Disclosure: I received these items in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
As the parent of a child with special needs, I’ve learned A LOT over the last six years. What’s even more interesting, is the dynamic of milestones achieved by neurotypical children compared to neuro-diverse children. Fortunately, I have twins and each one falls under the separate categories, individually. My son is a neurotypically developing child. He has met all milestones on time under the suggested guidelines, and some even earlier than expected. My daughter is developmentally delayed and the only milestone she met on time was rolling over, and that was based on her adjusted age because my twins are preemies. Since then, we noticed that she required intervention and assistance in all aspects of life.
When our twins were 10 months old, we moved to Florida and shortly thereafter, engaged the professional services of a pediatric Occupational Therapist for our daughter. I never knew exactly what OT was or what Occupational Therapists did, but I quickly came to learn how incredibly helpful and amazing the field is and how it tremendously improves the life skills of children who require assistance.
Because our OT was always working on milestones with Lilah ahead of the goal age, it allowed ample time for her to master the skills in a timely manner so as to keep up with her peers. Self-care is a huge milestone but spans the gamut of abilities, including but not limited to, brushing hair, brushing teeth, washing hands, toileting, and dressing oneself. Brushing hair and teeth are two items that my children were able to emulate, but my confidence in their ability to do a thorough and presentable job prevented me from leaving the task solely up to them. Preschool was great for getting in constant hand-washing practice, and that skill was easily mastered. Jake potty trained without any effort, and for that, I’m forever grateful. With Lilah, on the other hand, I waited until she showed a readiness to even approach the task. The issue was compounded by the fact that she was nonverbal at the time, so alerting me to her need to use the facilities proved to be challenging. But the biggest challenge of all for Lilah to master was dressing. She often had trouble pulling a shirt over her head and probably most challenging was identifying the back of the clothing versus the front. I can’t tell you how many mornings she would come downstairs, fully clothed, with everything on backward – including her underwear. Good thing she’s too young for a thong!
Enter, MeDo. One of my beautiful, creatively smart, and genuinely amazing friends from high school, Diana Takach, developed this innovative clothing brand and was kind enough to share her products with me so that I could see how my children responded to their ingenious purpose. Diana is the mom of three beautiful children, and MeDo was born from the phrase her children used to utter when they wanted to express their independence and attempt to do things without assistance, “me do it!” Diana and I used to work together in a clothing store when we were teenagers. She is very attuned to clothing sizes, textures, fits, and functionality. Based on her professional career in marketing and experience with the clothing industry, I can’t say that I was surprised to see her develop a clothing brand, but what stands out the most is the fact that her clothing line is intended to help children learn how to dress themselves in both a fun and interactive way. The cherry on top is that the brand is inclusive of children with special needs.
MeDo clothing is super soft and comfortable, which checks a big box off of sensory-sensitive children. Each item of clothing has two adorable bunnies stamped inside. The bunny that is forward-facing and waving delineates the front of the garment, while the adorable rear-facing bunny with a fluffy white tail indicates the back. This brilliant concept helps children learn the proper positioning of the clothing, giving them the confidence to dress themselves and empowering them in a developmentally-appropriate way. Most notably, the bunny tags don’t have a texture, so even the most sensitive children will enjoy wearing the clothing!
The clothing line currently offers staple, solid-colored basics like short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts, shorts, and sweatpants. All of the clothing is unisex, adaptive, and seamless. After several washes, I’m pleased to report that the clothing shows no signs of pilling or fading, and is made from durable, high-quality material.
If you’re looking for soft and comfortable basics to add to your children’s wardrobe, make sure you check out www.medoinc.com for their latest pieces. And if you’re tired of trying to teach your kids the difference between front and back when it comes to getting dressed, this is the solution to your problems and will make both you and your child happy! MeDo hit a home run in both the neurotypical and special needs communities with this inclusive and adaptive brand. I love supporting small businesses, especially those that are allies of the special needs community. Help me spread the love by following MeDo, Inc. on Instagram at www.instagram.com/medo_inc and be sure to tell your friends about this wonderful clothing line!
© 2019 Twinstant Gratification, LLC
Tamar Blazer is an attorney-turned-twin mom, with a passion for her family, friends, writing, good food, home decor and laughing. When she’s not lamenting on her lack of sleep, you can find her doing one of the too many projects she likes to take on, usually with a twin on either side.
