This boy can create his own OT class anytime, anyplace

Baby W has been in OT for sensory issues for a while (also for core strength, his hip flexors, and fine motor skills but his original referral was for sensory processing disorder) and one of the big activities for many sensory kids is heavy work.  All of my kids have varying degrees of sensory processing disorder so it really should not have been a surprise that Baby W also had it :p

Heavy work provides really good deep sensory input and can really help calm a kid down.  At OT, they use things like weighted balls or toy shopping carts filled with weights or some of the equipment.  At home, we have them push around laundry baskets or a bin with another kid inside :p  Back in November we took a weekend trip and after being in the car a good chunk of the day, Baby W was really seriously craving sensory input and it was making him a little stir crazy.  He has gotten so used to being directed to do heavy work when he's antsy that he simply took it upon himself to create his own.  I so wish I'd gotten pictures of him but to be honest, I was too busy laughing at what he chose to do that it never occurred to me to whip out a camera.

Mr. Piper used one of those luggage carts (looks just like this one: hotel luggage cart) to bring in our things and after it was all unloaded, he wheeled it out into the hall and stepped back in the doorway to let me know he was going to return it.  Baby W darted past him, grabbed the back of the cart and started pushing.  He is one strong little guy and even though it was a heavy cart, it started moving.  Mr. Piper guided it, did not help push it at all, just made sure it went in the right direction, and Baby W pushed that thing all across the hotel back to the reception area.  The receptionist was astonished that our barely walking one year old was pushing it alone and she decided he needed a reward.  She raided the breakfast stash and got him a tiny box of cereal and he was beyond excited to have his own little box to carry around.  He could not wait to show it to me and he carried it around the hotel room making everyone look at it.