Dyslexia and parenting
I’ve had a diagnosis of dyslexia and ADHD since I was 8 years old. I’ve had the privilege of having support and resources all the way through college. But when those resources no longer exist it can be a bit disorienting trying to figure out what is next and what kind of help you need in these next milestones.
I’ve had to do a lot of trial and error to determine what those resources really look like in the workplace and I do mean a lot. But now, having been established in my career, I’ve truly mastered what my needs are and what resources could potentially be most helpful. I go through some of those products here.
However, when it came to resources I needed as a parent with dyslexia and ADHD I found myself scrambling once again. How do I search for baby-friendly products for dyslexics lol. Not exactly the easiest google search I’ve ever done.
So I had to think about:
What are some of my biggest challenges with my dyslexia?
Challenges:
Measuring. If I need to use powdered formula it requires water and measuring out the formula itself. I knew I would get tired and likely forget how much I did or pour too much or too little because I measured the wrong line.
Mixing right and left. This came to be a challenge when I would nurse and pump. People typically tell you that you should switch sides as you breastfeed and I couldn’t remember which one I did last because it took me a moment to even process which was my right and my left, which made it harder to track. My pumps are also labeled right and left so that I knew how much I was pumping on each side and I needed a moment to think about that too.
Reading and time. Any directions for new products, books, schedules. This was especially challenging when I had to know what time I fed last or how long to track sleep.
Solutions:
Measuring bottles. I mostly pump but when I use formula I use the baby brezza. This took all of the guesswork out of it for me. It is essentially a baby keurig that pre measures for you. Within 6 seconds I had a bottle with the exact amount I needed with water and formula. I have to tell you in the middle of the night this was an absolute must because there is no way that I could have measured correctly if I was tired. If we needed to be out and about, I found ready to use formula so that I didn’t have to mix anything.
Mixing right and left. I color coordinate everything so blue is for my left and red is for my right. I bought these circle stickers that I added to my pump parts so that I could easily put them on and know which side was which.
Reading and time. Reading directions, books and schedules tends to be a nightmare. Sometimes I find the product on youtube and watch a video of how to assemble or use the product step by step. Other times I use my speechify app. With this app I could scan any page I needed and have it read it to me. This made it so much easier for me to hear the directions, rewind if I needed and even follow along if that was better. I use it on my browser too but using the app has helped me learn on the fly.
When it comes to times and schedules I know having something aesthetically pleasing would look more cohesive but I am looking for practical. I bought the most obnoxiously large clock for my daughter's room. This clock has been a HUGE help. It tells me the time, temp, month, date, and year and when I would feed in the middle of the night I wasn’t struggling to remember all those details.
I also found at the very beginning of being a parent that when I was feeding every 2 hours and tracking all of her feeds, naps and what I was pumping that I would forget to write things down especially when I didn’t have hands. So we used our Alexa devices. We bought an Echo Show and connected them and I would say “Alexa, add feed at 11am X amount of ounces”. Then it would create the note which my husband and I shared for the day and we would leave it on display. This was a game changer because it meant that whenever my husband or I had a moment to add it into the app we liked (yes we still did both because we liked the measurements it gave us and we could add more details if we needed) we could do it at our leisure but if we didn’t than we still had a moment to look at the note.
What resources or hacks do you use for your learning disability? These may or may not have been applicable to you and the challenges you face, but I hope that it made you look at the bigger picture of your challenges and how they can practically be supported and addressed to make your daily life easier.
