Like many children, my daughter suffers from anxiety. She has specific triggers and we have worked very hard to keep her calm and get her through tough times.
One thing we were recommended to do was prepare a comfort kit to help her when she is not at home with us. For this comfort kit, we considered the 5 senses. Every one of the 5 senses can help soothe and calm any child and adult.
Sight
Find photos of anything that makes you happy. Kittens, beaches or your family are always a good choice.
Taste
Put a few of your child’s favourite lozenges or small treat in a comfort kit. My daugther loves watermelon and apples so I always try to pack some in her lunch. Remember that food can be very soothing so if at all possible, pack their favourite snacks when they are away from you.
Feel
Squishy balls, stress balls, and others are a very important item to put in a comfort kit. These items are most important to my daughter. She really loves a little spiky and squishy caterpillar that we found at Michael’s. She brings it everywhere with her and takes it out when something is making her anxious.
Smell
Scent is very powerful and can take you back to a very safe place. Small scented candles are a great item to add to a comfort kit. Many dollar stores have a wide range of scented candles. I recommend talking to your child about their favourite scents and then going to the store to find a candle that will comfort them if needed.
Hearing
This is a little more difficult to put in a comfort kit but can absolutely be added if you choose. Many sounds and music can calm and soothe anyone. We have calming spa music on our iPod and have it readily available for my daughter to listen to when she needs it.
Items listed above can be found at a variety of stores. Some are even in your home already. I recommend placing these items in a box or a small case. My daughter’s comfort kit is always in her backpack in case she needs items from it when she’s at school. We always bring it when we go on vacation as well.
Most of these items would not be disruptive in class. In fact, I doubt anyone would notice that she is self-soothing at all if she took out her squishy caterpillar or photo of her pet.
It is very difficult for any parent to see a child suffer from anxiety. I know my heart breaks every time my daughter has a difficult time with her anxiety. The comfort kit we have created for her has really helped.
I’d love to know, do you have a comfort kit for you anxious child? What items are in your anxiety comfort kit?
Wish I had this information when my daughter was younger she suffers from anxiety.
Oh wow! Never thought of this. Thank you for sharing!
These are some wonderful ideas to pack for an anxious child.My children were never really anxious but I am sure they would love these things.
I cant imagine being a kid with anxiety…its hard enough growing up as it is & kids can be so cruel!
My kids weren’t terribly anxious but they all had their special blanket and picture.
It seems so many kids have anxiety these days,it’s concerning for us all !
These are great ideas. I would have loved something like this when I was a child and dealing with anxiety.
I really like this idea, I don’t have one but it sounds like a great idea!
What a great idea to have a comfort kit ready for when needed, I think that the fact that there is something for all 5 senses means that normally at least one of them will help.
Interesting idea. I think it could benefit really any child.
What a great idea! I love the blue catipillar!
My grandkids and nephew have anxiety occasionally. Thanks for the tips, they are really helpful.
What a great idea, smell is a very effective one, because it triggers a lot of memories that normally can’t be remembered by using anything else.
No, I don’t have one of these for my kids. However, it is a wonderful idea. Way to go!
Great ideas. I have a teenage daughter that could benefit from this.
Information that everybody should hear without any doubt.
Great tips for sure.
Yes we use a comfort kit. My daughter likes to look through a small photo album. She also has an empty bottle that she filled with colored water and glitter that she likes. We use a visual aid where she can choose the emotion she is feeling and velcro it in place. And then of course there are her favorite stuffies and hugs from Momma.
I don’t have kids.
Great suggestions! May give it a try.
My daughter alway twisted her hair I wish I thought of these Ideas for her
Thanks for the tips
that’s a great idea. I never thought of it but I think it would help our child with ADHD also.
My son has special needs & anxiety is definitely an issue for him. While I don’t have a “kit” per say, I do make sure to have a couple calming things for him in my purse like his mp3 player & a picture book. This has made me think about his other senses too & I should have items related to taste & smell as well.
Focussing on the 5 senses is what our Dr recommended which is why I have something to help soothe her touching the 5 senses. We obviously don’t use all the items listed together at once but it’s nice to know that if one thing doesn’t work, something else might.
My daughter suffered terribly from anxiety. I took her to a natural path. Just the week before the natural path got a medical report from the medical association on mental health about a huge break threw. They were treating mental patients with probiotics and fish oil and was a huge success. It turns out it is gut bacteria causing mental health problems. Your gut is the center of your being. It worked My daughter took them for a year and has no symptoms left. We take the probiotics when we think of it now just for our health. PLEASE do not put your children on antidepressants. More teens kill them self or have other issues pop up on them. PLEASES get a good probiotic that is kept in the fridge at a health food store and ask them about a good fish oil. You have nothing to loose and you will love the results.
Very interesting stuff Kim. I will look into this. No worries, we are not considering antidepressants AT ALL. Our daughter is doing much better these days. Mostly due to the coping skills we have given her. Anxiety is a terrible thing. It makes me sad that so many kids have anxiety these days.
Ive heard this technique of grounding can help adults too when they are in high stress times.. It’s simple enough to do anywhere too, which is great!
Thank you for the great ideas
Great comfort kit! What a great idea!
This is a great idea for parents to do if needed.
Those sound like good tips. My son doesn’t have big problems with with but we’ve been sure to try and teach a few strategies – picturing our cats etc. so an actual photo would be great!
i always get their favourite toy and blanket with us
I will share this link with my daughter! My darling sweet 6 year old grandson has anxiety too . A comfort kit might give him something to anchor him. Its very hard to know what to do. Thank you for sharing
What a great idea and your tips would really help to keep kids relaxed
Thanks for these tips. I just started a group therapy program for my son because he has anxiety. It really helps to understand him better!
These tools have really helped my daughter. I hope they help your son too!
what a great idea, this would be great for my son
Love this very creative comfort kit covering all of the senses, thanks for the helpful inspiration.
Love this idea as my son is quite anxious at times!
Such a wonderful idea and i shared with my mom friends
Hand written notes with a little drawing is perfect addition, too.
Yes! This is a great idea as well Toby.
I have a daughter that has anxiety too .. what a great idea this is !
Thanks Irene. We came to create this with the help of my daughter’s doctor. It has helped her a lot.
Thanks for this idea. I think I will create one for our daughter as I think it will help her when she has her attacks.
What a great idea. I love the items you have chosen for the kit.
this is awesome , thanks for sharing the post , i will pass it on to a family member 🙂
I haven’t thought of making a comfort kit for my kids yet. My kids each have a blanket that they snuggle with for comfort.
Thanks,what a wonderful post.I think i will make up kits for the grandkkids.
This is a great idea, and I wished I had something like this when I was in school, I suffered a lot from anxiety and still do but not as bad as I once did, this would have helped me out a lot, this is great for parents to make up for their children!!
Great comfort kit! I’ll be sure to make this for my girls if they ever have a stressful time. Thanks!
Great list of suggestions. It is amazing how such small simple “tools” can have a big impact on helping to relieve anxiety in kids (and adults)
This is great. My kids aren’t anxious in general, but sometimes can be in unknown situations
I would have never thought about creating an anxiety comfort kit. What a great idea. Pictures would be good for some kids too.
This is really cool! We do something similar for our daughter as she stresses when we travel