Beans, Beans, Beans

Honestly, providing the strong sensory input (bouncing, jumping, running, blanket-piling) that Ian needs hasn't been much of a problem. Ian has naturally gravitated towards those activities and has pulled us right along. However, once he gets revved up, he has a hard time calming himself back down. So a couple of months ago, the OT recommended we play with pinto beans to help Ian learn to calm down.

I know, I know - pinto bean therapy sure sounds strange! But our little boy loves his beans. The very first time we showed up his tub of beans, he immediately sat down to take his socks off and demanded that James and I "shoes on" too (in Ian language that means socks and shoes on or off!). How he knew to do this we don't know. We never told him he had to play barefoot in the beans!

Happy little boy letting beans run through his hands.

Mesmerized!

Who knew lying in a tub of pinto beans could be so relaxing?! Here I've been wasting all this money on hot baths. :-)

Of course, ornaments and beans went well together during Christmas.

Mommy and Ian in the beans. Ian wasn't too into taking a picture!

(My poor baby - all that drool means we are still dealing with more food allergies. Hopefully getting rid of the salicylates will help with that.)

We have had a lot of fun playing in the beans. And it really is relaxing! So the next time you are feeling stressed, just remember it's all about the beans!