Joseph and Elmo in a bean-bag chair

Joseph was only able to sit in a high chair for a short time. As he lost muscle tone we had to find a way to better support him. CJ's parents recommended a bean bag chair and it worked beautifully for several months.

Joseph's physical therapist came up with the idea of surrounding him with a rolled up blanket which kept his body well aligned. Before long the horseshoe-shaped pillow was invented and it has been a big hit with Krabbe's kids.

Joseph is pictured lying on his side. The front of the pillow is used like a body pillow for the child to hug. The ends of the pillow can be put between the child's legs to keep his hips in proper alignment. The back part of the pillow is then pushed up against the childs back for support.

A word of caution: pillows and infants can be a dangerous combination. Please, please, do not leave your child unattended while in the pillow. Also check to see if the child is getting too warm in the pillow.

As the disease progressed and Joseph was less able to control his body temperature, we would find that one side of his face and the arm on the same side was cool, BUT the arm that was under the pillow and the other side of his face was quite warm. 

This one could also be classified as physical therapy. Standing was great for variety and helped strengthen bones and muscles.

We would recline the chair so his head would be supported and stuff pillows all around. As you can see Joseph always had something in his hands. This helped prop up his arms so they were in proper alignment. We also changed objects often so he could experience new textures and colors.

 

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