slinging babies with special needs

mountainskymama · 07-07-2006, 11:49 PM

hey mamas, i need help!

i posted in the parenting section, but then found this section which seems to be much more appropriate!

i had a story related to me about a mom who has a baby (4mo) with "developmental delays" (do not yet have details on that). the agency that the family goes to has told them that they should definitely NOT be slinging a baby with special needs.

in all of the work and research i have done with the parenting resource non-profit i am a part of, i haven't found come across any info. stating this to be true. i have found bits and pieces that talk about kangaroo care and things like that, but nothing specifically regarding babies born with disabilities or with developmental delays.

i would love any direction towards websites or books that may be of help. i'd like to get a good bit of information so that i can put together a packet/presentation that the workers at the agency can be presented with so they are more equipped to answer questions and provide accurate info to their consumers.

blessings!

kdabbler · 07-08-2006, 08:14 AM

I would love to help but can't offer any research on special needs babywearing except to look at the research of Kirkilionis, who did research on bbw in general. You can get a synopsis here: http://www.storchenwiege.com/babycarrierresearch.htm

Try posting you request on thebabywearer.com as well. It would also help to know the nature of the baby's needs.

Lou · 07-08-2006, 11:20 AM

i'm interested in this, also. i babywear my deaf babe, and feel strongly that babywearing is a really amazing way to foster connection and communication.

Finch · 07-08-2006, 12:02 PM

Why on EARTH would babywearing be "bad" for a SN child???

I don't get it. I really don't.

My son was/is develpmentally delayed, etc., and babywearing was one of the best things we did for him.

s_kristina · 07-08-2006, 12:41 PM

That sounds pretty odd, but I do know of one child like that. She is autistic and has cerbral palsy among other issues. Being held so close in a sling or other carrier could set her off in to a raging fit when she was little. There were times when she liked slings though and they were a huge help when she was a big 2 year old that couldn't walk.

Finch · 07-08-2006, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s_kristina

That sounds pretty odd, but I do know of one child like that. She is autistic and has cerbral palsy among other issues. Being held so close in a sling or other carrier could set her off in to a raging fit when she was little. There were times when she liked slings though and they were a huge help when she was a big 2 year old that couldn't walk.

Huh. Well I can understand not bwing if your child's temperment doesn't suit it, like if it freaks them out or whatever. But someone making a blanket statement that bwing SN children in general is bad is just odd.

Putting ds in the sling after OT or any other time he's stressed is a lifesaver. He needs that good squeeze. Plus he won't hold hands or listen, so there are some places I *cannot* let him walk around, and he HATES the stroller. Without my sling my arms would surely fall off.

mountainskymama · 07-08-2006, 02:39 PM

hi mamas,

i know! i was dumbfounded to hear that someone would tell a mother she was inhibiting the development of her child by slinging. as director of community education at the non-profit i work with, my co-director and i give a babywearing presentation for our community members. we briefly address the needs of special needs children and how babywearing is a benefit, not a hindrance to their growth. i am going to put together a packet of information on babywearing to distribute to agencies that work with babies and children with special needs and developmental disabilities. i have already done the research for our babywearing presentation & workshop, but would like to find info. that directly focuses on babies with special needs. it is my hope that the agencies will hold in-service trainings that we could present our research at to give them some tools for their "tool boxes" so as to give families accurate information, not make them doubt what their instincts are telling them.

i did get more info, and after i heard this i was sure that the woman who made the statement had good intentions, but was just completely uninformed. the baby is 4 mos old, developmentally 2 mos. apparently her babies are born with large heads, and so until their bodies catch up, reach developmental milestones a bit later than most. however, her ped. said this was completely normal for her babies. the mom was still concerned however, so she went to an agency for another opinion and some help. well, a woman who works there made a comment like "well, he's probably behind because you're wearing him in that sling too much." thankfully, she is still following her gut and slinging her baby, but she also has an unsupportive family, and so i am sure is really doubting herself and her instincts.

all of the research i have done shows that babies worn in slings do not need tummy time, which is a popular misconception. i think that is what this woman thought. that because of the lack of tummy time, she did not understand how the baby would get stronger and be able to hold up his head. like i said, she is obviously misinformed, or not informed at all.

would anyone be willing to allow me to use your quotes about how babywearing has positively impacted your lives on a "testimonials" page that i could put into our packet? perhaps i would just use first names and locations or something like that. let me know - pm me if you would like to participate with a short blurb about how wearing your baby with special needs has been a benefit.

thank you all! blessings and love!

Finch · 07-08-2006, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainskymama

the mom was still concerned however, so she went to an agency for another opinion and some help. well, a woman who works there made a comment like "well, he's probably behind because you're wearing him in that sling too much." thankfully, she is still following her gut and slinging her baby, but she also has an unsupportive family, and so i am sure is really doubting herself and her instincts.

Sigh. My son's head has always been in the 99th percentile. He was late crawling, sitting up, and walking because yes, it's harder to do all that with a big melon head

. Duh.

I would absolutely be willing to let you publish my comments in a brochure, you can use my first name, my location, and my son's diagnosis if you wish.

Lou · 07-09-2006, 10:34 AM

i would love to share my thoughts on this, too, if you'd like to have a perspective on babywearing deaf children. when i get a bit more time, i'll type up something a bit more concise.

Kathi13 · 07-09-2006, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountainskymama

the baby is 4 mos old, developmentally 2 mos. apparently her babies are born with large heads, and so until their bodies catch up, reach developmental milestones a bit later than most.

My DD was born 12 weeks premature - which put her almost 3 months behind developmentally for the first year and half of her life. She also had the misfortune (

) to inherit her Fathers "pumpkin head" - MIL's words not mine. She still measures below the 5th % for height/weight but her head has always been around the 50th %. After her first couple of head CTs were clean in the NICU we finally convinced Drs that it is just her! Her Ped is not concerned because I finally brought a baby photo of DH into one of her appts.

Anyway....DD came home at less than 5lbs and on O2 - I wore her everywere - except at home when she was napping or DH or someone was holding her. I considered this a continuation of the Kangaroo Care that we practiced in the NICU. I don't have any formal studies or research to suggest to you - but I know in my gut that along with BFing, wearing my DD did much to HELP her developmentally catch-up. Her Physical Therapist was all for it - as long as she did her excercises - which we did of course. She is now a very healthy 25m old - who except for being on the small side (with still a large head) is doing great.

musicmaj · 07-13-2006, 02:39 PM

I just want to chime in and say that bwing my autistic son was the BEST thing I could have done for him when he was little. He is 4.5 now and I still pop him on my back when he needs it.

jenrose · 07-14-2006, 05:08 AM

I wear my Shiny a lot... HOWEVER... there is some truth to what they say, FOR SOME BABIES.

I do not wear Shiny as much as I might a typically developing kid, in part because she's never been as clingy as my older dd was, but also because with her low muscle tone, we're *always* looking for ways for her to gain strength and work on developmental skills, and she just didn't, for a long time, do *anything* unless she was just a little less snug. At her current developmental stage, slinging is mostly for going somewhere she can't be put down, otherwise she needs the floortime to build strength because it takes her twice as long to gain half the muscle strength. A mei tai tends to support her so well that she just doesn't bother supporting herself, while interfering with her using her hands.

Those who know me know exactly how much of an advocate of babywearing I am. But I think it's more important to balance a love of babywearing with what an individual child needs. For most kids, slinging is good, even if they have special needs. But in some circumstances, not so much.

I consider it the ultimate irony that *I* have the one kid in the universe who doesn't like to sleep in a sling. Or moving. Or touching my body in any way for that matter. Truly strange.