Best Wiggle Seats For Sensory Seeking Kids

What is Sensory Seeking?

The human brain has an important job to do. For all 24 hours in a day, the brain is constantly receiving and processing information from senses. Usually, this is a subconscious process that most of us don’t even have to think about. However, for kids with sensory processing disorders (SPD’s), the brain struggles to manage the constant flow of sensory input.

Generally, sensory processing disorders are divided into two categories: sensory avoiding and sensory seeking.

For sensory avoiders, the brain is overstimulated by the influx of sensory information, causing a child to become overwhelmed, stressed or anxious easily.

On the other hand, sensory seekers underreact to sensory input and require far more stimuli to function normally. As a result, kids who are are sensory seekers tend to have difficulty remaining still. When sitting, they often shift, reposition, fidget, or repeatedly get up in an effort to find the sensory stimuli that their brain needs to focus and function. 

As if processing the five primary senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing wasn’t enough, kids with Autism, ADHD, and sensory issues can be extremely sensitive to two other senses. Spatial awareness and proprioception.

• Spatial awareness deals with knowing where a child is in a given space. To orient themselves in a room or space, sensory seeking children will sometimes twist their bodies or rock back in forth.

 

• Proprioception is the body’s ability to sense balance and movement. Proprioceptive insensitivity is the reason sensory seekers have a hard time staying still. In order to get more proprioceptive stimuli, they need to move and change positions constantly.

Scientists and Autism experts have spent countless hours of research, developing new methods and devices to help sensory seekers achieve better levels of attention and focus. One product that has proven especially helpful for many sensory seeking children is the wiggle seat.

What is a Wiggle Seat?

Wiggle seats, also known as wobble cushions, fidget chairs, and balance disks, come in many different styles. But, essentially, they all are designed to accomplish the same goal: To provide an additional level of sensory and proprioceptive stimulation that ordinary chairs don’t offer. 

Some wiggle seats come in the form of inflatable cushions that can be placed on chairs, stools, on the floor, or in the car. Others are purpose-built chairs, best suited for desk or table use. Regardless of their design, these simple but powerful products create an uneven surface for your child to sit on, requiring more effort into balancing, and in turn, helping to satisfy their proprioceptive needs. Additionally, most wiggle seats are textured with bumps and patterns to maximize physical sensations to their skin.

How to Introduce a Wiggle Seat to your Child

Introduce new wobble seats in small increments. Some kids are hesitant to try new things and may not be too keen on the idea of sitting on this strange new object. Instead of insisting that they use their new wobble cushion every time they sit down, try to help them sit on it for 20 or 30 minutes at a time. In most cases, kids quickly become accustomed to wobble seats and prefer sitting with them than without them.

Show them how to use it. If your son or daughter is especially resistant to the idea of using a wiggle seat, you may want to try setting the example for them. When you are together with your child, perhaps at a meal, show them that you enjoy sitting on the wiggle cushion. Your example may give them the confidence they need to give it a try for themselves.

Use wiggle seats in different locations. One of the best features of wobble cushions is that they are portable, giving you and your child the freedom to use them in various places and during different activities. You may find that your son or daughter is more likely to use a wobble cushion in one situation over another, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Here are a few places to introduce a wiggle cushion:

• At the dinner table
• On the floor
• In the car (if your child doesn’t use a booster seat)
• When doing homework

Choosing the Right Wiggle Seat for your Child

While most wiggle seats and cushions share the same basic design principle, there are still many different styles to choose from. Here are our top picks for the best wiggle seats on Amazon. So, let’s get into finding the best wiggle seats for sensory seeking kids.

Wiggle Seat by Tiny Octopus

The “Wiggle Seat” by Tiny Octopus uses the classic, tried and true wobble cushion design to bring proprioceptive stimulation anywhere your child needs it.

Seat” features a unique double-sided texture design, offering two levels of sensory stimulation. One side has small raised bumps, and the other side has large rubber nubs to provide maximum stimuli to your son or daughter.

Included with the “wiggle seat in a portable air pump, making this wobble cushion easy to throw in a backpack and bring it along wherever you and your child go.

Gaiam Kids Stay-N-Play Children’s Balance Ball

Due to their lack of a solid based, we typically advise parents to stay away from exercise or balance balls. While they may seem like the perfect seating solution for sensory seeking kids, These balls can be very dangerous. Far too easily, they can roll right out from under a child, causing severe injury. For overactive children who love to fidget, they are a recipe for disaster.

However, the “Stay-N-Play Children’s Balance Ball” by Gaiam Kids is different. Unlike traditional balance balls, this one features five small flexible legs that keep the ball firmly in place while your child sits on it, so you’ll never have to worry about this chair flying out from under your son or daughter.

The “Stay-N-Play Children’s Balance Ball” comes in two different sizes to accommodate both younger and older children and is available in a variety of different fun designs and colors.

Bouncyband Butterfly Wiggle Seat

If your child is skeptical about using a wobble cushion, the butterfly Wiggle Seat from Bouncyband may be just what they need to give it a try. This cushion brings all of the benefits of a traditional wobble seat with a fun and welcoming butterfly shape.

Bouncyband Wiggle Wobble chair feet

The “Wiggle Wobble chair feet” are another ingenious product from Bouncyband. These removable feet are a great middle-ground for sensory seeking kids who prefer the feel of a normal chair but could still benefit from the sensory stimulation of a wiggle seat. 

The “Wiggle Wobble chair feet” easily snap onto existing chair legs and, thanks to their soft baseplates, can be used on tile, carpet, or hardwood floors without causing any damage.

Before purchasing the “Wiggle Wobble chair feet,” It’s important to note that they can support the weight of 120 pounds, so if your child is older or on the heavier side, you may want to consider another wiggle seat option.

CanDo Sitting Wedge Active Seat Wobble Cushion

The CanDo “Sitting Wedge Active Seat Wobble Cushion” is our top pick for sensory seekers who love sitting on the floor. This cushions wedge shape not only gives your child the added sensory stimuli that they need but also helps to keep their spine aligned, improving posture and balance. Additionally, since this cushion is made of soft foam, you never have to worry about it deflating or being popped by your child.

OUTREE Kids Pod Swing Seat

The “OUTREE Kids Pod Swing Seat” technically isn’t a wobble cushion. Still, we felt it deserves an honorable mention on this list due to its enclosure design and unique ability to move. For kids with spatial awareness sensitivity issues, the “OUTREE Kids Pod Swing Seat” is the perfect chair. It’s kind of like a wiggle seat, on a swing, inside of a fort.

Just like with a traditional wobble seat, the included inflatable cushion gives your son or daughter the ability to balance and bounce, but since the seat is suspended from the ceiling, there is added swinging motion. On top of that, the pod design creates a calming environment for autistic kids who struggle to feel safe and secure in large spaces. 

Help your Child Concentrate with a Wiggle Seat

As a parent of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, you’ll do anything to make life a little easier and more comfortable for your son or daughter. If your little one happens to be a sensory seeker, a wiggle seat may be the one thing missing from your autism toolbox to help put your restless child at ease.

If you’ve never experimented with a wiggle seat before, why not give it a try? You may be surprised at just how much better your child is able to concentrate and remain still when sitting on a wobble cushion. 

If you’ve had success with a specific Wiggle seat or cushion, please tell us about it! Leave a comment below and join our community of awesome parents, teachers, and caretakers of kids with Autism.