Sadie's Spio Suit

Yesterday we went to pick up Sadie's Spio Suit.  A Spio Suit is a compression garment that is meant to not only help with sensory processing, but also trunk stability. (You can visit their website here and read more about it)  We ordered it a couple of weeks ago, and were so excited to go get it yesterday!

It's tight.  Which, of course makes it a little difficult to put on.  But once we got it on, it fit pretty well.  It's meant to fit like a second skin and hug the child, as well as fit under clothing so they can wear it all day if necessary.  As you can see in the picture below, it took two of us to get it on her!!  I haven't tried yet to put it on her all by myself, but I'm sure after a little practice, I'll be a pro at it!

After we got her in the suit (I think it looks like a ballet leotard, don't you?), we put her in her wheelchair to see if she'd sit any straighter.  I think she liked it!!  (PS. check out her hands!  Don't they look all relaxed and open?  Those braces on her hands are amazing!)

We took her home in her suit, without putting her clothes over it... I'm sure it was over 100 degrees outside and I didn't think she needed another layer!  And I'm glad we didn't put another layer on her because for some reason the AC in my car decided not to work on the way home, so we were all sweaty and hot by the time we got home...luckily we didn't have to go far, and mostly hit green lights!  Sadie even fell asleep for a few minutes in the car on the way home (this could have been because she got hardly any sleep the night before, or because the warm wind was blowing on her face...or it could have been that the Spio Suit was just so comforting...I'm not really sure)

When we got home, we tried her in her Happy Chair and she did great!!  (sorry about the red eyes, that picture was taken with my camera...ugh)

This morning Sadie has Occupational Therapy, which deals not only with her fine motor skills, but her sensory processing.  I'm going to put the Spio Suit on her just before the therapist comes and have her work in that today!  I think this will be a good thing for her and I'm excited to use it daily to help her stabilize her core muscles and learn how to sit. I'm also hoping that it'll help her be comfortable and squeezed all day...which sometimes she needs.

Have you tried a Spio Suit with your child (or maybe something similar)?  How did you like it?  What kinds of improvements did you see?  If you haven't got one, does this make you want one???