11/25/2025
Include Safe Foods: Thanksgiving is a food-centered holiday and can sometimes come with a lot of expectations and strong feelings surrounding food. Try and remember that the important aspects of the meal are togetherness and creating memories, not what or how much food your child eats.
Create a Safe Retreat: Family events can be long, loud, busy, and overwhelming! Creating a safe, quiet place for your child to take breaks, reset, and recover will go a long way to keeping everyone regulated!
Discuss What to Expect: Beforehand, make sure you discuss the schedule, who will be there, what you will be doing, and really anything you can to prepare your child for the day and make it predictable and familiar. Also, reflect about what your priorities are for the day.
Co-Regulation and Understanding: Remember that patience, understanding, and moments of co-regulation will go a long way to keeping the day running smoothly!
