The Sensory Overload of Child-Rearing

In 2024, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory about the mental health and well-being of parents. The advisory noted that parents experienced high levels of stress before the COVID19 pandemic, and the pandemic contributed to additional stressors for parents. The stress of parenting has left many parents and families feeling exhausted and burned out. In our own work, we found that in autumn 2021, as families emerged from COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, more than half of parents reported their stress level had increased since before the pandemic.

One aspect of child rearing that parents often talk about but has received little research is their own sensory overload. Sensory overload, also known as overstimulation, happens when a person’s five senses are taking in sights, sounds, smells, touches and tastes, and it feels like too much for the brain to handle. We wanted to learn more about experiences of sensory overload, so we asked over 1,000 Illinois parents about the kinds of things that cause them to feel like their senses are taking in too much for their brain to handle when child rearing. Parents from all across the state, both urban and rural areas, were included in the survey.

Report Highlights

• Nearly three in four Illinois parents experience sensory overload related to child-rearing.
• The most common causes of parents’ sensory overload were: children arguing, loud noise level from children, and messiness from toys and clutter.
• Parents who were employed and those who were married were more likely to experience sensory overload related to child-rearing compared with parents who were not employed or not married.

What are the causes of sensory overload among parents?

In total, 72% of Illinois parents reported that they felt sensory overload from at least one source (Figure 1). The most common reasons parents felt sensory overload were children arguing or not getting along with each other (42%); loud noise levels from children playing, yelling or crying (37%); and messiness from toys and clutter (36%) (Figure 2). Other reasons parents experienced sensory overload included noise from things like television, toys and music (30%); children talking at the same time (29%); and feeling “touched out” from children wanting to be held or climbing on the parent (16%).

What else did parents say about sensory overload in parenting?

Parents told us about some of the specific triggers and combinations of triggers that cause them to feel overstimulated. One parent noted that lots of “noises all at the same time, like talking, yelling, television, toys” caused sensory overload. Another noted that they experienced sensory overload during homework struggles with their child.

Related to messiness and clutter, a parent noted that “everything is sticky or covered in cheese or ketchup.” Parents also shared experiences of facing competing demands in the family from “kids, spouse and dog simultaneously.” The complicated logistics of family life also felt overstimulating for parents: “the demands of managing commuting to schools, sports, activities, and the demands placed on parents to engage with schools for drives, donations, volunteering, etc.” Some parents mentioned that they experience sensory overload from managing their child’s mental health or disability needs.

Some parents feel more sensory overload than others

Having more children was associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing sensory overload: 80% of parents with three or more children experienced sensory overload, compared with 73% of parents with two children and 69% of parents with one child. The likelihood of experiencing sensory overload did not differ by the ages of children in the household; parents with only young children and parents with teenagers were about equally likely to experience sensory overload. Mothers and fathers also experienced sensory overload at about the same levels.

Parents who were married were slightly more likely to experience sensory overload (76%) than single parents (67%). Parents in metropolitan areas in the state were more likely to report experiencing sensory overload (75%) compared with parents in more rural areas (55%). In addition, parents with a college degree or above were more likely to experience sensory overload (81%) than parents with some college or technical school (70%) or a high school education or below (62%). Similarly, parents who were employed were more likely to experience sensory overload (75%) than parents who were not employed (62%).

What can parents do to combat sensory overload?

Parents can deal with sensory overload in a variety of ways. Below, we list some tips that may be helpful.

• Understand your triggers. Knowing what kinds of things are likely to make you feel overstimulated can help you avoid those triggers and develop a plan for how to cope with overstimulation when you can’t avoid them. 
• Prioritize downtime and self care. Try to fit downtime into your daily schedule. This might include waking up earlier to have some quiet time at the start of the day, scheduling walks during the workday to get fresh air or practicing meditation. 
• Be strategic with your family schedule. If possible, try not to schedule back-to-back activities that will be overstimulating or demand a lot of your energy.

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