Laundry Basket Bathseat

The bathtub can be a pretty big place for a toddler, and especially too big for a child with special needs).  Kids outgrow baby bathtubs faster than they outgrow clothing sizes, but you can make bath time a bit easier, more contained, and less frustrating for your children (who can sit independently) by keeping all of their toys within reach by using a simple laundry basket.  First - NEVER LEAVE BABIES OR CHILDREN ALONE IN THE BATHTUB - now that that's out of the way, we can enjoy this simple tip!  Even when you're sitting right next to the tub, it can be a pain having to reach for every toy that floats away from your toddler. Plus, it's more fun for kids when they can reach things themselves. A well-positioned laundry basket can even help prevent slipping and bumps on the head from faucets.  It's easy to keep clean, dries quickly, and is easily replaceable for resizing.   (Tip Credit: Lifehack.org)

Encourage Walking with Pennies

Many years ago when my son with cerebral palsy was just learning to walk (he was a toe-walker), another mom in a therapy waiting room suggested that I place pennies on the bottom on my son's shoes -  "like a tap dance shoes" she said - to help encourage my child to place his whole foot on the ground with each step.  At first I thought she was sort of being silly at the suggestion but the more I became desperate to get my son to place his WHOLE foot on the floor with each step the more I warmed up to the idea.  So I found an old pair of shoes and glued pennies to the toes and heels of the shoes, stuck them on my son, and placed him on our tiled bathroom floor where he could make the most noise.  At first I helped him take each step by placing his foot on the floor in a typical rocking motion and I would laugh at the sound to make it appear to be super-fun.  After only a few weeks I would find him in the bathroom with his shoes on walking with his feet in a typical - but still not perfect - pattern.  It was the progress I had hoped for and such an easy thing to do...today he still toe walks on occasion due to tightness but it is nothing like it used to be...and his little penny-decorated shoes are one of my greatest treasures. (submitted by MOM Lynette)

Garage Sale Visual Therapy Toy

I found a "Lite Brite" toy at a garage sale which worked as a GREAT light box for visual therapies for my daughter.  Even though some of the pegs were missing, we had enough to use to help her practice fine motor activities while engaging her visually.  A toy like this became an important part of her mommy and me therapy. There was a board that lit up and brightly colored pegs that could be places in different patterns against black construction paper. We could play together keeping her attention and working hard at her motor skills. It was very helpful in keeping her skills at least at the same function.  Buy packs of colorful construction paper for even more visual stimulation and a pencil top to punch holes into the paper to make fun patterns (if you cannot find enough pegs or replacement pegs).  p.s. Lite-Brite toys can be found on Craiglist, Ebay, Amazon.com and at various toy stores...but check out local garage and estate sales first!   (submitted by MOM Marcia, with edits by Mommies of Miracles)

Buh-Bye Nebulizer Tubing Moisture!

If your nebulizer tubing seems to get moisture during each nebulizer treatment a quick way to get it out is to remove the nebulizer canister so that it's just the tube coming off of the nebulizer. Use your thumb to cover the air coming out for a few seconds. Repeat this over and over again pulsating the air. You'll see in no time at all a nice dry tube.  You can also rinse your nebulizer tubing with sterile saline or water on a weekly basis to clean it, and use this technique to dry it.