anyone heard on an infelxible baby?

[nmelanson]

Hi there,

I have a 3 mo who refuses to go in my Beco. He's not happy with froggy legs anymore, but he does not want to spread his legs to go in the normal (spread legs, facing in) position either. My first son was like this too - seemed too stiff. Neither of them seem bendy enough to touch their toes to their head either. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with this and can give me some pointers? Are there exercises I can do with him? Am I positioning him wrong? Perhaps they're just too stiff? Perhaps you have recommendations on different carriers?

Love to hear from you! Thanks!

[Kuba'sMama]

my daughter doesn't touch her toes to her head either. The first time i put her in similar type carrier, she wasn't happy either, but now she is. The problem with her, I'm not sure if it's yours as well, but her legs were too short at that point, instead of bending at the knee, they were kind of just sticking out straight at the sides. When they grew long enough to bend comfortably, she liked it much better.
I'm sure your dr. already checked his hip joints, etc, but if you are worried maybe asking him again at your next visit?
Also, from my experience, some kids just don't like carriers, or they don't like them at one age and then like them again when they grow a bit.
That's all I got

[clovergirl]

All of my babies have been a bit stiff/inflexible, my last more so then the others. The proper term is hypertonic, basically meaning their muscle tone is above average, which makes them seem tight or stiff. Most parents with hypertonic babies would describe them as "strong"; they hold their heads up early (sometimes even at birth) and sometimes crawl and walk early too. It wouldn't hurt to talk to your health care provider about it, in severe cases sometimes physical therapy is warranted. Some parents of hypertonic babies also find that craniosacral therapy or chiropractic care can help as well.
As far as carriers go, you may find that a woven wrap or a mei tai works well. With the woven wrap you can tailor the width of the seat to what is comfortable for your son. Mei tais have a set width for their seat, but because they are all fabric (no padding) at the waist it is pretty easy to cinch in the bottom with some string/yarn/scarf as needed.
Hoipe that helps.