Building a calm corner

Four jobs to cover: somewhere to sit, something for deep pressure, something to follow for the breath, and something to keep the hands busy. Most of it is already in the house or the store cupboard, and a corner with four right things beats one with twenty.

Leave these out

• Screens. A tablet ends the visit rather than settling it, and the corner becomes a negotiation.
• A full toy box. Choice is work. Four things, rotated occasionally, is plenty.
• Anything breakable, or anything you would mind being thrown.
• Weighted items a child cannot lift off themselves, and any weight left where they sleep.

Cheapest version that works

A rug, two cushions from the sofa, a basket holding one weighted item and one breathing tool, and a card on the wall showing what to do. Everything above that is comfort, not function.