BBB for daughter with sensory issues?

[aimeebarb]

My 6 yo daughters are BEYOND into princesses and makeovers, so of course I signed them up for the (basic) makeover at BBB during our first trip.

One of my daughters has pretty significant sensory issues though and won't tolerate her hair up or anything in it (barrettes, pony tail holders, although she will handle a headband). She will love the make-up portion and dress-up, but I'm wondering if there is anything special they can do with her hair without doing the bun that it seems like every girls gets?

Thanks!

 

[wilkeliza]

My 6 yo daughters are BEYOND into princesses and makeovers, so of course I signed them up for the (basic) makeover at BBB during our first trip.

One of my daughters has pretty significant sensory issues though and won't tolerate her hair up or anything in it (barrettes, pony tail holders, although she will handle a headband). She will love the make-up portion and dress-up, but I'm wondering if there is anything special they can do with her hair without doing the bun that it seems like every girls gets?

Thanks!

You could explain the situation and they should be able to at least comb it and put the glitter in it.

If you buy one of the headbands they would even work that in. Usually they are very good with kids with sensory issues.

 

[SueM in MN]

My DD's were too old when BBB opened, so I don't have any personal experience with it. I've seen some of the make-overs in progress and some of the end results though.
The bun is the most common hairdo I've seen, but there are several others. They all involve a lot of tight styling.

In order to get to the point of the hairstyle, they do a lot of spraying with detangler spray and combing to get the hair smooth. If you think your daughter would enjoy that part without getting the hairdo, you could probably work out getting that done. The finished hairstyle has a lot of hairspray, which you probably would want to skip. It also includes a dusting of glitter, which she might be OK with.
None of the hairdos include a headband, but you could probably bring one. I don't know if they sell them. They do include a Mickey clip to help keep the hair up. If she doesn't like the feel of it in her hair, she might be OK with clipping it to her own headband.

 

[aimeebarb]

Thanks! I will probably let her pick out a special fancy headband to go with the dress. I'm assuming they have curling irons? I could suggest that maybe. We'll see. She will live no matter what.

 

[Allison]

No, I don't believe there are curling irons.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

My DD has sensory issues and generally hates to have her hair brushed. But she has done the BBB 3 times and loves it. I do tell the FGIT that she has a sensitive scalp and they seem to adjust to accommodate that. They stop often and ask DD if they are pulling too much, if the hair is too tight, etc. On our second visit, they had pulled it too tight initially but when DD let them know, they backed up a step and redid part of the hair do so it wasn't pulled so tight. I think part of it too is that DD gets so excited that she is getting a makeover that she can tolerate more than normal.

DD has always insisted the hairstyle come out that night before going to bed.

There aren't any curling irons so that isn't an option.

 

[aimeebarb]

My DD has sensory issues and generally hates to have her hair brushed. But she has done the BBB 3 times and loves it. I do tell the FGIT that she has a sensitive scalp and they seem to adjust to accommodate that. They stop often and ask DD if they are pulling too much, if the hair is too tight, etc. On our second visit, they had pulled it too tight initially but when DD let them know, they backed up a step and redid part of the hair do so it wasn't pulled so tight. I think part of it too is that DD gets so excited that she is getting a makeover that she can tolerate more than normal.

DD has always insisted the hairstyle come out that night before going to bed.

There aren't any curling irons so that isn't an option.

Thanks for sharing your experience. In the past, I have been surprised when Abby has "stepped it up" or rather, outside her comfort zone, in certain situations. I'm sort of wondering if that will happen at Disney....

 

[tlpbupu]

My dd also surprised me at the BBB. She will not wear anything in her hair. No pony tails, barrettes, headbands etc. At the time of her first visit brushing her hair was even a major struggle. I booked the visit because she REALLY wanted to do it even after I explained what it was. I thought I'd give her a chance. I don't know who that kid was that showed up for that appt.!! She let them spray her hair, comb it (with a comb!) She even choose the bun. Not a peep out of her except happy ones at the end. She wore that bun for two days.

Our trip last year she wanted to go back so much that she earned the money to go. This time she choose one of the styles with the fake hair. While she enjoyed her appt. after about 30 minutes the fake hair on her shoulders was driving her nuts. She slept in her shower cap that night and once it was up she was fine. The next morning we had breakfast with the princesses and she just couldn't enjoy it until we went to the bathroom and took the fake hair off.

I don't know how severe your dd sensory issues are and if this helps you make a decision. Sometimes if it is something our kids REALLY REALLY want then the excitement helps to override some other issues.

 

[SueM in MN]

My dd also surprised me at the BBB. She will not wear anything in her hair. No pony tails, barrettes, headbands etc. At the time of her first visit brushing her hair was even a major struggle. I booked the visit because she REALLY wanted to do it even after I explained what it was. I thought I'd give her a chance. I don't know who that kid was that showed up for that appt.!! She let them spray her hair, comb it (with a comb!) She even choose the bun. Not a peep out of her except happy ones at the end. She wore that bun for two days.

Our trip last year she wanted to go back so much that she earned the money to go. This time she choose one of the styles with the fake hair. While she enjoyed her appt. after about 30 minutes the fake hair on her shoulders was driving her nuts. She slept in her shower cap that night and once it was up she was fine. The next morning we had breakfast with the princesses and she just couldn't enjoy it until we went to the bathroom and took the fake hair off.

I don't know how severe your dd sensory issues are and if this helps you make a decision. Sometimes if it is something our kids REALLY REALLY want then the excitement helps to override some other issues.

I've seen people post the same thing before (even the 'this is not my child - where did she come from').

I think you are right about the excitement being a factor along with the will to do it.

 

[aimeebarb]

My dd also surprised me at the BBB. She will not wear anything in her hair. No pony tails, barrettes, headbands etc. At the time of her first visit brushing her hair was even a major struggle. I booked the visit because she REALLY wanted to do it even after I explained what it was. I thought I'd give her a chance. I don't know who that kid was that showed up for that appt.!! She let them spray her hair, comb it (with a comb!) She even choose the bun. Not a peep out of her except happy ones at the end. She wore that bun for two days.

Our trip last year she wanted to go back so much that she earned the money to go. This time she choose one of the styles with the fake hair. While she enjoyed her appt. after about 30 minutes the fake hair on her shoulders was driving her nuts. She slept in her shower cap that night and once it was up she was fine. The next morning we had breakfast with the princesses and she just couldn't enjoy it until we went to the bathroom and took the fake hair off.

I don't know how severe your dd sensory issues are and if this helps you make a decision. Sometimes if it is something our kids REALLY REALLY want then the excitement helps to override some other issues.

Aw, thanks for sharing! Her issues are pretty severe (also affect clothing), but she has gotten more tolerant lately. Looking forward to seeing how it goes.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Aw, thanks for sharing! Her issues are pretty severe (also affect clothing), but she has gotten more tolerant lately. Looking forward to seeing how it goes.

DD has really surprised me with what she is able to do and tolerate at WDW versus what she can manage elsewhere.

Since she was a toddler, she has had difficulty with what clothes she can tolerate wearing, but she's always been able to wear the scratchy princess dresses. Her desire to wear the dress outweighs the discomfort caused by her sensory issues.

She has tried new foods at WDW that she had refused to eat previously. She added steak to her list of approved foods after a meal at LeCellier. I'd tried repeatedly to get her to eat steak at home, and she never would. But when we were planning our trip 2 years ago, she announced that she would order the steak off the kids' menu at LeCellier. I was convinced she'd order it and then not eat it, but she polished off every bite and will now eat steak at home.

She can better tolerate lines and waits at WDW than anywhere else. She is still bothered by noise, but deals with it better there than at home. This year, she opted to watch Wishes in the park and didn't wear her ear muffs. Normally, she wouldn't be able to handle the loud noise without becoming agitated.

I just keep pushing the boundaries with her in everyday life, but I feel like we make more progress in a week at WDW than we can in a year at home.

 

[book_junkie]

Heya-
My sister-in-law booked the Prince package for my nephew last year who has sensory issues (including clothing textures- can't stand seams in socks, for instance), and the problem they ran into was the hairspray smell- he just couldn't do it. However, the FGIC were wonderful- they changed his package to a Pirate one, and he was able to do that without a problem.

 

[aimeebarb]

DD has really surprised me with what she is able to do and tolerate at WDW versus what she can manage elsewhere.

Since she was a toddler, she has had difficulty with what clothes she can tolerate wearing, but she's always been able to wear the scratchy princess dresses. Her desire to wear the dress outweighs the discomfort caused by her sensory issues.

She has tried new foods at WDW that she had refused to eat previously. She added steak to her list of approved foods after a meal at LeCellier. I'd tried repeatedly to get her to eat steak at home, and she never would. But when we were planning our trip 2 years ago, she announced that she would order the steak off the kids' menu at LeCellier. I was convinced she'd order it and then not eat it, but she polished off every bite and will now eat steak at home.

She can better tolerate lines and waits at WDW than anywhere else. She is still bothered by noise, but deals with it better there than at home. This year, she opted to watch Wishes in the park and didn't wear her ear muffs. Normally, she wouldn't be able to handle the loud noise without becoming agitated.

I just keep pushing the boundaries with her in everyday life, but I feel like we make more progress in a week at WDW than we can in a year at home.

Disney Magic!