I don't understand the whole "sensory bin" thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 18 month old loves anything "sensory" - she wants her shoes off in the grass and sandbox. Last Tuesday she got a big scratch on her arm from hugging a rose bush! We started a sensory class when she was about a year old - lights, music, loud drumming, balls and an activity like a pool of spaghetti or finger paints or water beads. I just watch her closely and tell her not to put the thing in her mouth and she minds.

Her nanny set up various sensory bins for her outside - those huge, shallow Sterilite under the bed storage bins with lids. DD loves playing out there!

Uhmm...I put a slide, a hose, a bag of river rocks, a mud pit, and a sandbox outside. My kids love playing out there too. I don't get the "sensory bin" thing. What is in there?

[Anonymous]

Can someone explain what these are and what you put in them? And how it can keep my 12 month old occupied without being a choking hazard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get them either. I can't imagine my kids doing anything but picking them up and spilling them out.

I get them, because we use them at work in the OT/ sensory stuff for our clients (older adults) but my kids would just dump everything out. We already have them I suppose, just filled with Legos, matchbox cars, blocks, balls, etc but those are just storage that are dumped every day

[Anonymous]

In our house it would be the equivalent of all you can throw glitter. Outside toy for certain. That said we pick what would be considered sensory toys on a smaller scale, Pompoms, extra large heads, Velcro, multiples of small but not tiny thinks in large plastic jars,...you get the idea.

[Anonymous]

Serves no purpose, unless your child has special needs and cannot access objects by herself.

The non-sensory child will avoid all textures he hates. That was my oldest.
The sensory-seeking child will go and get the objects, wherever they are! That was my youngest.

A sensory bin is just another silly thing new parents are supposed to obsess over.

[Anonymous]

I feel sad for the confused parents. Do you not understand sandboxes either? Or digging in dirt? Or playing in a pool? A "sensory bin" allows your child to do some of those same activities inside, because sometimes it is convenient to have your child play inside.

My kids liked to play in water, sand, and beans the most. Rice turned out to be too powdery for all of us. Moon sand was Ok but not worth the expense. Some kids love shaving cream but we never tried it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel sad for the confused parents. Do you not understand sandboxes either? Or digging in dirt? Or playing in a pool? A "sensory bin" allows your child to do some of those same activities inside, because sometimes it is convenient to have your child play inside.

My kids liked to play in water, sand, and beans the most. Rice turned out to be too powdery for all of us. Moon sand was Ok but not worth the expense. Some kids love shaving cream but we never tried it.

Um, ok what? Obviously we play with appropriate things in appropriate places -- when outside, my kids play in sandboxes, water table, dirt/grass, go swimming, and when we are inside, do indoor things like play with dolls or puzzles, read books, dance, build things with blocks, etc. Do you not have any of those? Because I'm not sure why sensory bins are necessary when there are plenty of other appropriate things to play with indoors.

[Anonymous]

Ther really isn't anything to understand.

It's another tool for me to get my kids to leave me alone for 15 to 20 minutes when we're stuck inside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I set up a sensory bin for my 6 month old. He gets to practice grasping small items like pasta. I've bought that torn up zig-zag paper and hid some toys in it and he's enjoyed that too. Keeps them occupied for a little bit.

My 6 month old would put the paper and dry pasta straight to her mouth!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 18 month old loves anything "sensory" - she wants her shoes off in the grass and sandbox. Last Tuesday she got a big scratch on her arm from hugging a rose bush! We started a sensory class when she was about a year old - lights, music, loud drumming, balls and an activity like a pool of spaghetti or finger paints or water beads. I just watch her closely and tell her not to put the thing in her mouth and she minds.

Her nanny set up various sensory bins for her outside - those huge, shallow Sterilite under the bed storage bins with lids. DD loves playing out there!

Uhmm...I put a slide, a hose, a bag of river rocks, a mud pit, and a sandbox outside. My kids love playing out there too. I don't get the "sensory bin" thing. What is in there?

Haha ! We have a slide, a hose (and sprinklers that she loves), a whole side of the house of rocks and a sandbox, too! In her sensory boxes she has water beads, colored rice, koosh balls and stretchy worms, puffs, and a box of dried beans. They are just for fun and sensory experiences - no big deal. She loves them! And so do all her friends who come over for play dates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain what these are and what you put in them? And how it can keep my 12 month old occupied without being a choking hazard?

When DD was 12 months we started with water beads in those big, flat containers and she would get in wearing just her diaper and play for a good 30 minutes! Scooping with cups and swishing her legs around in the water beads. You have to watch your child and repeat that it is not to go in their mouths. DD tried once or twice but that was it. Another fun and less messy one was different sized pom-poms - again, in a bin with just her diaper. Rice was great at that age and she still plays with rice in a bin - and still gets in.

As another poster mentioned, the Sterilite long shallow boxes with the lids (made for under the bed storage) are the best.

[Anonymous]

I get that some parents use them to occupy their kids but humor me please, how is it educational?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get that some parents use them to occupy their kids but humor me please, how is it educational?

It isn't "educational" - it is sensory. You enliven senses and create brain synapses by letting the toddler explore different textures with his/her palms and bottoms of feet as well as whole boys is some cases. It is like exposing your child to music or a foreign language - all creating synapses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain what these are and what you put in them? And how it can keep my 12 month old occupied without being a choking hazard?

When DD was 12 months we started with water beads in those big, flat containers and she would get in wearing just her diaper and play for a good 30 minutes! Scooping with cups and swishing her legs around in the water beads. You have to watch your child and repeat that it is not to go in their mouths. DD tried once or twice but that was it. Another fun and less messy one was different sized pom-poms - again, in a bin with just her diaper. Rice was great at that age and she still plays with rice in a bin - and still gets in.

As another poster mentioned, the Sterilite long shallow boxes with the lids (made for under the bed storage) are the best.

thanks, this is helpful - i didn't realize it was something you put the whole baby in, i thought it was like a bowl that you put stuff in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 18 month old loves anything "sensory" - she wants her shoes off in the grass and sandbox. Last Tuesday she got a big scratch on her arm from hugging a rose bush! We started a sensory class when she was about a year old - lights, music, loud drumming, balls and an activity like a pool of spaghetti or finger paints or water beads. I just watch her closely and tell her not to put the thing in her mouth and she minds.

Her nanny set up various sensory bins for her outside - those huge, shallow Sterilite under the bed storage bins with lids. DD loves playing out there!

Uhmm...I put a slide, a hose, a bag of river rocks, a mud pit, and a sandbox outside. My kids love playing out there too. I don't get the "sensory bin" thing. What is in there?

You realize you just listed a bunch of sensory materials, right?