Re: beginning bar length for a 3 1/2 month old

[Guest guest]

Carol, my little guy started out in the s and the distance of the bar

was about 8 " . Since he has been out of this last correction cast, I lengthened

the bar by another inch. So now it's 9 " long from center screw to center screw.

I did this because I noticed he was a little more irritated with the shoes than

he had been before he went into the last cast. It really seemed to do the trick.

He's no longer kicking his legs in frustration and is a lot happier. He, too is

3 1/2 months old.

Carol wrote: In reading posts about bar length, I

was wondering what length of bar

most babies start out at and feel comfortable with. is 3 1/2

months old and is in the FAB at a length of 8 inches,

measured from the middle of each heel. It is at the shortest

setting. She is still adjusting to the shoes but seems comfortable

during the day anyway. I tried briefly lengthening the bar at the

beginning of the adjustment period, but it seemed to make her angry.

Just curious what other people have found that works to see if we are

within the norm.

Carol and , bcf, 10-27-05

[Guest guest]

We started at 10 " when Grace was 2mos. We moved up to 11 " when she was

about 6mos and are now at 13.5 " (adjustable bar - one side at 14 " and

one at 13 " ).

& Grace 18mos

urcf FAB 13 hrs

>

> In reading posts about bar length, I was wondering what length of bar

> most babies start out at and feel comfortable with. is 3 1/2

> months old and is in the FAB at a length of 8 inches,

> measured from the middle of each heel. It is at the shortest

> setting. She is still adjusting to the shoes but seems comfortable

> during the day anyway. I tried briefly lengthening the bar at the

> beginning of the adjustment period, but it seemed to make her angry.

> Just curious what other people have found that works to see if we are

> within the norm.

>

> Carol and , bcf, 10-27-05

>

[Guest guest]

Carol,

It varies so much from child to child because they are all different

sizes and shapes. One person's 3 month old might be the same size as

someone else's 7 month old, weight and height may play a factor but

ultimately it is shoulder width that matters. My son has broad

shoulders and is tall (95th percentile), he started off in a 12 " bar

(with his heels 10 inches apart) at around 2 1/2 months. Now, at 16

months I couldn't tell you the measurement, I just widen the bar as

needed when I see it is getting too narrow.

It usually seems more comfortable for the babies to err on the longer

side, too short almost always causes discomfort and slipping. The

main problem with TOO long is that it won't hold dorsiflexion.

I think the absolute easiest way to measure this is to have the baby

sit up, facing away from you and hold the brace up to their back,

heels facing in. There's a picture of this in the tips document,

which if you don't already have it, you can see it here:

http://members.tripod.com/ponseti_links-ivil/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles\

/fab_tips_10_05_05.pdf

If the shoulders fit nicely between the heels of the shoes you are

probably right on.

There is an ongoing discussion about where to measure from, is it heel

to heel, bolt to bolt, or what? The global-help booklet says " The

distance between the heels of the shoes equals the width of the baby's

shoulders. " My son seems to like his just tiny bit wider than this.

Night waking caused by the shoes is almost always a bar length issue

if the baby is otherwise comfortable during the day. You might try

widening the bar right before you put her to bed and see if she sleeps

better with it wider and then how she adjusts to it the next morning.

Hope this helps,

>

> In reading posts about bar length, I was wondering what length of bar

> most babies start out at and feel comfortable with. is 3 1/2

> months old and is in the FAB at a length of 8 inches,

> measured from the middle of each heel. It is at the shortest

> setting. She is still adjusting to the shoes but seems comfortable

> during the day anyway. I tried briefly lengthening the bar at the

> beginning of the adjustment period, but it seemed to make her angry.

> Just curious what other people have found that works to see if we are

> within the norm.

>

> Carol and , bcf, 10-27-05

>