I posted a couple of months back about my 13 month old not being able to sit, well I am happy to announce he has started seeing a Paediatrician, Physio and an OT. We are still waiting for a few test results but they are pretty sure he has cerebral palsy. We are waiting for an appointment to see a rehab team in Brisbane and he will have splints made for his legs next month. I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who commented, it made fight harder to get the answers we needed :)
Now I need help with a few other things if possible: 1) As summer gets closer we are spending more time in the pool but DS freaks out whenever we try to put him in the pool. Is there anything we can do to relax him enough to start enjoying being in the water? He doesn't have a problem in the bath but maybe he feels safe in there as he lays down and has a solid base under him
2) As we are spending more time outside I need to find something to sit him in as he cant get around by himself. He has grown too big for his walker (which he hates) and he doesn't have the balance to sit in his Smart trike. We did buy a camping highchair but as DS has big thighs he doesn't in the legs holes. Are there any products on the market for older kids to sit in that has an activity centre attached? TIA xxx
5 Replies
Oh wow, I'm glad you got a diagnosis. Good on you for pushing.
With swimming, have you tried sitting him in one of those doughnut/tyre floaties for adults, some of them have a fully closed in circle so he can sit in or lie in it without his legs being in the water, you could then gradually put water in it so it is like a bath and move to floating it in the pool. The water is likely to be colder than bath water too so that could be the issue.
Does he fit in a stroller still? Otherwise there are larger strollers you can purchase that might do what you want. I'd start here if you can't find something on the mainstream market.
https://www.cerebralpalsy.org.au/services/all-programs-and-services/assi...
Thank you for commenting and the link :) I didn't think about the water temp. Our local pool is heated but is colder than the bath. I was thinking he might feel safer in the bath because is touching the bottom and in the pool he cant touch. I will try putting him in a doughnut next time we are out there
We have tried putting him in a stroller but because he cant sit up (slumps or falls to the side) he doesn't tolerate it for long. I will contact the number on the link Monday to see what they have to offer. Thank you again xxx
can you prop him in the stroller with foam wedges, or cut up pool noodles, or towels or blankets rolled up?
I was going to suggest the same :-) a 4yr old I know with cerebral palsy uses cut up pool noodles either side of him to help him stay upright in the stroller
Good luck Mumma it's great you finally know what's going on an can access help and find ways around it now
I'd invest in a really good quality picnic rug which is easy to clean TBH