The Dreaded W-Sit, Weighted Blankets, and Brushing My Kid

Oh, did we have fun with Sakina at OT today.  We talked about all sorts of things I've been reading about and hearing about from other mommies, and spent the vast majority of our hour-long session in the gym.

As usual, The Princess headed straight to the ball pit and proceeded to bury herself as quickly as possible.  She tolerated some pressure play with a textured ball, and even got out (without being dragged!) when I asked.

She spent some time in a new swing, which she absolutely loved.  This one looks like a sling, and she laid on her tummy with her head, shoulders and arms hanging out one end and her legs out the other.  Sakina swung her lengthwise toward a big orange balloon (balloons are almost as cool as bubbles 'round here, dontchaknow).  The Princess cackled and giggled, and stretched her little body as far as she could to get to that coveted balloon.

Sakina showed me a couple of ways to try to help The Princess overcome her W-sit.  Yes, the dreaded W-sit...every therapist or doctor we've ever encountered since The Princess has been sitting has mentioned this.  They mention it often enough that I've begun to feel as though we're doing something wrong because this is her preferred position.  I swear, we must correct her legs at least 85 times every single day. 

But Sakina assured me that we are not the reason she's always in this position.  It's a tightness in her hips from sitting like this for so long.  She showed me how to assist The Princess in a "ring-sit" position, touching the soles of her feet to each other with her knees as far down as possible.  I am compelled to note that The Princess is not a fan of this new development.  The moment her little leg muscles begin to stretch, she screeches and tries to bolt.  I've been assured that this is part of the process, and to do it little by little.  Over time, her muscles will become accustomed to the revised posture, and she'll be better off for it.

I may meander a bit in making my next point, but stick with me and it'll make sense...I promise. 

The Princess is a great little sleeper, but we have a bit of an issue at bed time.  Typically, she is in her jammies at least an hour before bed time - we've found this works out much better than attempting to change the clothes of a very sleepy little girl.  Quite often, she'll be running around playing in the living room when she's overtaken by a case of The Groggs.  You know what I mean - debilitating sleepiness accompanied by the jamming of little fists into little eye sockets...laying down in the middle of the floor...all but begging to be put to bed.

This behavior leads to one little girl being scooped up in Mommy's arms, hung upside-down for Daddy to kiss (we call this Spider-baby kisses...she's found it hilarious since she was very small) and walked into her room where we sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star while tucking her into bed.  She'll look up at us with that groggy little face, snuggle into her blankets and smile as we back out of the room.

And within five minutes, she's banging on a drum or throwing MegaBloks.

I've heard about a few possible OT-related things that help kids with this kind of busy-body-ness at inappropriate times.  Some people use little sleeping bags to help the kiddo feel swaddled.  Some use weighted blankets to help the kiddo feel grounded.  Everything that talks about weighted blankets makes a huge point to tell the parent to be careful not to use too much weight.  But they never give a limit.  And what is a weighted blanket anyway?

I brought up this concern and my questions about the different methods with Sakina today, and she said that both methods seem to work great - it's just a matter of finding out if either of them will work with The Princess.  Sakina told me that weighted objects - whether you're using a blanket, vest, what-have-you - should not exceed twenty percent of the person's weight who will be utilizing them.  She brought out her weighted blanket, which turned out to be a quilt of sorts, constructed out of beanbag-like squares. 

I can make one using rice for the filling - maybe some flannel on the outside.  It can go in the freezer or in the microwave, and we can throw it out when it gets grody.  No biggie to make a new one, after all.  I'm glad I brought it up.  I learned a lot more about the different methods of using weighted clothing/blankets/pads, and I'm interested to see how or if they will be a helpful tool for my little girl.

The last new development during today's session was the addition of the brushing technique.  This is a deep-pressure massage treatment using a surgical (or other soft-bristled...ours just happens to be of the surgical variety) brush.  The name pretty much says it all.  You take this little thing and you brush your kid.  Soles of the feet, legs from hip to the top of the toes; palms of the hands, arms from shoulder to the top of the fingers; back.  When that's done we go over her whole body and compress each of her joints, from her head all the way down to her toes.

This, apparently, is supposed to help her calm down and find her center.  The effects are said to last for about an hour and a half...so the brushing procedure is started over again after that time has passed.

So far, The Princess seems to find it entertaining.  We'll see if that feeling continues when it becomes part of our daily routines.

Me?  I still giggle every time I say (or think) I'm brushing my kid.  It's gonna take a little bit of time for me to be a grown-up about this.  For the moment, I'm happy to be a goof.  I mean...think about it.  It is kind of funny.  Especially if you're a little immature, as well as very tired, as I am at the moment.

That being said, I think it's time for me to sign off for the evening before I start rambling nonsensically (any more than I normally do).  G'night, y'all!