Seeking Moms with Child in Sling/brace for Legs

My daughter has cerebral palsy and I understand about the worry of their development. I don't have advice as far as the brace but one of the best things I did for my daughter was to find our local Infant Program. It really depends on each area as to what it is named but you can usually find it thru your local Health Department or Mental Health Department. It is called Early Intervention and they help with physical therapy, occupational therapy and other therapys you may not need. I also found it a great way to meet other parents in the program. My daughter is now 14 and I am still friends with parents I met when she was 6 mths old.

Your daughter may be delayed in walking but the therapist will give you things to do to get her ready to walk once the doctor says it is OK for her to start trying. He may want to wait on her walking until her hip is ready. I know how it breaks your heart that she may not do things at the normal pace but you also don't want things to cause her pain. My daughter had to have hip surgery at 5 because her hip came out of joint due to muscle tone from the cerebral palsy. Not an easy thing to go thru but she always jumps back very fast. I think faster than my heart does. Good luck and I will keep you in my prayers.

i used to work with children with special needs birth to 3 y/o and i would strongly recommend that you get connected with you local early intervention program. i think here it is done through the county and it may be called babynet. t will give you lots of support,connections and ideas. best of luck, you willboth adapt and do well.
M.

I'm suprised your DR. did not awnser this question?
I'm not certain about this item but usually kids will learn it anyway look at the kida with hadicap they learn it too. But honest a good peiatrition should take the time to listen and awnser all questions.
I meet a lot of Mom;s at the park...........

My daughter, now 16 months old, had hip dysplasia when she was born. The hip sockets were not fully developed and they "clicked". The doctor said that there were 4 factors that led to this condition; 1)being breech, 2)being the first born child??, 3)being a girl, and 4)hereditary (I too wore the brace when I was a baby). We were 4 for 4. The condition was noticed during the first exam, right at birth, and an orthopedic doctor came to see her the next day. The doctor put her in a Pavlik Harness full time for 6 weeks. Then another 6 weeks part time (12 hrs). Developmentally she is fine. She started walking, just a few steps at a time for about a week, at 12 months then went back to cruising only. At her 1 yr check up with the orthopedic doctor, her hips were completely normal. The socket had fully developed. By 14 months she was walking full time. And now she sometimes runs and does her version of hopping. While my daughter was in and out of the harness much earlier, I wore the same harness when I was about your daughters age. I'm not sure exactly when I started walking but I can assure you I've had no further problems with my hips in my 24 years. Don't worry if your daughter doesn't hit the milestones (crawling,walking, etc.) at the same time as other kids her age; she will in her own time. In a couple of years, you'll look back on this; and if you still have the harness in a keepsake box, you'll look at it and think, "was she really that small?". Hope my rambling helped.

Hey C.,

When I was a baby I wore braces on my legs just like your daughter. My legs turned out fine, they weren't developmentally delayed or anything, in fact I was walking at 8 months. The only thing that I've ever noticed is that if I get really tired I will sometimes walk a little pigeon toed. It was hard on my parents, but they said I was fine, I crawled with them, like an army crawl. She'll be fine, it's hard to see but it's the best for her!

My nephew had to have the same thing. He walked fine. It was amazing. I think it was tougher on mom. He got used to having it although he always looked so uncomfortable, but once it was off he did not have any developmental delays at all.

Our neighbor wore the same kind of brace (sounds like) she was walking by 10 months!! She only wore it at night though.