How to Make Your Home More Welcoming for a FOXG1 Family This Holiday Season
A few simple adjustments can help families feel truly welcomed and included.
The holiday season brings together friends, cousins, grandparents, and chosen family. It is a time filled with traditions, celebrations, and the kind of memories families look forward to all year. For FOXG1 families, these gatherings can also come with unique challenges. Many children with FOXG1 syndrome have mobility differences, sensory sensitivities, feeding needs, or medical equipment that make typical holiday environments feel overwhelming.
Most loved ones genuinely want to help. They want to create a space where every child feels comfortable, included, and safe. Sometimes they just need gentle guidance on what that support can look like.
This resource was created to help. It offers simple ways to make gatherings more accessible and supportive, so FOXG1 families can enjoy the season with less stress and more connection.
1. Create a Calm and Sensory Friendly Environment
Holiday gatherings can be loud and full of stimulation. Many FOXG1 kids do best when they have a quiet place to take a break. A calm corner with dim lighting, a soft blanket, or a comfy chair gives families a space to go when things become too overwhelming. Making small adjustments, like lowering the TV volume or choosing softer background music, also helps children settle in more easily. These small changes offer comfort during what can be a very busy time of year.
2. Make Sure the Space Is Safe and Easy to Move Through
Mobility varies widely in the FOXG1 community. Creating accessible space makes holiday gatherings smoother for everyone. Clearing hallways, widening pathways, and moving small furniture pieces or holiday decorations helps wheelchairs or strollers move freely. Picking up loose rugs, toys, and cords removes trip hazards for children who use gait trainers, standers, or who walk with assistance.
It also helps to think about accessibility from the moment a family arrives. Offering a close parking spot, clearing snow or ice from walkways, and making sure there is a clear, safe way into the home helps families start the gathering with ease. Inside the home, providing stable seating options or making space for a wheelchair at the main table allows the child to be part of the celebration.
3. Support Feeding, Supplies, and Medical Needs
Many FOXG1 families travel with medical bags, feeding supplies, syringes, diapers, wipes, chargers, and more. Offering a clean, designated space for these items helps parents stay organized and relaxed. Asking ahead about feeding needs, such as needing an outlet for a feeding pump or a surface for preparing feeds, shows thoughtful care. Even simple acts like helping carry bags inside can make a big difference during arrival. These moments of support help families feel welcomed rather than overwhelmed.
4. Be Flexible With Timing and Transitions
During the holidays, routines often shift. For some FOXG1 kids, that can be difficult. Giving families flexibility helps them enjoy gatherings while honoring their child’s needs. They may need to arrive early to get settled, arrive late to avoid overstimulation, or step away for breaks throughout the day. If the family needs to leave earlier than planned because of seizures, fatigue, or sensory overload, the most supportive thing a host can offer is understanding and kindness. Flexibility removes pressure and makes families feel cared for.
5. Keep Inclusion at the Heart of the Gathering
The goal of any holiday celebration is connection. Simple gestures can help every child feel part of the fun. Choosing low pressure group activities, clearing space for accessible seating, or preparing a calm, pet free moment for arrival can make things smoother for everyone. If the child has a history of seizures, asking the family ahead of time how best to respond can offer reassurance without requiring hosts to manage medical care. These small acts of inclusion help build memories that everyone can cherish.
A Season of Thoughtful Connection
December is filled with celebrations across many cultures and traditions. Every gathering is an opportunity to show support, understanding, and love for families living with FOXG1 syndrome. When hosts take a few simple steps to make their homes more accessible and welcoming, it creates a sense of ease that families carry with them long after the holiday lights come down.
Families in our community are encouraged to share this resource with friends, relatives, and loved ones. Together we can create spaces where all children feel comfortable and included, and where the season truly reflects the spirit of togetherness.
If you would like to learn more about FOXG1 syndrome or support the work of the FOXG1 Research Center, you can visit our research page or donate to the FOXG1 Research Foundation.
FOXG1 Research Center is dedicated to understanding and finding treatments for FOXG1 syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Our Team
Drs. Soo-Kyung Lee, PhD. and Jae W. Lee, PhD. are the principal investigators of FOXG1 Research Center. Our team is full of dedicated individuals with the common goal of studying FOXG1 Syndrome to find treatment options and further understand the condition.
Our Publications
To learn more details about our research, please refer to our publications.
