Ewwww! Why does my child like boogies?

Yes, it's gross. Unfortunately, children love to explore their environment, particularly those who are neurodivergent. These children may pick their nose for sensory or emotional regulation (finding it calming) or even as a type of stim (repetitive behaviour bringing comfort).

Your child might take a great deal of pleasure from sensory experiences of investigating their body and its contents, which they might then play with / smear / hide / eat / wipe on something. Yuck!

So what can we do?

It's very challenging to stop your child from picking their nose altogether, but you can work with them to encourage them to carefully dispose of the contents. Try offering a tissue or a piece of cloth which can be easily washed and give your child lots of praise when they deposit their findings in an appropriate location.

Distract, distract, distract!

Distraction can work really well in diverting your child away from activities which are less desirable for you! Fidget toys can be great for this, such as Poppits or Picky Pads like this one from The Works for only £3.

Messy Play

Messy play activities are brilliant for children who are touch (tactile seekers) as a way of fulfilling their need to touch items without being creative with their nasal contents!

Examples of messy play activities include:

• Sand play

• Water play

• Kinetic sand

• Slime

• Play dough

• Finger painting

Encourage your child to take part in messy play activities at least three times a week.

I hope you have found my first blog post helpful! More will follow on a range of issues about neurodivergency :)

Beth - Gentle Steps

P.S - looking for more in-depth sensory support? I offer full sensory assessments for children and adults. More information here and you can book a free 30 minute no-obligation consultation here.