Equipping New Foster Families

Becoming a foster parent means learning to parent with a different set of tools. All the parenting books you read about sleep training don’t apply when an infant and toddler show up at your door. They’ve already experienced more trauma than any adult should ever endure. They have sensory needs and attachment challenges that the traditional methods cannot address.

Enter Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries Family Advocates and trauma-informed sensory tools.

One of our Family Advocates in Mid-Missouri is Lorenzo Scott. Lorenzo tells the story of just one of the many times the sensory tools proved life-changing for a family:

“One of the families I’m working with just welcomed two young boys into their home. The mom let us know that the oldest, who is four years old, was having a terrible time going to sleep. He just kicked and screamed, crying the entire time, unable to fall asleep. Then when his exhausted body finally did sleep, he would often wake up immediately, and wake up again in the middle of the night, crying.

They received their new foster family “starter kit” from Lorenzo within those very first overwhelming days. One item in the kit was a weighted blanket.

“The blanket was a game-changer. He slept nearly 12 hours straight the first night they tried it, and it has continued to give him the sense of security he needs to sleep well at night.”

There are many aspects to becoming a new foster parent that can feel overwhelming. That’s one of the many reasons why Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries was so excited to launch our Foster Care Services branch at the beginning of 2020, so we could walk through life with foster families.

This family’s success using a weighted blanket is one of many such stories that caused us to create the “Sensory Tools Starter Kit” for all of our new foster families. These starter kits contain a sampling of trauma-informed sensory tools.

What are sensory tools?

They are trauma-informed tools, useful for any child to help them regulate their actions and emotions. These can be especially helpful for children who have experienced some form of trauma in their past.

The tools we provide in the starter kits are meant to provide a child an opportunity to develop self-regulation. A child from trauma often struggles to know how to calm him/ herself without intervention from an adult. By equipping parents with specific sensory tools and encouraging them to practice using them with the child during low stress times, they become lifelines when the child feels overwhelmed and needs sensory input. Like the pressure a weighted blanket provided for the young boy!

There are many different items that can work for self-regulation. We provide six of those in our Sensory Tools Starter Kit that we’ll explain, and then also you’ll find a list of many others you may want to consider. What works for one child may not work for another child. Also, a child’s preferences may change over time.

Items We Include in Starter Kits:

Sound machine – This provides auditory sensory input and can be calming and useful for blocking out sounds. Having sound can be reassuring to a child, especially at night.

Liquid Bubble Timer – This can be used as a calming, visual tool for a child to watch.

Stress Ball and Jelly String Noodle – Both items provide the sense of touch and deep muscle sensory input (like exercise or a massage does) that allows a child to get the sensory input they may be seeking. They’re also great fidget tools for a child, and can be very helpful when having to process information, work on homework, or even when watching a movie.

Weighted Blanket – This is great for a child who needs deep muscle sensory input and can be used at any time: movie time, bedtime, break time, etc. This is great for children who need help calming their body.

Lotion – This can be both a calming scent and nurturing activity. Try massaging a child’s hands or feet with lotion. This helps them learn how to receive care. We provide lotion that is lavender scented in our toolkit as it is a calming smell. They can also use this independently.

Click for a larger list of sensory tools

We hope you will find one or more of these tools helpful for a child you may know who is struggling with past trauma and/or sensory challenges.

Would you like to help us as we walk alongside newly licensed foster families? Please click the button below.

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