This time of year can cause severe anxieties for kiddos with sensitive skin issues. Halloween costumes, wearing different clothes for school events, and wearing formal wear clothes for family holidays. Formal style clothes can cause a lot of meltdowns and tantrums for some kids who don’t like stiff shirts, tight fitting pants, or form fitting dresses. Play wear, clothes without so many seams, and stretchy clothes are typically much more comfortable for SPD kids, so finding formal looking clothes that they like can be quite difficult.
Thank goodness there are now companies making just these kinds of clothes! Hopefully some of these options below will make your child more comfortable during this years dress up events. A good tip is to offer options of what you would like them to wear, but let them do the picking. When they feel in control, it can greatly lessen anxieties.
And always remember kids can wear their base layers of compression vests and soft undershirts if the buttons on some of these items still bother them!
Though this is not specifically a sensory-sensitive company, Hope & Henry boys button down shirts are made very well with organic cotton and soft linen. Because of this combination, it makes the material quite soft, machine washable (so you can wash a bunch to make it as soft as possible), and travels very well! They come in a variety of colors, patterns, or plain so hopefully your little guy can find something he likes.
I’m a huge fan of City Threads for their play wear, but they also offer boys and girls pants for sensitive skin. They are a sensitive friendly company, so everything is thought out when making their clothes. Soft seams, plain colors, soft fabrics, etc. I’m sure your little boy OR girl will enjoy their pants for this years family events.
City Threads also offers short sleeve polo shirts in a variety of colors. These can also be used for school uniforms! And for the colder months, they have a long sleeve polo shirt to help get you through your holiday formal wear!
Burt’s Bees is another company that is not specifically for sensory sensitive kids, but their fabric is 100% cotton and organic, making it super soft. Their long sleeve button down shirts will offer soft, breathable fabric that your little guy might like. Another option to try!
One of my most favorite dressy dresses is TwirlyGirl!! This is not a sensitive friendly company, but because of the way the dresses are made, it WILL satisfy your little girl’s sensory needs. The dresses are made in small batches with lots of attention paid to the details of the seams and fabric. They are reversible…. YES…. REVERSIBLE so it’s like you’re getting two dresses for the price of one. But because they are reversible, there are very few seams and the inside is super soft… because it’s another dress!! This was the first dress my little girl could wear without a undershirt! And they are beautiful…. like works of art! They also offer skirts if your little one doesn’t like the feel of a dress.
City Threads dresses are another go-to for my little girl. They are plain, soft, a little stretchy, and just comfortable. As I’m sure you can tell by now, this company is a staple in my house as they offer everything you need!
As mentioned before, Hope and Henry is not a sensitive friendly company, but they offer high quality clothes made from organic cotton and pay lots of attention to the details of seams. This Hope & Henry dress is a good example of comfort with a pull-on closure, organic soft cotton, and a bit of spandex for some give in the material.
