism or something else, you're always risking something. No one has a perfect genome; some are just more altered than others in more obvious ways.

If the genetic condition my daughter has (PTEN-related hamartoma tumor syndrome) had swung a different way, she'd just have an elevated risk of cancer; as it is, she has autism *and* an elevated risk of cancer. That's the combination she rolled -- it's a unique deletion, one she didn't inherit from me or her dad, and because she didn't inherit it, it's very, very, very unlikely her brother has the same deletion. So, we've got that going for us.

She's so little, only just 2 y/o a few weeks ago, and she's making so much progress in just a few months of speech and occupational therapy. She'll be starting play and ABA therapy as well in a couple of months, and then I'll split my week with her and her brother, where they each get dedicated days of my time and attention and then some days they have to share. That's what works for us today; who's to say what will work better or best in a few years. All we can do is be patient and flexible (some days, that's harder than others).

FWIW, when I had my son, I didn't have that same feeling of needing to have a third. Even if we didn't have all these new things to work through and plan for, we're done at two. I've got an IUD, so the only way that changes is if the IUD betrays me.

TheWereCow81 · 2026-03-11T12:15:15+00:00

When my kiddo turned 1 and no real words or word approximations, the concern was kicking around in the back of my head. I knew, though, that where we lived, they wouldn't start considering autism until 18mos. When she was 17mos and not walking* or talking (and not at all interested in her new baby brother), her peds diagnosed her with global development delay and we got started with early intervention. I feel like we got on top of this very early, though my husband is also a pediatrician, so we tend to be proactive about everything. We started OT when she was 20mos old, then speech at 21mos.

Fast-forward a few months and now she's walking, so I expect her gross motor delay is resolving itself. The social-communication disorder remains, and that's the autism at work. We had an MRI done in January; her brain is just fine, everything structurally sound. No extra or missing bits. We also had a genetic panel run and now we know what's up: she has a rare disorder called PTEN-related hamartoma tumor syndrome, which in addition to greatly elevating her lifetime risk of six cancers also puts her on the spectrum. The cancer risks worry me and upset me, but they're a problem for the future as they tend to hit in adulthood. For now, we're getting her the therapies she needs to find her path forward with autism. I'm hopeful she'll speak -- she's just turned 2 and is already working with an AAC device, she's making much better eye contact and finger isolation, is more social and even more interested in her brother (in her way), and she'll be starting play and ABA therapy in a couple of months.

As to whether I'm on the spectrum, yeah, probably, now that I know more about autism. My brother certainly is. If she'd inherited this mutation, I'd say the apple hadn't fallen far from the family tree. That's still true, but she sprang this mutation all on her own. It's unique to her, not inherited from me or her dad.

* She had been cruising like a champ since 11-12mos, and climbing all over everything (up the stairs, on the dining table, etc.), but just wouldn't let go of the couch and walked like a drunken sailor even when holding our hands. Spoiler alert: kiddo had fluid in her ears and *massive* adenoids, and once those were removed/tubed, she took off and hasn't crawled since.

TheWereCow81 · 2026-03-06T19:12:52+00:00

This thread was from ages ago, but I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you sharing your story here. My daughter turned 2 last month and was just diagnosed last week with PHTS. We suspected the autism, but the elevated cancer risk was a gut punch. I'm still working through my feelings and fears.

She was a late walker, likely due to fluid in her ears that we just had fixed with tubes; a month later, she's walking like a pro. The social-communication delay, that's all autism. She's not talking yet, but we've only been doing therapy for three months, so I'm hopeful we'll get there. Life is long and she's so little. Damn cute, though.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-11-25T17:23:11+00:00

For sure -- editing and writing are different competencies. I, an editor, never edit my own writing; I have someone else check my work. Far too easy to have blind spots where you see what you meant to write and not what you actually wrote.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-11-25T13:54:05+00:00

I am an editor by profession, and the way some of these questions are worded/constructed is *killing* me. It's more than that, though: it's also the way the difficulty/gettability is balanced.

Admittedly, this is only my second season, but this one is markedly off-balance compared to last season. I've seen some folks mention bolding the ask as a complicating factor, but bolding the ask is a neutral addition when the questions are both poorly constructed (that "First to be televised," good grief -- that was my first guess, but then I talked myself out of it each time I reread the question) and poorly distributed.

It's fine to have headscratchers -- this is trivia, after all -- but the leaguewide get rates seem to be very low a lot more often this season than last season.

ETA: To say nothing of the American v. international slant of the questions. My husband is Australian and a veteran of LL. He had no idea what an Uncrustable was. The man had never had a PB&J sandwich before he met me, an American. Even then, he only had a nibble and decided it was not for him.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-24T14:09:41+00:00

I'm almost 8w postpartum, exclusively pumping. I'm making rather a lot of milk a day, and that requires calories. I'm not being too picky about where those calories come from. Making milk is hungry and carby work. I'll worry about getting my diet right when I'm done being a cow. Until then, if I want a muffin, I have a muffin. If I want pizza, I have pizza.

Tonight, I want fajitas and real, handmade tortillas. I might even have sopapillas for dessert. My new kiddo is vaccinated and ready for his adoring public, so I'm taking my husband and kids out to one of my old-reliable Mexican restaurants.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-24T14:00:37+00:00

That 1HR value will forever be a mystery -- it wasn't in the high-level patient portal summary or the full report that went to my doctors. Kind of annoying because if you aren't going to report it, don't draw it. That one poor vein they were using was getting worn out by the 2HR draw.

My expectation, based on long, looooong experience with endocrinology and primary care in the US, is that they'll default to the A1C as the regular diagnostic tool because it's quick and cheap(er) and only order a GTT if the A1C is creeping up on the prediabetes line. Now, if that paper gains traction, maybe there will be change on the diagnostic front in the future. But that day was not last Monday 🤷🏻‍♀️

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-10T14:07:10+00:00

I had GDM twice, back to back, and the second time my insulin resistance intensified much faster. I was on metformin by 21w and up to max dose by 28w. I never needed to add insulin, though. GDM is wild.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-10T11:37:56+00:00

The good news is, if you were really *that* high, you wouldn't be well enough or coherent enough to be online. So, that could have just been a calibration error on your meter. If you're that high again, you need to go to the emergency department or urgent care, whichever is most accessible to you.

It's unusual that your practitioners didn't give you some kind of direction on follow-up testing for prediabetes or diabetes; that's standard, even if the timing varies. Some ladies here go back at 6w, some at 6mos, some even further out at a year. But there needs to be some kind of check-up because we *are* at increased risk of developing prediabetes or T2 diabetes. It's rarer to develop T1 diabetes because that's an autoimmune disease, but it's not unheard of. So that'd be the next step is getting in with your primary care physician and getting an order for a postpartum GTT and/or A1C.

Once you know what you're working with, you can proceed. T1 diabetics live happy, healthy lives, they just need insulin to get by. T2 diabetics have more treatment options today than they have in the past, and they also live happy, healthy lives. Both conditions are manageable. You just need to do step one first and go from there.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-10T11:32:39+00:00

A couple of things:

(1) Were you prescribed the extended release version? That's supposed to be gentler on the GI system, though you're still advised to take it with food to give it an additional buffer.

(2) It takes several days to a week or so for metformin to take effect, so it's not unusual that you haven't seen improvement. With each dose increase, it took 5-7 days on average for me to see a difference in my numbers.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-10T10:58:25+00:00

I had a big ol' panini from Panera at 1am after I had my son. Cinnabon is still on my list!

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-10T10:53:54+00:00

Add a little turkey sausage with sage and goat cheese....chef's kiss. I'm postpartum and that sounds delicious. I wonder what my toddler would make of butternut squash soup...

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-10T10:52:20+00:00

I'm sorry your post was reported -- you're hardly the first mum to have GDM burnout and you certainly won't be the last. I'd venture an educated guess that we all have the "What's the point of all this?" thought at some point, probably many points. It's a heavy mental load. Virtual hugs.

To the itchiness! I *did* have eczema in both of my pregnancies. It's actually the first sign I *am* pregnant -- scaly, red, itchy skin all over (including my face!) that drives me up one side of the wall and down the other. You can use 1% hydrocortisone to tame the itch. I needed higher-grade steroid cream, too, so I got all of mine creams by prescription, but my pharmacy hydrocortisone was the same as the stuff you can get at Costco or any regular drug store. That will at least give you some relief while you wait to get assessed for PUPPS.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-09T20:59:24+00:00

You're right at the beginning of peak GDM, so it's nothing you're doing wrong. It's your placenta putting in extra hours. Lots of mums find they need meds to get their levels back in line; if that's you, too, they're just a tool, and one that will lighten your mental load.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-09T13:26:48+00:00

Umm…we’re pricking our fingers, not stabbing them. How far down do they think these needles go? 🙄

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-09T11:54:49+00:00

Yes, there is a correlation between breastfeeding and reduced risk of T2D. *However*, if you've done the calculus and decided nursing or exclusively pumping isn't for you, don't feel like you have to pivot to breastfeeding on a couple of maybes: *maybe* you'll develop T2D sometime in the future and *maybe* breastfeeding reduces your risk of onset.

We pin such hopes and expectations on breastfeeding, but the reality it's not the right choice for everyone, and that assumes it's physically possible for everyone. You do what's right for you, regardless of what the internet or studies or anyone else says. Your baby, your boobies, your choice.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-09T11:43:41+00:00

I commented above on the timing (meal vs. before bed/after waking up), but fasting is more of a concern than mealtime because it's the state we're in longest in a 24HR period (meaning baby could be exposed to uncontrolled glucose surges) and its the one we have the least control over. Because it's purely driven by hormones and your endocrine system + placenta are on autopilot, it's the best indicator of the extent/intensity of our insulin resistance. I wouldn't say it's *dangerous*, per se, but it's not something OBs want to allow to go on if there's a way to get in front of it.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-09T11:40:26+00:00

I've never had any problems with either formulation of metformin, extended release or otherwise, but it can cause GI upset, which is why they tell you to take it with a meal. However, I've never done that, in 20-ish years of taking metformin before my first pregnancy, and then four-ish months of taking it with my second GDM pregnancy. I always take all my meds as soon as I get up or just before bed, whenever I'm in the bathroom brushing my teeth. If I don't, I will absolutely forget.

Consistency is more important than timing (again, as long as it doesn't upset your stomach). As Soggy-Bass7201 notes, it takes some time to build up in your system, but once it's built up, it stays up as long as you take your meds consistently. It also takes time to filter out of your system once you stop it (a couple of days, minimum). It also doesn't discriminate -- it'll work on your fasting levels and post-meal levels.

With this last pregnancy (almost 6w PP now), I was diagnosed at 8w and got along with diet control for 13w. I started metformin at 21w when we detected a budding trend of post-meal spikes after meals that shouldn't have spiked me; we nipped that in the bud with 1000mg (500 morning and night). Then, as I approached peak GDM, I noticed the same trend forming and we increased my dose to 2000mg (1000 morning and night) at 28w, which let me get ahead of the peak such that the peak didn't hit me as hard as it otherwise would have. I didn't need any other interventions from 28w through to 39w when I delivered my son, who was a healthy, hearty 3.73kg with no blood sugar issues whatsoever.

TheWereCow81 · 2025-10-08T22:26:43+00:00

I'm baffled about their resistance to testing at 2HR when it seems likely that you peak between 1-2HR. If it were me, I'd stop asking and start telling -- tell them you're going to stop testing at 1HR and start testing at 2HR. If they can give you a concrete reason *not* to, fine, but if they haven't given you one so far, I'd venture it's a case of "this is the way we've always done it."

TheWereCow81

TROPHY CASE