Year Two: Our Clubfoot Champion and Her Progression

Well, I promised I would write another blog about our little Talipes Titan, Lula, and, believe it or not, it's been almost a year since I wrote the first blog! So much has changed (in a really positive way), and she is going from strength to strength. It's a relief to be able to say that the treatment is working great so far.

When I wrote the blog last year (in 2022), Lula was just walking. She is now two years and four months old, and she is a whirlwind - nothing stops her! She goes to full-time creche and plays with everything that the other kids play with. She went to a toddler football class on Saturday mornings for about five months and loved every minute of it. She also loves getting to the swimming pool, is crazy about getting to the park (climbs everything), and she loves bouncy castles. She really adores being outdoors and is a very active child. You would never know that she is undergoing treatment for clubfoot.

Lula leads a really active life by day and when bedtime arrives we have a strict routine of putting her Boots n Bar on at the same time as her pyjamas - and so far she hasn't questioned that routine or wearing her Boots n Bar all night (for 10-12 hours). Lula gets ready for bed between 6.30-7pm and we put her Boots n Bar on while she either reads a book or watches videos on a tablet. She never pays any attention to the Boots n Bar or makes any comments or fuss - I'm aware this may change in the coming year (not looking forward to that!). The biggest worry we had last year was 'will it be a struggle to get the Boots n Bar on when she's a toddler'... well I think because she's been wearing them since she was a baby they're just 'normal' to her now. (Again though, I'm aware that this could all change at any moment!)

This year we moved Lula from a cot to a bed. Lula had been in a travel cot since she was six months old, and wore extra wide sleeping bags. Then we got her a toddler bed, with a bed rail on one side and foam pads against the wall on the other side. She loved her bed from the outset, mainly because her older sister has a 'big girl bed' too. I still don't know how to keep the blanket on her, its usually off when I come into her in the mornings - it just seems to be a battle to keep the blanket on while she is tossing and turning in the Boots n Bar. However, she seems warm and we keep her in extra warm pyjamas. I was worried about her climbing out of the bed while wearing her Boots n Bar in the middle of the night, so far this hasn't happened... but again I am prepared this is something which may happen in the future. All in all, I'm glad we made the transition to the 'big girl bed' as she has more room and it's also easier for us too lifting her in and out - those Boots n Bars don't get any lighter as they get older!

For her second birthday we got Lula a teddy bear who also wears Boots n Bar just like her. It was from a not-for-profit charity which makes teddies for children who are undergoing treatments for different conditions. She loves the teddy and he has pride of place in her room beside her bed. I am hoping when Lula gets a little older that we can start reading the few Talipes story books which are out there for kids and also maybe practice the importance of putting the Boots n Bar on teddy too. Hopefully this will all help.

Looking back over the past year, Lula only had to have her Boots n Bar off once for about four nights because she got a blister along the edge of her foot. It cleared up quickly by just leaving it to air as much as possible. She didn't even notice!

Regarding anything we couldn't do with Lula, I think the only thing was when we were offered a trampoline for her birthday and we figured it would be best to decline that in case it did any damage to her progress. Otherwise, there was nothing that differentiated Lula from others her age - which is great as she just wants to copy everything her big sister does!

On a practical level, if we need Lula babysat then often whoever is minding her typically isn't comfortable putting her Boots n Bar on - which is completely understandable. So we either put the Boots on early before we go out for the evening, or we just make the decision to leave the Boots n Bar off that night - we very rarely go out, so its not a decision we need to make that often!!

In relation to shoes, Lula still has quite small wide feet, so I just make sure to get her feet measured regularly to ensure that she's in well fitting footwear. There's no particular brand that's better than another, but I have just been sticking with Clark's as I know what size she is there and don't need to worry about switching between brands and sizing. Any socks will do by day, and at night I still stick with the long ribbed cotton socks with rubber soles from F&F or Next.

All in all, Lula's feet are doing great, the progress is fantastic to see. She sees her consultant about every 6 months, and she gets checked and kitted out with a bigger set of Boots n Bar.

So what would I say to other parents starting out on the clubfoot journey with their little ones? I would say that it gets much easier, and in our situation (which I know is a fortunate one so far) we often forget that Lula even has clubfoot at all.

Who knows what the next year will bring as she turns three and becomes a 'threenager'. Hopefully, the progress with her feet will continue, and I will write another short blog with updates and any tips in 2024. In the meantime, lots of luck with your little one's clubfoot journey.

Dervla x