We had a blast at the Buddy Walk but it stressed poor Clara out! She was kicking and laughing until we met up with the crowd but then it was eyes down and staring at the ground for over an hour. She relaxed after the walk when the family sat with her and played with her like we would at home. We tried this when we arrived but I could barely get her chin up for kisses. We want her to enjoy time out in public. What can we do to help her if she gets overstimulated like this? My friend's daughter with DS is 8 and she says this happens every year at the Buddy Walk and they're very active and out socially.

I wouldn't worry about it too much at this age. Around a year is prime time for stranger anxiety, particularly in a strange environment with lots of strangers around. I would make a point of making sure that she went out frequently in the course of your daily life and met up with people a lot. I know my younger kids were much more used to strangers and strange situations because they went everywhere whereas my oldest stayed home a lot more when she was a baby.

I wouldn't worry to much. Some of the buuddy walks are loud and there are lots of people there. Abigail is the oposite way she likes lots of noise and people. She goes up to everyone. Once your daughter got use to the place she seem to do better. I would go out and have her be around people like the above post said.

For Angela it's the sound AND movement of all the bodies. Eer plugs helped her immensely, and sometimes sunglasses (even when we were indoors). I think they gave her a sense of separateness from everyone.

Hannah used to be really bad in large crowds but I have found as she has matured it is getting better.She still has a difficult time on occasion, usually it is the noise level. In fact Hannah had a birthday party this past weekend and did ok but did start to cry a couple of times because it was too much for her. i think just recognizing that it is hard for her and allowing her time away helps.

I just continued to take my girls out with smaller crowds of people and worked my way up. They both are terribly social now and I think because we just never gave up. Try her out in public, but in a not so busy place at first and with a few familiar faces around. Work your way to the super busy places with many people. It can be too overwhelming at first if you start with a huge crowd.

We took Clara to a pumpkin patch and on a train ride this weekend. She did much better. She actually seemed to enjoy examining pumpkins and watching the trees go by. She ignored strangers but made eye contact and smiled at us. And yesterday in the mall she smiled at the clerk. All of these scenarios were busy but less crowded and noisy then the Buddy Walk. I asked the PA from our ENT's office and he said I can buy earplugs for a 20 pounder at their office. I do want to carry them in her diaper bag just in case.

Darah reacted to her Buddy Walk too. We had to get there at 5am to help set up, so Darah woke up that morning at 4:15am and when we got home at 1pm, she wouldn't take a nap and didn't go to sleep until 5:30 or 6pm!! She wasn't even grumpy or cranky, but was so wired from the activity and day. So, Daddy took a nap while Mommy begged Darah to take one with her! She seems to refuse naps when she's had a over-stimulating day and acts really "wired." What's crazy is, you would have thought her "stimming" would have been going on a lot, but she didn't do it hardly at all that weekend?!?!?!?!