The Ultimate Highly Sensitive Child Gift Guide

When you buy a gift for the highly sensitive child in your life why not buy them something that actually helps them? The ultimate highly sensitive child gift guide is divided up into sections to help you narrow down that perfect present for your highly sensitive child.

• Sleeping and Relaxation
• Gifts to Help with Emotions
• Gifts to Help Empty Their Buckets
• Wearable Gifts
• Gifts to Declutter
• Reading

Gifts to Help with Sleeping & Relaxation

Sleep is often something that eludes a highly sensitive child. These children are often worriers and deep thinkers – and bedtime is just the time to see how full a little head is from the activities of the day. All their worries surface as they try to sleep. Here are tips from the HSK community to help with sleep and relaxation issues.

Weighted Eye Mask

To aid relaxation in order to help sleep one reader bought her son an IMAK weighted eye pillow and hasn’t looked back.

Tents

Creating a hideaway where a child can retreat to helps enormously. It provides a quiet space to escape to when a child’s bucket is full and it all gets a little much.

My husband made a tent for our boys and we decorated it with fairy lights but there are lots of tents and tipis around to buy without all the work.

One mother bought a mosquito net tent for her son:

“This has made my son who has sensory issues sleep very soundly. I got the idea from an article about tenting beds in those who feel overloaded sensory wise in the evening. We popped a lamp in there, his teddies and a weighted duvet and he loved it. We never zip it up the whole way, just enough to make him feel cozy.”

Soft Blankets

Just having a favourite blanket can be a comfort for a child, particularly if it’s a habit that starts young.

Weighted Blankets

Weighted blankets apply deep pressure on the body – like a good hug. They can help relax a child who battles with anxiety and stress and help a child feel safe and more grounded. You can buy full size weighted blankets for sleeping under, or weighted lap blankets or pads that help with stress and help a child focus in the classroom for example.

Hanging Chairs & Beanbags

A hanging chair or a hammock to sit and read in is a great idea to hang up for kids.

Alternatively gift a beanbag chair.

As one member of the HSK community said, “A big hit for the 8th birthday of my daughter was a big bean bag she can relax in. She keeps it in her room to read, great also for parents to sit in when bringing kids to bed , in front of tv etc. It’s actually a gift which lasts longer than two days of play with many other gifts.”

Chew Necklaces

Chewing is a common topic in the Happy Sensitive Kids community. My eldest used to chew on his t-shirts – to the point of holes. Your child may also chew on pens, pencils. It’s an expensive problem – and not all too handy for a child either.

Luckily, there are tools to help chewers – like chew pendants or key rings. Or chewelry as it’s also called.

Chew pendants come in many designs (some are sturdier than others) and so can be playful, fun to wear and subtle.

Fidget Spinner

Fidget spinners  are all the rage – and they do the trick. Whilst I am reading to my middle son he often has a fidget spinner in his hand. He uses another in school too to help him focus.

They come in various colours, with lights, different weights and the like so the choice is staggering!

You can also buy fidget cubes.

Lighting

For a highly sensitive child lighting is an important part of relaxing. Bright lights do little to soothe sensitive kids (or sensitive adults for that matter).

A lava lamp has worked beautifully for my eldest son. We bought a Mathmos lava lamp and we’re more than happy with it – they have internet shops worldwide. It’s still going years later, after daily use, without any issues.

Ikea Kilometer star lights are used with much success in the bedroom of one Happy Sensitive Kids community member’s daughter.

Or maybe fairy lights are more appealing. Use your imagination and use soft lighting for great results.

Light projectors are also a good option to create a relaxing energy in a room. Like this space themed one.

Record Story Time

Sometimes you can’t be there at bedtime but you can record yourself (or a grandparent or sibling) reading your child’s favourite story to be played back whenever your child wants. You can also buy recordable books.

Music

Relaxation music is a great way to create calm in your house. When my boys’ minds are racing at bedtime we have a few go to CDs that help calm them but the choice is  endless!

Liquid Mind is a favourite of one of our Happy Sensitive Kids community members – and a few seconds listening to the link she shared is enough to know why.

I bought Lullaby and it’s one of my personal favourites. Works every time.

It’s also a nice idea to arm a highly sensitive child with their own MP3 player so they can choose music which helps them and they can listen to with headphones when they want some bucket time.

Gifts to Help With Emotions

Worry Dolls

Worry dolls can help soothe an anxious highly sensitive child. These worry eaters are also a great idea.

Journals

I am a journal writer and I am striving to pass that on to my sons. Katie Clemon’s journals are some of my favourites – we have the mother and son and the Time Capsule journals but there is a mother and daughter journal too.

Wreck it Journals are also popular in the Happy Sensitive Kids community.

Recordable Bears or Photo Albums

You can buy bears that allow you to record a short message that a child can play back when they like. If you can’t be there in person then your voice can still be  a great comfort for your child.

Alternatively you can gift a photo book that ‘talks’.

Gifts to Help Empty Their Buckets

There are many toys and activities that help children empty their buckets (for 101 ideas grab this book) – the most popular ideas are:

• Playdough, silly putty
• Lego – the choice is endless!
• Kinetic Sand
• 10 Perfect Calming Gifts for Children

Movement

Gifts don’t have to be expensive to be lots of fun – a little creativity and a bit of imagination is all you need to get your kids moving and over their dip. Like this mother’s brilliant idea:

“Moving and laughter is a big bucket emptier for our HSC. So for movement our current favorite is cheap dollar store fly swatters and a balloon.”

Knitting

Knitting helps empty my bucket, and when I introduced it to my kids it was a hit with them too. Simple patterns (a little blanket for a doll or a cuddly toy or a mini scarf for that favourite toy) are easy for children to make, fun and extremely satisfying once finished.

You could try french knitting with your child, like one member of the HSK community, or cat’s cradles.

Activity Books

Colouring books, word searches, crossword puzzles, sudoku books  – all great bucket emptiers.

Gifts to Wear

Seamless and Soft Clothes

Socks and underwear are often problem items for highly sensitive children who are irritated by seams and labels. There are a number of brands that offer seamless and super soft products.

• Smart Knit Kids
• World’s Softest 
• Happy Sensitive Kids community members recommend dot dot smile for soft dresses.

The daily commotion in our house about trousers is left best to the imagination. My seven year old has a wardrobe full of jeans and other trousers, but none of them classify as trousers he can actually wear. He will only wear jogging pants or trousers made of soft material. It’s a laundry battle. One mother may just have a solution – for her 13 year old son Levi’s and Wrangler’s 4 way stretch mens jeans have been a godsend.

PJs

• Burt’s Bees pyjamas come recommended – and not just by the Happy Sensitive Kids community but by Oprah too.  
• Onesies are a big hit in my house – and are also on the list of tools for one mother in the Happy Sensitive Kids community. The range is huge so finding something that your child will love should be easy.

Ear Protectors

My three sons all have noise cancelling headphones for use in school. One also uses ear plugs for gym lessons. They are part of our standard tool kit! We have two different headphones:  My youngest uses Alpine Muffy headphones and my two eldest have Peltor headphones.

Gifts to Help Declutter

Many HSCs are master hoarders. They hate to throw out anything they have made, created or drawn. It’s only a matter of time before their bedrooms are heaped in ‘stuff’ they will not let go of.

• Make a photo book of their artwork
• Revamp their bedroom with plenty of storage space. A HSK community member did just that and recommends the high sleeper from the Children’s Bed Shop. This has created space under her daughter’s bed that serves as a den. My two eldest sons have exactly the same set up in their bedroom and we often find our eldest tucked away against a big cushion under there. Decluttering and relaxation in one! Take a look at the selection of high sleepers and loft beds here for more ideas.

Gifts to Read

Don’t Feed the WorryBug Book

Don’t Feed the WorryBug by Andi Green is one of a series of books that help kids with their emotions and one recommended in the HSK community.

Book to Help Kids with Emotions by Kate Collins-Donnelly

This is a series of books for young readers that tackle anger, stress and anxiety which is well worth taking a look at. You can see the series overview here.

Relax Kids

This series of books and CDs has been a hit in our home for many years. If my sons are worried, anxious or simply full after a busy day they put on a Relax Kids meditation CD and it works wonders. Parents who happen to be hanging around bedside also benefit…..

Made By Raffi

For more about this beautiful book read an earlier post on the HSK site.

Understanding the Highly Sensitive Child by James Williams

You could also gift your child’s school this year with this gem.

There are lots more book ideas here, here, here, and here.

Last Words

There are a few more ideas in other HSK posts:

• 10 Calming Gift Ideas for a Highly Sensitive Child
• 6 Perfect Gift Ideas for a Highly Sensitive Child

There are also ideas for those highly sensitive adults in your life:

• 10 Father’s Day Gift Ideas for a Highly Sensitive Father 
• Mother’s Day Journal Gift Ideas
• 9 Book Gift Ideas for the Highly Sensitive People in Your Life

This list will be continually updated – if you have a gift idea or a product for a highly sensitive child then let me know!

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*For your convenience links may be affiliate links. For each purchase you make I may receive a small a commission, at no extra cost to you. It all helps pay for the Happy Sensitive Kids website fees for example, and a few pens and cups of coffee here and there! :-)*