1. Sleepy Wrap (now called Boba Wrap)
http://store.bobafamily.com/baby-wrap/?show=features
I loved being able to wear Oliver in a sling when he was little. A pouch sling worked for awhile, but once he got his braces on the pouch didn't work. I ended up getting a Sleepy Wrap, which is similar to a Moby wrap. It worked so well for us. The Sleepy Wrap was stretchy, so it was very easy to get his braces in and out of the wrap.
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| I loved this wrap! It was so easy to get Oliver in and out with his braces on. |
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| Love my sweet, blue-eyed boy. |
2. Beco Butterfly Soft-Structured Carrier
http://www.becobabycarrier.com/index.asp
This was another carrier that I got when Oliver was about 4 months old. They don't make this specific style anymore, but I have heard others say that the Beco Gemini is good for clubfoot babies. Again, since baby Max will most likely be wearing a bar and boots brace instead of KAFO braces like Oliver, this could make a difference. The Beco Butterfly carrier opened up nicely and I could easily get him in and out with the bulky braces. But I know some soft structured carriers have the baby's legs spread too wide for a bar and boots brace to work. I loved my Beco, and still have it, so I'll give it a try with Max and see how it goes.
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| Oliver was just in braces at night at this point, but he loved this carrier and so did I. |
3. Snap PJs
Any PJs that snapped completely down the legs on both sides (no cuffs) were essential for Oliver. Some PJs would snap down only one leg, or they would snap almost to the bottom but have a cuff, and those didn't work well at all. In order to change his diaper I would have to take them completely off, since Oliver couldn't bend his legs to get them out of the PJs when he had his braces on. We also used some sleeping gowns during the early weeks when he was in his casts.
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| Snap PJs and outfits were great for Oliver! |
4. Sling Bath Mat
It took some practice to give Oliver a bath with his casts on. We mainly did sponge baths, but I liked being able to put him in the bath tub instead of getting everything ready and carrying it to another place. But giving a baby a bath when you can't get any part of their legs or feet wet can be interesting.
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| Bath time! |
5. Jumperoo
For Oliver's first Christmas, my parents got him a Fisher Price rainforest jumperoo. He would go nuts in this thing! I loved how much it worked his leg muscles.
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| He loved bouncing. :) |
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| All smiles! |
6. Stretchy Pants
Any kind of pants Oliver wore had to be really stretchy to fit over his casts or braces. Sometimes we could find jeans that fit, but that wasn't often. Pants like these from Carter's were great for him.
7. Socks
Socks became a slight obsession as well. It seemed as though once I found socks that worked the best for him and his braces, I would buy several pairs every time I went to the store. Socks had to be long (no cute ankle socks) and thin (no fuzzy or thick socks). Especially at first, Oliver's feet and legs would sweat a lot and we changed his socks constantly. The $1 socks from Target became our favorite.
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| Anyone who has shopped for a baby at Target has seen a display like this. We owned a TON of these socks! Image from www.alittlesimplicity.com |
8. Bumbo. This did and didn't work for us. The leg openings were a bit small, so if he sat in it with his braces, he would sometimes get stuck. But Oliver loved it, so we made it work. It was really nice for restaurants, too. We kept an extra Bumbo in the trunk of our car and would always ask for a booth at a restaurant. It was easier to get him in and out of the Bumbo than a highchair.
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| Oliver's first time in a Bumbo...and you can also see how the footy pants looked over his braces. They fit, technically, but you can tell how bulky they were underneath the pants. |
Things that Didn't Work For Us...
*Short, thick socks. They didn't give Oliver's legs enough coverage in the braces and were too hot and sweaty.
*Tight pants or pants with cuffs. They needed to be stretchy to fit over his casts or braces.
*Baby bathtubs. I had to keep the water off of his legs, so baths in general were not easy. The baby bathtub sling like I mentioned above was what worked best, but still wasn't the easiest.
*Pouch slings. They worked ok when he was in casts (still not easy) but his legs didn't fit in them once he had braces.
*Shoes. All those cute little baby shoes? Yeah, Oliver couldn't wear any of them. He didn't get his first pair of shoes until he was 8 months old. I remember seeing all the little girl shoes and thinking I was glad I didn't have a girl because I'd be so sad to not get to use those cute little dress shoes!
*Footy PJs. Soooo many pajamas have feet, or only snap/zip down one leg. None of those worked for Oliver, so when I found something that worked, I stocked up.
There were also certain high chairs and things like that that didn't work well with Oliver's braces. Since he couldn't bend his legs, it made shopping carts and chairs hard to get him in and out of. I was so very thankful that he liked being worn in carriers because it made my life much easier.
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