60. How to Help Highly Sensitive Children Thrive in a Noisy World
Ever feel like your kid has an emotional amplifier set to max volume?
Raising a highly sensitive child can feel like navigating a world where the volume knob is stuck on high—but what if this sensitivity isn’t a challenge to fix but a gift to nurture?
When my son was about two or three, I noticed something: he felt everything. His emotions weren’t just big—they were enormous. Social situations overwhelmed him, loud environments felt like sensory minefields, and his emotional expressions could leave me reeling. At first, I chalked it up to shyness or anxiety, but the more I observed, the more I realized this was something deeper.
And then, the lightbulb moment: I reflected on myself. As a kid, I wasn’t overstimulated by loud environments, but I felt emotions with a gravity that could stop me in my tracks. Sad stories on the news? They lingered. Big feelings from others? I soaked them up like a sponge. This wasn’t just a quirk; it was a temperament.
Highly sensitive children aren’t just shy, anxious, or dramatic—they’re wired to feel deeply.
In our latest podcast, we unpack what it means to raise an "orchid child," and how the right environment can help them flourish, using creativity and emotional tools that even dandelion parents will appreciate.
What is a Highly Sensitive Child?
According to research, around 20-30% of people (and even animals!) have a temperament that makes them highly sensitive. This means they experience the world more deeply, noticing subtleties and reacting more intensely to their surroundings. Think of them as emotional barometers—they pick up on the moods, tones, and even unspoken energy around them.
Highly sensitive kids, like orchids, need the right environment to thrive. Without it, they can struggle, sometimes manifesting depression or self-doubt. But when their sensitivity is understood and supported, they can bloom in ways that are breathtaking.
The Orchid vs. Dandelion Theory
Caitlin shares a powerful metaphor in the podcast: highly sensitive kids are orchids, delicate but capable of extraordinary growth in the right conditions. On the flip side, dandelion kids can thrive almost anywhere, no matter the environment.
She recalled a pediatrician’s TED Talk, where he reflected on his own life as a dandelion thriving in a strict, punitive household.
Meanwhile, his highly sensitive sister struggled profoundly. They shared the same upbringing, but the harsh parenting style brought out her depression and self-criticism, while he remained relatively unaffected.
This isn’t to put more pressure on parents to be perfect (society does that enough, and spoiler: nobody is). It’s about creating an environment of understanding and acceptance, where your orchid can bloom instead of wither.
Why Being Highly Sensitive Isn’t a Flaw
There’s nothing wrong with being sensitive—it’s just a different way of experiencing the world. Elaine Aron, whose work on highly sensitive people has been groundbreaking, emphasizes this. Sensitivity isn’t a label for “too much” or “overreacting.” It’s a temperament, and like any trait, it comes with challenges and strengths.
For highly sensitive kids, the challenge lies in navigating a world that often feels too loud, too bright, or too big. But their gifts? Empathy, creativity, and a depth of perception that can be extraordinary.
The Power of the Right Environment
Here’s where it gets hopeful: you don’t need to overhaul your parenting style or live in a bubble-wrapped house. It’s about making small, intentional changes to help your child feel seen and supported.
Accept their sensitivity: Validate their big feelings instead of dismissing them. “I can see this is really hard for you” goes a long way.
Adjust where you can: Create routines that include downtime to help them recharge.
Use creative tools: Storytelling, imaginative play, and even love notes during emotional moments can give them space to process feelings safely.
Highly Sensitive Kids as Creative Powerhouses
Caitlin shared how creativity can be a lifeline for highly sensitive children. Activities like storytelling let them explore emotions indirectly, offering a safe outlet for their inner world. Drawing from Playful Parenting a book, Kayla encourages using imagination to connect with your child—turning power struggles into shared adventures and tense moments into opportunities for play.
Resources to Help You and Your Highly Sensitive Child
For parents, knowledge is empowering. Books by Elaine Aron or online resources like Mama Psychologist are excellent starting points. Caitlin also recommends checking out her favorite TED Talk (yes, the orchid-dandelion one!) for insights into how sensitivity can shape lives in remarkable ways.
Raising a highly sensitive child isn’t about “fixing” them—it’s about embracing their unique temperament and giving them the space to flourish.
With a little creativity, patience, and understanding, your orchid can grow into something truly beautiful, even in a world that often feels too loud.
Curious to learn more? Tune into our podcast for strategies, stories, plenty of real-talk about parenting kids who feel everything big and helping highly sensitive children thrive in our noisy world.
For moms raising spirited, wild and/or highly sensitive children and want to coregulate and support them.
We are Chelsea & Caitlin, founders of Couples to Cradles Counselling Services and @MamaPsychologists.
We have built a community of over 636,000 parents worldwide. Currently based out of Alberta Canada, we call Southern Alberta home. In addition to @mamapsychologists, we wear many hats.
We are also best friends, registered psychologists, clinical directors, authors, and, most importantly, moms (to 4 kids aged 7 and under). We struggled significantly in the postpartum period. From months-long NICU stay to birth trauma and postpartum anxiety—we truly have experienced many of the topics we talk about! Between the two of us we have training and experience in EMDR, trauma, child and adolescent psychology, theraplay, maternal mental health, perinatal mental health, birth trauma, pregnancy loss, infertility, somatic experiencing, and more. We have over 20 years of combined experience in the mental health field.
We pride ourselves on sharing real life parenting experiences and struggles (with a dash of humour) to share the ups and downs to help parents worldwide feel less alone.
When we aren’t working in our private practices or burning the midnight oil running couples to Cradles Counselling and @mamapsychologists you will most likely find us with our families. Caitlin is often spending her time cheering her kids on at the skating rink with a coffee in hand. Chelsea can most often be found on her family farm running after her children chasing all their farm animal friends.
Your orchid child is already blooming—you’re just helping them shine.
For more mom life reality, follow Kayla on Instagram @kayla.huszar
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