1. Feeding a Child With Cerebral Palsy
Many children with cerebral palsy have muscle difficulties that make chewing, sucking and swallowing difficult, so parents must allow for extra feeding time and learn techniques that will prevent choking. Experts say that it can take as much as 15 times longer to feed a child with CP than it takes to feed an unaffected child. Proper nutrition is also a concern. Parents should consider adding a nutritionist to the child's team of treatment professionals and take steps to ensure that their child consumes enough calories to promote optimal physical development.
2. Bathe and Toilet Train an Infant With CP
Young children should never be left unattended in the bathtub, particularly if they have cerebral palsy. Caregivers also should anticipate that the child's skin may be extremely sensitive to warmer water temperatures and the texture of washcloths and towels. Many individuals with CP have hypersensitive skin.
Toilet training poses another challenge, particularly in CP patients with restricted lower body mobility. Special toilet attachments can make bathroom facilities more accessible to cerebral palsy patients. Also, many CP children have communication difficulties, making it incumbent on their parents to anticipate when a visit to the bathroom may be necessary. Experts stress the importance of establishing a regular waste elimination schedule, taking the child to the toilet at the same time every day. Children who can understand directions should be told what to do in straightforward language, and positive results should be praised and rewarded.
3. Safe Sleep Practices
Normally, doctors and CP experts recommend that a child with cerebral palsy should sleep in a crib until reaching at least 3 years of age. The possibility of seizures and other involuntary movements makes moving the child into a bed before that age a risky, or even dangerous, proposition. However, children with CP can fall asleep using the same techniques that unaffected children respond to, including slow and gentle rocking, lullabys and soft music. Parents should take extra care if sleep-assisting drugs are prescribed and use them strictly as directed by the child's doctor.
4. Encouraging Physical Fitness and Play Time
Children with cerebral palsy usually enjoy the same types of play activities as unaffected children. However, in coordination with the child's therapy team, special toys that promote the development of stronger motor skills can be introduced. Experts suggest two additional strategies parents can use during play time to promote healthy physical development. First, make the child get the toy she wants to play with, instead of just handing it over. This encourages movement and motor skills development. Second, let the affected child do everything he is capable of on his own. For example, instead of picking up the child's toys and putting them away, the child should do this on her own.
5. Helping a Child with CP Get Dressed
Proper care for a child with cerebral palsy includes encouraging independence. Starting at about 3 years of age, children with sufficient physical capability should be taught how to dress on their own. Parents can facilitate this by showing the child how to hold onto nearby furniture or support structures to increase stability while getting dressed.
