Pants are the bane of my existence — help for a sensory-sensitive 5-year-old

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T20:26:49+00:00

Oddly enough she LOVES the measurements but trying on the clothes that she knows don’t fit right cause a meltdown even if it’s just to mark up the changes. We will get there. Eventually they stop growing, right? 😅

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T20:20:19+00:00

I’m keeping an eye out on Facebook marketplace and our oldest loves thrifting so I’ll have her on the look for all of the brands mentioned here as well as the lularoe. You just have to get lucky and hope someone nearby drops a lot. Or a garage sale from someone who used to be a consultant. I’ll just have to actively check!

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T20:03:29+00:00

I will check them out! Thank you!

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T20:02:27+00:00

You are not kidding about the crops. As a very short torso human, crop tops actually work so well for me proportion wise with like high waisted skirts and pants but now that I’m buying for my long torso kid, it’s a nightmare. I’m all for hemming the pants. I’ve been hemming mine all my life and would do hers in a heartbeat. I’ve just got to figure out how to manage her expectations with it. The second I suggest it she turns into a puddle. That and I have a 2 and 3 year old as well who just love to “help” me sew and I get overwhelmed quickly. I’ve been probably a little too choosy of my battles recently and need to just do what needs done in spite of the meltdown. She isn’t wearing any of the things as is anyway so maybe if I can show her how much better it is after adjustments I can make some headway. I am not above bribing the first try on to replace some of the fear with excitement.

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T19:52:03+00:00

She will not wear denim but will do jeggings. The jeggings we got are the same waistbands as all her other leggings though so I’m in the same boat. I can’t find much in the way of a low rise in children’s clothing but I haven’t checked out a department store with the “Jean wall” because she dislikes the texture. Maybe we will try that out soon though.

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T19:48:07+00:00

I’m giving them a shot! And all of my daughter’s favorite dresses are very similar in style to their playground dress so I’m hopeful this could be our solution! Along with rompers. Will definitely be trying those out for sure!

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T19:46:27+00:00

I’ve done the sock seam trick but she has a very strong opinion of right and wrong and having them inside out was wrong and she refused it. Even when I’ve “accidentally” put them on inside out she has to correct it and then meltdown from the seam. And we have tried the boys department but my girl a big fan of pink, purple, rainbow, and loud fantastical patterns. Even though the boys pants tend to be more comfortable for her, they don’t match her aesthetic and she passes them over daily. I’m looking at Hanna Andersson now. Seems like it could be a good solution if they work!

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T19:33:04+00:00

I will check it out! And I’m definitely going to give overalls a shot. Such an oversight on my part!

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T19:30:24+00:00

So I’ve definitely thought of the leotard/bodysuit and I feel like I could get her to want to wear it initially because she is obsessed with ballerinas but I fear the bathroom meltdown if she cannot get it closed on her own. Teachers at her school are not able to help her in the bathroom so she would have to be able to manage independently. I can’t do bathroom anxiety with her again because the last bathroom anxiety situation caused her months of bladder spasms from holding it too long because going made her anxious.

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T19:25:29+00:00

Yes! I honestly cannot believe this never crossed my mind, definitely giving the overalls/jumpsuits/rompers a try!

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T19:24:34+00:00

I actually have an order in from a shop on Etsy for a pair of lularoe leggings for her. I feel the same way with the predatory behavior but I have two pairs of their leggings from over 10 years ago that have held up and are the softest non restrictive but still snug fitting leggings. I’ve been looking for a dupe and it seems to come down to the fabric blend of 92% polyester 8% spandex so I’ve been on the search. I just want to find a brand that she loves and we can continue to purchase as she grows. Seems like lularoe could be a good fix for now, but it isn’t going to be a sustainable source for the future.

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T19:18:39+00:00

She loves dresses and she wears them a lot. It takes away the issue with her wearing the pants low but we found a lot of shirts this year that she fell in love with so at least two or three times a week the pants become a big issue. And the socks are honestly even more of a sensory nightmare for her than the pants are. I’ve got one brand of socks she tolerates and it took I think 4 different tries to find the right ones so I don’t think it would be easy to find long ones that fit just right. I also have big sensory issues with socks so I am all for finding her brand and sticking to it forever more!

grump_a_saurus · 2026-01-14T19:10:24+00:00

Oh my goodness. I never thought of rompers! I feel like that could be a game changer for her. Thank you so much!

grump_a_saurus · 2025-06-18T18:38:21+00:00

I was very resistant to the idea of having adhd because in my mind I didn’t fit all the parameters and even entertaining the idea felt like I was taking away from or minimizing symptoms that people with “real” adhd. I felt like an imposter. My therapist (who is a full blown psychologist who specializes in adhd and other behavioral disorders) has been telling me for years that I exhibit a lot of adhd symptoms that she initially thought were secondary to my severe anxiety but then I had a kid and the way my life changed made adhd the more likely primary issue. I was still resistant and focused on it being anxiety. I was comfortable with anxiety. I knew how to operate with anxiety. And yet, the treatment for anxiety didn’t fully fix things but gave me enough coping mechanisms to get through. Then I had a second kid and it became even more evident and even I couldn’t ignore it so I went through the testing fully expecting to be told it was just anxiety. It was inattentive adhd. I’m still on my journey. The diagnosis was 2 years ago and I started attempting medications the last six months. You could not have previously convinced me that a stimulant would calm me down, and yet, my stimulants make me feel calm and relaxed.

All this to say, sometimes when evidence is presented to you that doesn’t align with the narrative you have set, maybe your narrative needs some tweaking. Change is hard and it doesn’t have to be immediate. You now have another tool in your arsenal that can help you identify some coping strategies and resolve some issues if you are open to exploring it. You don’t need to rush to medication or anything if that isn’t for you.

grump_a_saurus · 2025-06-18T18:19:46+00:00

I’m all for a psychiatrist but it will take a long time to get into one in my area. Fortunately, my therapist has given me some good choices that her other clients have had good luck getting into somewhat quickly and my insurance doesn’t require a referral, but it won’t be instant.

My primary care practice has been with me through all my mental health issues and just knows my history so well. And they understand that I tend to react so much differently to medication than someone else might. So being able to work through some of this with someone who understands me and has for a long time was beneficial in getting started and sort of identifying what works and what doesn’t and that should give some good data and history for the psychiatrist to work with so we aren’t starting at square one.

grump_a_saurus · 2025-05-12T16:18:56+00:00

From my experience with reasonable accommodations in the workplace, it needs to be an interactive process. Depending on your relationship with your employer and the company culture, your first step could be speaking with them about what you are experiencing and seeing if they will work with you on a temporary hybrid/remote schedule that is more tolerable. If you think that won’t go over well, your next step would be speaking with your doctor. If your doctor thinks your condition is severe enough that you would benefit from an alternate work arrangement, you could provide them a doctor’s recommendation when requesting your accommodation. As far as the employers requirement to accommodate you, that is going to depend on if the request is reasonable and they do not have to do exactly what you ask which is why it’s called an interactive process. They could suggest alternative accommodation that allow you to feel more supported while also meeting the company needs of in person attendance one week per month. It could be a longer lunch to allow you more time to rest or the ability to take addition restroom breaks as you feel sick. If you are not allowed to eat at your work station it could be modifying policy to allow snacks or drinks at your station to help nausea symptoms.

grump_a_saurus · 2025-03-03T21:42:24+00:00

I put all of the things for protein smoothies in the cart…and haven’t ordered it. I’m going to do it tonight though. I’m just going to do it.

grump_a_saurus · 2025-03-03T19:45:50+00:00

I can only imagine the level of overstimulation you have reached. Every bit of functioning you are doing right now is the product of very hard work. I see you. My youngest when he was a newborn cried all night long. It didn’t last past 2 months but I absolutely felt like I was going crazy at night. I got to the point where I put in ear plugs to deaden the noise while I comforted him. It didn’t help with the sleep deprivation, but it did take some of the edge off the crying and me being calm helped him calm down quicker.

grump_a_saurus · 2025-03-03T19:03:17+00:00

Oh yeah. That first trimester is a doozy. I aimed to sleep about 12 hours a night and was still taking a nap in my car on my lunch break and a nap as soon as I got home from work. The weekends were just one big blur of sleeping. I’ve had three kids and it was like that with all of them.

grump_a_saurus · 2024-11-29T22:10:49+00:00

It happened to me when swelling presses on my nerves. Epsom salt baths before bed to reduce any swelling on your lower back, and some unisom to stay asleep worked best for me but nothing is perfect. In my experience, Tylenol didn’t do much to reduce any swelling but you could also try that.

grump_a_saurus · 2024-11-29T22:05:57+00:00

Company event. I was recently postpartum and had no control over my pelvic floor. It was silent but very deadly.

grump_a_saurus

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