New Mobility Device Helps Toddlers With Disabilities Reach Milestones
Jun 8, 2021, 6:45 PM | Updated: 9:13 pm
OGDEN, Utah — When Claira Stanger is riding around on her Baby Bug, she may appear to be a toddler just having fun, but in this case, there’s so much more going on than that. The new invention is helping the little girl learn and grow.
Of all the things Shelby Stanger thought she’d teach her toddler, driving wasn’t one of them.
“A lot of people are like, ‘Oh, that’s so cute.’ They just think it’s a cute little toy, but I’m like, ‘Uh, it does so much more,'” said Stanger, a mother of two children who lives in Ogden.
Claira, 1, was diagnosed with a condition called Arthrogryposis that causes joint stiffness, making range of motion limited.
The “Baby Bug,” created at Shriners Hospitals for Children-Salt Lake City, is an adapted baby seat on wheels.
“It’s incredibly important that a child moves on their own,” said Scott Jerome, a physical therapist at the hospital.
Claira Stanger, age 1, has an orthopedic condition that prevents her from reaching early milestones like crawling and walking. (Used by permission, Shriners Hospitals for Children-Salt Lake City)
He said the Baby Bug helps babies who are too little for a wheelchair move independently when a condition interferes with meeting early milestones, like crawling.
“If you understand what kids’ jobs are to do is to explore and investigate things, and if you’re not moving or you’re not moving away from your parent, then you’re not able to do that,” he said.
The mobility device has helped Claira make cognitive connections related to speech and build physical strength. She’s also learned cause and effect.
Claira’s doctors hope she’ll one day walk on her own, and they said the Baby Bug nurtures that desire of independent movement.
“If we continue to promote every opportunity for her to reach those, she will reach her full potential,” Jerome said.
So far, Claira and her parents are enjoying life in the “fast lane.”
“It helps her to see things differently, rather than to just be carried around by us all or sat in her high chair,” Shelby Stanger said. “She can follow her cousins around when they come over on Sundays.”
No matter what curves lie in the road ahead, with Claira at the wheel, she’s got this.
“You don’t have to walk to have a good quality of life,” Stanger said. “It makes my heart so happy to see her be able to play, be able to get around.”
The next step for Claira is a specially-modified “Go Chair” – a toddler’s first wheelchair.
The ultimate goal is to make the Baby Bug available to all of the patients at Shriners who could benefit.
