Comments on: Living with a hypermobile toddler – a year on

By: Lou

Lou — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 13:24:15 +0000

It is so reassuring to know that we’re not on this road alone; thank you so much for sharing your story. My youngest son is 22 months and was only diagnosed as hypermobile at 19 months when he couldn’t stand, nor crawl! He can now stand and cruise furniture which is amazing but we’re currently at a stand still, which I’m happy to bare with for now….my main worry at the moment is his development in other areas, he certainly seems ‘behind’ but I am hoping that once he is walking it’ll all catch up? No one can really tell me. My other concern is we are currently living in Australia and attend physio every fortnight but we are about to move to the uk and I know we will be on the wait list again. I know we’ll get there, I just feel so bad for him….thank you again for sharing your beautiful daughters story, so reassuring

By: Molly

Molly — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 07:45:14 +0000

All your fears are very similar to my own. I’ve had chats with F’s new school (she’ll also be starting in September) about her need to build in rest times to her day and also the fact she falls over more often and struggles a bit with things like balance. They’ve been great, so I’d say it’s definitely worth chatting to the school about any worries. I think, ultimately, our kids can surprise us with their determination and ability to just get on with things – I know that’s been the case with F anyway!

By: Mab

Mab — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 21:57:36 +0000

My daughter is 3.5 years old. She is hypermobile, especially distally, her ankle can bend upward well.over 60 degrees. But because she had not had many delays in her physical development, like your daughter, she crawled and walked at a relatively normal age. I was continuously denied that there was something “wrong” with her. After 6 months of insisting to her pediatrician there was something “not right” I was finally able to see a physio therapist who not only mentioned her hypermobility but also her low muscle tone.
She confirmed there was definitely something “not right” with my daughter. There was talk of bracing her particularly bad ankle, but ultimately we decided against it.
It is still a struggle to give her her independence while reminding her to be cautious, I don’t want her to NOT try new things for fear of falling or hurting herself but it’s certainly scary to watch your wobbly, rubber legged child climb up the thin metal ladder at the park!

She starts school September and I have many fears, her ability to keep up with her peers , being more tired and irritable, people picking on her or knocking her over ( because it’s so easy to do) needing extra help in class and taking away from the other r kids etc etc etc etc ……

it is nice to see others in similar situations

By: Molly

Molly — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 09:09:28 +0000

Hi there, thank you for taking the time to read my post and for your comment. I’m sorry you interpreted my comment as a slight against those with disabilities. It certainly wasn’t meant to be that way.

The point I was making was that people made assumptions about my daughter due to the fact she wasn’t walking and I found this frustrating at the time. I don’t condone prejudice in any form, which is something you would see if you read other posts on my blog.

I do feel that your interpretation of my comment is perhaps based on your own experiences rather than the way this post was written. Of course I would love my daughter and be just as proud of her regardless of ANYTHING – just as you are of your son. But I found it frustrating that people made immediate assumptions about her simply based on the fact she couldn’t walk. That doesn’t mean I think others who DO have developmental issues deserve any less love or acceptance than anyone else in the world. But the fact of the matter was that my daughter didn’t have developmental issues – people just assumed she did, because she couldn’t walk.

I’ve been very open and honest on this blog about my daughter’s condition in the hope it may help other parents who are going through similar things with their own children. I wouldn’t have been true to myself or to our situation if I had left out or glossed over the frustrations and upset I felt at the time. I’d like to reiterate that I don’t think “having developmental issues is a bad thing” as you have interpreted. It was merely a frustration at people perceiving my daughter in a particular way based solely on the fact that she couldn’t walk.

Thanks again for taking the time to comment.

By: Pink Weevil

Pink Weevil — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 23:59:23 +0000

Thanks for the article. Google search’s photo of your daughter brought me here…my son stands with ‘duck feet’ (out to the side) still at age 12, and we’re hoping ortho inserts will help him. I’m hypermobile, so I’m a frequent emergency room visitor due to lots of random accidents, but I was athletic and a dancer during my childhood-teen years- early adult years. They only thing I’d like to add is that you state: “People often assumed she had developmental issues or was at least eight months younger than she was. I was angry a lot of the time and became an expert at biting my tongue.” It sort of implies that having developmental issues is a bad thing. Of course we’d all like our kids to be healthy, but we share this planet with all sorts of people and they all need love and acceptance in the same way. If you’re unsure of how something sounds, replace ‘developmental issues’ with the racial minority of your choice and ask yourself if it would offend anyone– as people are usually hyper-aware of racial offenses and less so of those that are related to developmental delays. I worked with disabled children for ten years before I had my son, who has multiple profound disabilities. When people ask me if he’s mentally retarded or ‘messed up’, I just assure them that he’s simply extra cool– duck feet and all.

By: Molly

Molly — Thu, 22 May 2014 09:42:07 +0000

It does get better, honest! Just takes time and a lot of patience. x

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 21 May 2014 12:29:00 +0000

I am so happy to have stumbled upon this and read of your beautiful daughter’s amazing progress. I too am going through what you went through a year ago right now and you have just described the feelings I have daily. My little girl is 26 months now and still not walking or standing independently nor able to stand to push a buggy etc. Tho she is showing progress it is very slow (will walk holding both my hands but her feet are so bent in its unbelievable). The battle of finding suitable shoes is ongoing and as yet Physio reluctant to give orthotics (tho I do not know why given her ankles almost touch the ground when bearing weight) I hope one day soon I get to write a similar post to this about my own daughter Thanks for posting this and showing there is hope xxx

By: Molly

Molly — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 10:58:45 +0000

Thank you for the kind words Kerry. It does get better, I promise. Ignore the “lazy baby” nonsense – that used to drive me mad! x

By: kerry

kerry — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 08:00:41 +0000

Im so pleased I found your blog. My daughter is 19 months old and has just been diagnosed with having hypermobility. She can’t walk, stand or crawl and I was starting to think I would never see her get up on her feet. We are now waiting to get a physio appointment for her. It’s heartbreaking to see the frustration and being left out from play with the other kids…and of course people calling her a ‘lazy baby’. Your blog has given me so much hope., thank you xx

By: Molly

Molly — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 11:22:10 +0000

You’re welcome – and thank you for the lovely comment. If your daughter is anything like mine she will be a determined little girl and the physio and OT will help her get up on her feet. I know how hard it is when you feel like you’re the only one dealing with a situation like this – so please know, you’re not. It will get easier!