I can remember some early occupational therapy sessions with Elizabeth that included time on the platform swing.

The goal was to eventually get her system to be okay when she was turned in a circle.  With her sensory issues, this was no small feat.  It was like her neurological system liked keep Elizabeth on mother earth and walking in a straight line.

The occupational therapist (OT) encouraged us to continue this work at home as she continued to advance the challenges in therapy.

But our big issue was how?

How did we find something to use at home that would imitate the swing found in OT?  We eventually hung up a net swing in our basement using a jerry-rigged system that is safe but not really very pretty.

Flash to a number of years later when Elizabeth was a lot older.  Her system still needs sensory input, so she sought out the sit-n-spin in our basement.  She would stand on it and twist around.

With sensory issues and some special needs, the need for sensory input is part of their lives and it is not always easy to find things at home that are fun and give that input.  What parents and caregivers need are options that are easy to use, effective and of course, fun.

At this point I have to tell you about the item called the Bilibo.  It is the award winning toy that is really almost a therapy tool.

It looks like the shell of a turtle, that has some well placed holes in it to help a child carry it.  The sides of the Bilibo are not even but are a bit sloped so the higher sides appear to almost be a back rest.

Now comes the fun, this very simple looking toy offers so many options for fun.

It can be used as a fun pool toy.

It can be used on the beach to make sandcastles, to hold water like a bucket.

It can make some seriously good snow mounds.  And can be used as a holder for other toys, like stuffed animals when not in play.

But the thing that I think about related to our story above, is that it can be used to provide some nice sensory input when a child sits in in and spins around.

In our case, we would have had to spin Elizabeth a little bit at a time until she was comfortable with it.  But this toy would have given us an option that would  be so easy to have around the kitchen or den.  After all, the net swing is not part of our kitchen décor.

I love that the toys is light to carry and comes in some fun colors.  For Elizabeth, if you show her something in the color pink or purple, she is sold.

So please take a little look at this pretty cool toy.  That is so much more, in my opinion.

There is a great little video on our site that shows you some fun uses for this great toy.

Hopefully, this will be a good fit for your special needs child.

I hope everyone has a peaceful  week.

Michele Gianetti

Author of “I Believe In You: A Mother and Daughter’s Special Journey” and “Emily’s Sister”