United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I have been reading and reading all the questions and replies and love this site already! I have a 4 year old with a left brachial plexus injury from birth. She had the ModQuad surgery at TCH 1-1/2 years ago and it did not have much results. Anyhow I'm interested in finding out tips in dressing and toileting. They are a major issue right now. I've been very very patient and her OT just doesn't know what to suggest. Yes It has come across my mind to change OT's. But in the meantime....Emily is so stubborn and wants to try it but the failing is really doing a number on her self esteem and frustration level. Any suggestions!
Also we are going to trial Feb 5th and are extremely nervous, etc. We don't know why her doctor would even fight this issue! enough of that. Any suggestions on how to get through it!

hi Jodi and welcome! I'm clueless about the potty stuff because Maia still isn't potty trained nor is she going anywhere near the potty. So we stopped pressuring her about it and trying to let her come to her own understanding. She knows however 4th birthday party signifies no more diapers...maybe that will motivate her? We shall see.

Maia just recently pulled her pants down herself. Well it was just before her surgery. I was taking a bath and she was just dying to get in with me and I told her that she couldn't come in unless she was naked and that meant doing it herself...and there ya go - she did it so fast like in a blink of an eye.

She didn't do it again until just yesterday when she decided to sit on this baby potty we had in the kitchen (for a stepstool).... she pulled her pants down - sat on the potty (didn't do anything) and on her way back to watch tv she pulled that back up. I was on the phone at the time....my eyes popped out of my head and I didn't really say anything to her...it seemed to have come so natural I didn't want to interrupt her rhythm. So we shall see what the next few months bring.

I only dress her in big pants -stretchy ones.

Good luck!! and let us know what finally does the trick.

-francine

ps - maybe there will be too much tension around the house in February to work on this? Good luck with your trial, too.

I guess we are fortunate that Blake has always pulled his own pants up and down for the most part. I always have to remind him to use rightie, but it is hard as you all know and he will pull the pants up to about mid thigh with both hands then let his unaffected arm do the rest(bad internal rotation with BPI arm).

Francine, Blake was totally not interested in the potty and I told myself I wasn't going to have 2 in diapers when we had our baby, so we tried bribery!!I'm not too proud to admit, but we showed Blake 7 days on the calender and he got to mark them off for each day he used the potty and stayed dry(pull ups at bedtime, though) and on the 8th day, he got to go to Chuckey Cheese! It worked wonders, maybe it can help you.

You shouldn't feel bad about using bribery!! I did it too with my Non BPI daughter! But we called it a goal incentive!!! Sounds much better but is the same thing! I think kids realize that this the first thing that they truly have control over and we can't make them do it! So sometimes they take joy in that control. I have no BPI advice since we are not there yet! Ian isn't even one yet (but will be on the 27th!)
Kristie