Any idea's how to protect sons knees?

[nalla]

I'm stummped on this one so I thought I would ask all of you to see if you had any other ideas.
Ok, Nathan is almost 2 and isn't walking at all. The weather is starting to get really warm and am going to start putting him in shorts. But the problem is when we are outside (which we do a lot in the spring and summer) his knees will get all scratched up. And he can't feel his right leg & foot, so he can't be careful to protect it like his other leg. We were out in the backyard and we have a small cement patio, he crawled on it and his right knee was all scratched up and bleeding. He just drug it on the cement.
I can't keep him in a playpen like we did when he was a baby, he loves to crawl and play everywhere.
And I'm especially worried when we go camping. We camp a lot every summer.
So does anybody have any ideas what we can to prtect his knee's? Are we going to have to just keep him in pants all summer? I would hate to do that. Our summers have been really hot and we don't have AC. (though I'm not worried about indoors)
We tried to put his sisters knee pads on him, but they were too bulky and he wouldn't keep them on.
Anybody have any ideas?
thanks guys!

[nalla]

And please don't tell me that I chose to have a dissabled baby and knew what we were getting into when we made that choice, and that we can't live life like we used to, that we have to make changes etc etc etc. I know all of this, but there is usually an answer to all problems. You just have to find it and maybe do it a little differently.
Sorry if I'm acting a little defencive. I have been hearing comments like that a lot this last month and dealing with people treating Nathan like he has a disease. Like at the play center (kinda like a gymnastics class for toddlers) he is in, the parents won't let their kids near Nathan, won't talk to me, won't even make eye contact with me. I overheard 3 parents whispering that they better keep their kids away from Nathan so their kids don't catch it.

sorry, I guess I needed to vent more than I thought.
I just wasn't expecting those kind of remarks this early, not till he was older.
Nathan isn't even 2 years old yet and he is already being treated like he is a freak!

[Wooly25]

I think they make special knee pads just for people with disabities that have to crawl on their knees.  Or maybe try those really long shorts that go about mid calf they make them for boys.  But you may just have to invent your own knee pads, just be creative maybe make them like pants but with elastic that has a band for the waist, with a band of elastic that travels down the leg to a knee pad then down and around the bottom of his shoe.  Just a idea don't know if it would work or not, or mabye just.  Take a pair of jeans and cut them off below the knee and sew in a knee pad and then make like a suspender that comes off the bottom the the jeans right by the opening that makes a loop around his shoe, so that the shorts don't ride up and not cover his knees and he can't take it off.  The Vally ball knee pads are soft and have a wide backsides, maybe check out your local sports store and see what kinds they offer besides the basic hard skating ones.  Just be  creative.  You'll figure it out, you just need to think outside the box.  Good luck.

[peekawho]

Nalla,
Any chance he'd keep something like Ace wraps on his knees?  There is also a similar product to Ace bandages that is sticky, but doesn't stick to the skin, it only sticks to itself.  Sorry, can't think of the name.

Also, there is a similar thing that vets very commonly use called Vet Wrap that they wrap around an injured limb of a dog or cat. It is very clingy and might be difficult for him to remove it himself, yet won't stick to his skin either.  

That's all I can think of right now.  Sorry!  

[Wooly25]

Hopefully this link will work you may just have to add extensions to these to fit him.

www.childalert.co.uk/absolutenm/templates/newstemplate.asp?articleid=188&zoneid=3

Or something like these (like I said you may just have to add extensions.

cgi.ebay.com/NEW-SNAZZY-BABY-CHILD-VELCRO-SAFETY-CRAWLING-KNEE-PADS_W0QQitemZ230124554539QQcmdZViewItem

[anxiousmomtobe?]

Does he have an OT?  She might have some more ideas.

And I can't imagine anyone treating a disabled child so poorly.  I would gladly have Nathan in our play group if you lived around here.  They are ignorant folks and you should feel sorry for them as they have no idea of the blessingyour son is.

And his knees will get callused and tough pretty quick!  

We are also campers, although I am not sure if I am up to it this summer......

[peekawho]

Nalla, this might be something else to try to order, or perhaps you could make it yourself!

http://happysmilingfaces.com.au/

[mum2beagain]

HI!!!!
Had the same problem with James last year! I bought loads of the large foam square that fit together from toys r us and kitted the whole deck are out with them, other than that we had to have him in trousers even when it was hot, I tried long socks, tubigrip bandages, knee pads, and so on. They all either fell off, wore through or just got in the way of him crawling. It may be worth trying out some of the things the others suggested. Good luck

P.S. I totally understand where you are coming from when you talk about going to playgroups, kindergym etc, I too have experienced it, you'd think you had taken an alien with you! I think sometimes people are just too embarassed or just don't know how to react, it gets harder though... James is just over 3 now and in appearance doesn't look like he has anything wrong with him but I hear people making comments and nasty remarks if he is in his stroller;  ''he should be walking not in a stroller at his age" for example, and also if he is having a tantrum, which he does as he often finds situations overwhelming and he doesn't always understand when we try to explain to him you hear allsorts comments about your "bad parenting" and inability to control your child, I have stopped being upset and give anyone who I hear making comments the full low down on James, his condition and how it happened, if 1/2 an hour of me waffling on doesn't make them think the next time they are thinking of opening thier mouths I don't know what will!!!!

[mum2beagain]

Sorry, didn't mean to take over the thread with my rant, of course there are some really nice people out there who make you very welcome, the people at James' pre school are wonderful and the ladies at my weight watchers meeting are always lovely to him if I have to take him with me.

[mum2beagain]

Sorry, didn't mean to take over the thread with my rant, of course there are some really nice people out there who make you very welcome, the people at James' pre school are wonderful and the ladies at my weight watchers meeting are always lovely to him if I have to take him with me.

[RockRose]

Can he use something like a walker?  If he has control of one strong leg,  it seems like he could be sitting upright and wheeling himself around?

Also,  if you're good with creating stuff,  go by a sporting goods store and check out the underarmour stuff.  It's very cool to the skin,  won't make you sweat,  and they make all kinds of "compression shorts" with nice pads on them.    It seems like you could create several pairs of padded leggings from the arms of an adult shirt,  and the compression pads from a boy's pair of shorts.

Best wishes -

[ally76]

I dont have any brilliant ideas for your little guys knees...first thing I thought of was knee pads.  Im sorry you are having a hard time dealing with people whispering and making comments about Nathan.  I cant believe parents can be so iggnorant and its too bad thats how there kids will end up too.  If you over hear someone say something about not letting there kids get to close,  I would whisper back to them " dont worry he's not contagious"  That will shut them right up and probably embaress them too.  Unbelievable there are still jerks that around!   Good luck with figuring out a way to protect his little knees.  

[peekawho]

Mums idea about those foam interlocking things might be the best idea.  You could do the whole deck area!

http://www.allmats.com/site/439205/page/295137

[gml24]

I had the same problem when my son was crawling, unfortunately never figured out a solution until recently.  I guess now at One Step Ahead they make knee pads especially for babies.  They even come in different colors and sizes.  Wish they'd had them earlier!

www.onestepahead.com

[gml24]

here's the exact link:

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=488756&cmSource=CrossSell&relatedProductId=150779

hope this helps

[myproblem]

If you sew, you could solve this for very little $$$. You will need velcro, elastic, and soft, stretchy cloth, like t-shirt material (maybe recycle soem theat are worn out). Cut the fabric in a circle or oval, whatever size and shape he seems to need. Layer it about 4-6 layers thick, and stitch around the outer edge. You can do a zig-zag stich, or use a serger. Make the elactic straps a little longer than you think you will need, and use velcro to adjust them. If you make a lot of them, you will be able to wash them every day. You could even pad them extra with quilt batting, but then they may be too bulky for him.
You could also ask his PT if there is some sort of scooter he can use to kneel on and propel himself.

[tiredbuthappy]

just another thought... they make those pants now that can be converted into shorts by zipping off the bottom half of the legs. if he wears those, you can easily zip on the leg of his bad side when you are in an area where he may scratch his leg up, and keep it off the rest of the time. as for heat, i guess just one leg covered is better than 2! good luck.

[nalla]

Thank you all for your suggestions and the links! They all were very helpful. Now I have a lot of different idea's to try out.
And who knows, maybe I could invent something brilliant!! LOL (if something specific doens't allready exist)
And yes, Nathan is using a walker, but not fulltime. It's still a lot of work for him and he gets really tired. He has a lot of muscle weakness in his belly, legs, back etc.
I should post a picture of him walking with his little walker. It's SO cute!!!

I know, it makes me angry the way people react. I think some of it was I wasn't expecting it this early and it caught me off gaurd.
But Wed I think I will explain to the class about Nathan and that he won't break. I think some of the mothers there just didnt know what to do or how to react. At least that is what I'm hoping with some of them. Either way I'm prepared for it now.

Anyways, thanks everybody for all of your ideas. I'm going to go out tomorrow and get some of the things and see what I can come up with.