Adjustable bar?

[Guest guest]

We have the gold bar and I am wondering if I should request an adjustable

bar since my son is growing so fast. Is one better than the other?

At 02:38 PM 8/17/2004 +0200, you wrote:

>,

>

>I really sympathise, it's so hard when you can't get them to sleep and

>you're also sleep deprived. has been in his FAB for 15 months now

>and it really hasn't been too difficult an adjustment, so don't be

>discouraged, it will get better once you've found what suits him best.

>

>When started in his FAB it took him a full 48 hours to adjust to

>them at night. He kept on waking up - very angry - every hour or so. I

>found it was best to sleep with him lying stomach to stomach on me,

>still waking every 2 hours or so. We did this for two nights until he

>adjusted and could sleep on his own again. During this time, we also

>gave him Calpol before bedtime, a mild pain reliever (paracetamol) to

>help him with the irritation he was feeling.

>

>My troubleshooting tips:

>

>First rule out any discomfort from the shoes caused by the feet not

>being fully corrected initially, or blisters from the shoes not being

>fitted correctly and the heel moving inside the shoe.

>

>You'll probably see this if his heel doesn't sit nicely flat inside the

>shoe. Try unlacing the shoes completely once, taking out the flap so

>you can hold the shoe open and see how his foot sits in the shoe. For

>the first few days of shoe fitting, I drew a line across where his toes

>reached with a pen so I could see that I had his foot in properly. If

>he has bad red or purple marks that don't disappear after a few hours,

>there's pressure somewhere that's bothering and could possibly cause

>blisters. We were lucky that this never happened to .

>

>Then check that the bar width is comfortable for him. We do our

>measurement from outside heel to heel = shoulder width, but the written

>instructions from Iowa are to use the measurement between the centre

>bolts (under the heel) = shoulder width. You'll have to experiment and

>see what suits him best. has always been heel to heel so he's

>probably got used to it, but I know that all the new babies being

>treated here in South Africa are having bolt to bolt fitted from the

>start and are comfortable. It's really quite amazing the difference

>having the correct bar length makes. Whenever we've needed to adjust

>it, is immediately more comfortable and sleeps through again.

>

>We moved out of his crib after a few months because as he got more

>agile and moved around a lot more, he would get the bar stuck between

>the bars at night, get frustrated and wake up crying. He has slept in a

>big travel cot (pack & play type) since he was 11 months old. We

>discovered this worked while on holiday in December, when he slept like

>a dream, so we never took him out of it again. I sold his original crib

>in January! We put in a thicker cot mattress to make it more

>comfortable for him. It works really well, because he leans his shoes

>against the sides of the cot and sleeps in the strangest positions but

>he's always comfortable! We'll keep him in this until it gets too small

>and he can move to a bed.

>

>Some babies are naturally difficult sleepers, FAB or not. We were lucky

>that was an easy baby. But at any time that he has had sleeping

>troubles (unless he's teething or sick), it's usually been the bar width

>needing to be adjusted or needing bigger shoes because his feet have

>grown, or adjusting to the new size shoes (anything different in the

>FAB routine seems to bug him for the first night).

>

>I don't know how far you are down the line in his FAB wear, but we were

>also told to use two pairs of thin socks for the first three days out of

>casts, which helped. Also, not to put any cream on his feet at all even

>if the skin seems dry because it's uncomfortable for them and can cause

>sliding in the shoe.

>

>As far as propping up with pillows, we were told to do this when he was

>in casts (putting a rolled up towel under the knee stops the heel from

>having too much pressure) but we have never used anything to support the

>FAB. He seems to dislike any restrictions in the bed and enjoys the

>freedom of swinging his bar until he gets into a comfortable position.

>Usually he either sleeps like a frog on his tummy, with feet pulled up

>under and knees bent, or lying on his side against the side of the cot,

>resting the upper foot against the side.

>

>We were told by the Iowa staff to make the FAB part of his sleep routine

>from the start and never to change that routine (not to take it off if

>he cries, etc - obviously once you have ruled out any bad discomfort

>that could cause blisters). So, since was little I put his shoes

>on when he's having his last milk at night, and ready to wind down a

>little. Now that he's older, the FAB has become so much a part of our

>routine, that it's become a signal for bedtime, he brings me his shoes

>and as I start putting them on he starts to get sleepy, which really

>helps now that he's a very active 18 month old toddler!

>

>All babies are different, but I hope that some of this has helped you.

>

>Good luck

>

> and

>24th Jan 2003 bilateral cf, treated by Dr Ponseti

>www.clubfoot.co.za

>

>

> " L. Zezzo " sxc168@...> wrote:

>My son is having such a difficult time getting himself to sleep with the

>

>DBB. Do you have any suggestions such as propping his legs up with

>.pillows? (I am doing this now and he is screaming as I type). If

>anyone

>has any tricks up their sleeves, please share.

>Thanks!

> and Cole (bi-lateral clubfeet and 33 weeker)

>

>

>

>

>

>

>