Wiggling out of Dobbs brace at 13 months

[Guest guest]

I really need help, and this seems to be the place.

My son Connor is 13 months old, unilateral RCF. We live in St.

Louis and see Dr. Dobbs. For the most part, the casting went

smoothly. Stupidly, I had a " cast off " party after the final cast

thinking that we were entering an easier phase. It has only gotten

progressively worse.

Ever since Connor got the Dobbs brace at about 4 months, he has

managed to wiggle his non-club foot out of the brace, almost every

night. I spent practically my entire 4 month maternity leave at the

O & P. They would tell me it wasn't tight enough - - believe me, it

was tight enough. They would tell me Connor was one of the very few

babies who had trouble keeping the Dobbs brace on (some good news,

we haven't had any blister problems). If he doesn't wiggle out, he

screams and cries all through the night, sometimes every 30 minutes,

sometimes every 2 hours, causing my husband and me to be truly at

our whits end, exhausted, upset, hoping our 2 1/2 year old doesn't

wake up....you know the drill.

We have tried everything. Higher boots, 4 straps per boot instead

of 3, straps going different directions (2 to the left, 2 to the

right), taping the insert around his foot, velcro across the insert

to hold it in place, changing the straps a hundred way, the lace-up

shoes (an equal disaster), a complete " do over " of the boots, thick

socks-thin socks-double socks-sock over the insert... and now my

latest trial and error being the cut around ankle sock so the front

half of his foot is barefoot (with less than a week of this cut sock

routine, we are at 50/50 success). I also started keeping his

regular shoes on him all day about a month ago so he gets used to

shoes on his feet all the time.

It is a miracle to us the unpredictable times Connor sleeps through

the night. (we still wake up, waiting!) When he does sleep through

the night, more than 70% of the time it is because he has kicked off

his boot and we have no idea what time this took place - we hope in

the early morning hours. For awhile, he sounded like a whale: thump

thump thump against his bed. Now he can do it silently. This just

doesn't seem right to me. It shouldn't be this " difficult " - should

it??

The width of his brace seems appropriate (have had that problem

before). His angles are correct at 70 degrees for the nonclubfoot

and 45 for the clubfoot (We have had that problem before, too). His

heel is down. I pull up his toes to make sure. Then flatten his

toes so they aren't scrunched. His insert has a ramp on the toes and

a cushion for his heel to hold it snug and a hole punched out of the

heel so that his heel bone doesn't rub (Connor's heel bone protrudes

on his non-club foot). Ha! I just can't imagine what else to do,

nor can anyone at O & P or Dobbs office.

Last time I went to see Dr. Dobbs for his one year check-up a few

weeks ago, suggested keeping the brace on him for 24 hours

a day so he gets used to it. I sobbed. Get used to it? They have

got to be kidding me. All I want to say is " you come spend the

night at my house. " For 9 months we have been trying to " get used

to it " with many, many, many hysterical nights or the the other

dreaded [but welcome] silence: Connor is sleeping, but sleeping

without both feet in the brace.

Has anyone else had problems like this in the Dobbs brace? Has

anyone else put their 1+ year old back in the brace 24/7 and had

better luck? The idea is terrifying to me.

Any other suggestions for me? I talked to someone recently about

the 's. Anyone else out there switch from the Dobbs brace

to the 's with success??

Thanks for your help.

Kerrigan Kaplan