Friday Free-for-All: Speak Up on Babywearing, Bad Days, Thankfulness

Friday November 21, 2008

The opportunities for spouting off on this site have grown over the years from the forum to blog comments to article add-ons. I'm going to take Fridays to highlight a few contributions each week to try and get everybody in on the conversation.

Getting a number of good comments was a post on babywearing, a topic giving Motrin marketers a headache just now. I asked readers if they had done this with their special-needs children, and commenter JenRink had a lot of experience to share:

My newest child is 8 months old and has Prader-Willi Syndrome. I knew the minute she was born that the BabyBjorn was out of the question. I had a MobyWrap, an Over the Shoulder Baby-Holder, and a KangarooCorner pouch when she was born but ended up buying a MetroMama Wrap (two actually) and a Wrap'n'Wear after she was born -- mainly out of grief at the diagnosis. ... I haven't been able to wear her as much as I'd like, her severe hypotonia has made it really tricky to fit her into some of the wraps, she practically folds over on herself no matter what I do. When it works, it's awesome and I wouldn't trade it for the world, but mostly I've just had to carry her in my arms a lot. Now that her tone is improving and her head control is better I'm really hoping that I'll be able to wear her more full-time."

Reader Sylrayj highlights the convenience factor:

When I take her to speech therapy or OT, she always falls asleep on the bus ride home. It's so much easier to be wearing her in the baby sling and just tuck her in close to bring her the rest of the way home, than to carry a sleeping child and stroller off the bus, open up the stroller while carrying a sleeping child, and then tuck her in."

But Diane probably speaks for a lot of parents when she writes: "Because of the boundary issues my youngest daughter has, I guess the idea of literally being attached to my child just makes me cringe. If it works for someone else though, I think that's great. I'm a big fan of 'whatever works.'" Does babywearing work for you? Add your thoughts to these comments.

Cringing at the lack of certainty about her child's behavior and diagnosis is forum poster HopeAnn36, who writes in a message titled "My DD":

I just don't know if I can keep going. I am tired. I am exhausted. You think you know the problem and then someone says wait what about this. So many tests. She is getting more difficult by the day. Today she won't eat because her tooth is loose. I just want to give up.

Have you been there, done that, survived it somehow? Stop by the forum to give this parent some hope and guidance.

With Thanksgiving on the horizon (I know, I can't believe it's less than a week away, either), it's a good time to look at our lives with whatever gratitude we can muster. I asked for thoughts on what you're thankful for about your child with special needs, and have received some really beautiful replies, including this one from Lori:

I am so grateful to be able to appreciate a quiet moment -- I absorb it fully. I am so grateful for my 10-year-old son, who's made this so. His needs are a great challenge to deal with each day but with each day, I'm given the opportunity to learn much greater lessons -- and they bring me infinite peace, love and joy. I am grateful.

Add the joy you feel in your child to the list by going to the Readers Share page and waxing inspirational.

What's on your mind today? What are you up to this weekend? It's Friday, and time's for wasting. Dump your spare thoughts in the comments here.

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