We recently had to get some new shoes for Savannah. Her physical therapist said she needed shoes that would support her ankles, and we needed good, sturdy soles for walking. We had a really hard time finding shoes – Savannah is a size 3, which is normally the size for 6-12month olds, who don’t usually need walking shoes. We ended up at the StrideRite outlet and picked up this pair, which was the ONLY shoe they had that met our criteria and came in a size 3:

I think they’re helping. Savannah has hyperflexibility, which makes it scary for her to put weight on her ankles. I feel like I notice a difference in her confidence when she’s wearing theses shoes that provide her more support.

We have been in physical therapy for close to 3 months now, and they estimate she will need another 3-4 months before she’s caught up with her age. We go every week, and they say she does great. Unfortunately, she also knows where she’s going and cries when we get to the place. I have to go out into the waiting room, because otherwise she just cries and reaches for me, and they aren’t able to distract her at all. I’m completely comfortable with leaving her, but I also wish I could watch her while they work with her! There are lots of fun toys there that are used to distract Savannah while the PT puts her in different positions, like standing. They are working on standing, shifting weight from one foot to the other, walking, and crawling.

Things Savannah has started to do since we began PT in November:
* Put weight on her legs (standing)
* Roll from her back to tummy to back again
* Go from laying down to a sitting position (this was HUGE!)
* Crawl on hands and knees (but she only does this on carpet, and since we have hardwood floors we only see her doing this at other peoples’ houses)
* Pull herself up to her knees
* Will take steps while we’re holding onto her (if she’s in the right mood)

We still have a ways to go. She doesn’t do any standing or taking steps without prompting from us, and she clings to us tightly. She definitely is struggling with fear – she does not long doing any of this on her own, and prefers to just scoot where she is most comfortable. I have noticed that since starting physical therapy she is becoming a bit more adventurous – going from laying down to sitting was something she figured out all by herself, as well as the pulling up to her knees.

I’ve been reading a bit about both hyperflexibility and low muscle tone. It seems that it is important that we make sure to keep her active and using her muscles, and not let her get too sedentary. We’ll have to find a sport or activity that she enjoys, like hiking or swimming or a more organized team sport.