How to Take Care of a Child With Cerebral Palsy

Children are difficult to take care of even if there is nothing wrong with them. All children need food, clothing and love, but a child with cerebral palsy needs extra special attention.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Gently place your hand sideways underneath the child’s head to add support to the child as you prepare to pick him up.
2. Place the other hand across the underside of the back and slowly lift up to the point where the child’s body is almost limp. This adds extra support so that you will not injure the child.
3. Gently drape the child over your shoulder in a burping position. This is a position for picking up a child when she is sleeping.
4. If the child is at an age where he is too heavy to pick up, use steps 1 through 3 while bending at the knees. This will give you support for your back so that you won’t strain yourself.
5. To brush the child's hair, position the child’s head back gently, being careful not to bend back too far. For short hair, use a brush to stroke forward from the nape of the neck to the forehead. Starting in the center, bring the brush to the front and then position the brush again at the nape of the neck, brush forward to the right or left side. Continue repeating these strokes until hair is smooth or to your liking.
6. For longer hair, position the head straight forward and part the hair in fours using a fine-toothed comb. Take one part of the section of fours and make a small-to-medium part, depending on the length of the hair. Tilting the head gently will make it easier for you to comb or brush the child's hair without the child becoming exhausted. Comb out smoothly and place a hair band at the scalp, wrapping the band around the hair at least three times.
7. Repeat step 6 until the hair is completely finished. You can opt to not have so many plaits by parting the hair in larger sections. This style gives it an illusion effect.
8. When putting the child to bed, lay the child facing upward on a blanket, fold the blanket underneath the arms by raising the arms slightly to tuck part of the blanket underneath. Repeat this step for the other side. Depending on how snug the blanket is, this should keep the child warm at night while he sleeps. Periodically, check on the child to make sure that the blanket hasn’t gotten caught in the child’s mouth. Smaller children have a tendency to turn at night.