Hello;

Thanks so much for being on this sight. I am an OT with a 17 month old with severe reflux and severe sleep issues. I cant get her comfortable and have bought EVERY item on the market. She tends to sleep with her head below her trunk, God knows why.


Is the resq wedge appropriate for toddlers and is it available>? ANy ideas on how to make her a bed- she still sleeps on pillows in our bed- and it is not working

Failed us: amby bed, tucker sling, safe t sleep, AR pillow, and the last andmost expensive was the comfy lift bed for toddlers.


thanks for any advice


johanne

Hi Johanne (and fellow OT!)

It depends on how much she weighs and if she is extremely restless in her sleeps. The RES-Q Wedges sleep babies up to 24-25 lbs, but if they are tall, they may be too long for the length of the wedge. I can send you pictures of larger babies on the wedge to a private email. The website will not take my pictures. Apparently they are too big!

Yes it is available in Texas, and soon nationally. Dr. Troop and I are talking to companies as I write this, but we have not signed a contract yet.

Do you let her sleep on her stomach yet? Does she have frequent ear infections? I am wondering about the head below the trunk unless she sleeps on her tummy with her knees tucked under, bottom up in the air, and her hips flexed. Give me more feedback. I need to analyze your little one!

Robynne

It is a very weird thing. She stands up then pushes herself in an upside down V- like a head stand, and tries to fall asleep like that. When on inclines, she turns on her stomach and lets her head and neck and upper trunk go over- and of course, wakes up hollering from reflux after.

The ONLY way i get her to sleep is on a small incline, left lateral position, and it takes 1-2 hours each time. Then she is up all night. She sleeps on the bridge between her crib and our bed, we took one rail down and dont know why, she wiggles herself there, on an incline i made , and is relatively ok. Sounds unsafe but it is ok and we are with her all the time .

This kid needs a huge incline but wont tolerate it. Stomach sleeping is not her fav thing either. I have inclined the crib many times, unsuccessfully, and while she had the ph probe in, she refluxed 219 times in 24 hours. The only time she had a bit of relief was left lateral- which is why i bought the comfy lift bed- which is of no use to us


I really believe she has pressure in her head-sinus or ears. She has had only two ear infections- the docs say it is all clear, but she CONSTANTLY putting her fingers in her ears and pulling at them, hundreds of times a day, especially in her sleep.


She is a horrificly restless sleeper- takes up the whole queen size bed and her crib to herself, just tossing all the time



ANy ideas>?

PS- I have another question- have you ever heard of a child refusing to sit in a tub. I have tried everything. She definitely has some mild SI issues - i have tried bubbles, changing water temperatures, every toy on the market. I have to preface it by saying she hates to sit. It took me 10 months to get her to sit 15 min in the high chair (not all chairs are created equal and i finally found one she could tolerate)- but i think the bath is fear related and i am also at my wits end. It is getting dangerous having her standing in the tub, even with the nonslip mats


thanks for any insight

I am happy to say that she now sits in the chair and eats relatively well- doc says she is lucky to have a mom as an OT./ It took 10 months and was hell but we are getting there

Dear JoJo:

It does not sound like Maiya is a good candidate for the RES-Q Wedge due to her age. Nor does it sound like she is a good candidate for any of the other commercial products. It sounds as if Maiya is seeking out more deep pressure input as to where she ends up “sandwiching” herself in the crib. The Comfy Lift probably did not work because it did not give her good boundaries. In other words, there was too much space.

Let’s talk about the ear issue. Maiya may not have had an infection the 1-2 times you had her checked. However, it is a known fact that children with severe reflux are more prone to ear and sinus infections. Children grab at their ears usually if they are teething, have fluid in/behind their ears, or if they have an ear infection or sinus issues. Some children habitually grab their ears, but typically not as frequently as you had mentioned with Maiya. I would take her to an ENT to rule out any of these problems. How is Maiya’s speech progressing?

Here is an idea for your little one. It has worked well for my babies who out-grow the RES-Q Wedge. We know left lateral is good for Miss Maiya because she gets better gastric emptying due to the location of the gastric inlet. You can try purchasing 2 medium-large bean bags. You can mold them to get good elevation and you can mold them around her trunk to give her good lateral stability/support. You are also giving her the “boundaries” she appears to be seeking out in the crib.

I have 2 ideas regarding the bathtub. Most reflux infants/babies dislike the sitting positing because it hampers gastric emptying and worsens reflux. I have found putting a Bumbo seat in the bath works well. I have also had old car seats in the bath tub to strap them in for safety reasons. Because Maiya's bath time is so stressful, you sense SI issues, and you are an OT, I would especially recommend Wilbarger brushing protocol prior to the bath to calm her down. I hope some of the suggestions help. Happy New Year JoJo!!!!!!!

Your fellow OT,

Robynne

Thank you so much- you gave me lots to think about and work on


Good luck marketting the wedge

Thank you! We should be hearing soon about the wedge being available nationally. :party0049:

Robynne