Deodorant
Deodorant lands on a spot that rarely gets touched in the morning – cold, sticky or ticklish depending on the type. Seeing what happens before the arm goes up lets the skin get ready. The steps are below.
Light blue roll-on deodorant
A light blue roll-on deodorant with a white ball on top and a scent symbol on the label.
♂Boy putting on deodorant
A smiling boy in a blue t-shirt lifts his arm and moves a white deodorant towards his armpit.
Deodorant stick
A deodorant stick with its cap beside it.
Deodorant
An illustration of a deodorant stick.
Deodorant
A stick of deodorant.
♀Girl holding up a deodorant
A laughing girl with braids stands with one hand on her hip and holds up a roll-on deodorant.
About this visual support
The sensory side is the whole challenge with deodorant. A cold burst of spray or a wet roll-on under the arm is touch in an area that barely gets used until the shirt is on. Many children pull the arm back by reflex, and the morning gets short.
The visual support moves the moment from surprise to expected sequence. Picture one: lift the arm. Picture two: deodorant comes out. Picture three: one or two swipes under the arm. Picture four: arm back down. By the time the hand meets the skin, the brain is already warned and the flinch shrinks.
A concrete tip: warm the roll-on for a few seconds in your hand first, or spray once into the air so the child hears the sound in advance. For the spray version, count out loud – two seconds, then done. The predictability of the counting often matters more than the time itself.
In the Routined app deodorant can sit as its own step in the morning routine, with a short timer that shows when it is finished. Try free for 14 days.
Use this image in a schedule
Build your own visual schedule with this image and download it as a print-ready PDF. Completely free.
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Take the visual supports with you
In Routined you build schedules from these pictures, add timers and voice instructions, and your child follows the day on their own.
* 14-day free trial, then $2.39 a month or $20.99 a year (US pricing). Cancel anytime.