Toddler Canes

This is kind of a squeal to the post about helping them to start walking....I am still very confused about the many different types of canes and when it's appropriate to use which ones BUT I will tell ya'll which canes we have used.

We started with a 25 inch white cane through the free cane program by NFB (National Federation of the Blind). We got it when Elena was a year or maybe 18 months old. (Can't remember which but thinking closer to one year.) It had a round metal tip. Elena liked to tap it on the pavement and listen to the sound. Other than that, we didn't like it that much. She used to walk with her hand in the air, near her ear. Her physical therapist said it's just a muscle memory thing because she's used to holding out hand while she walks. Because of this, using such a lite weight cane meant she wouldn't hold her cane properly. In the beginning, she also kept her cane across her body, holding it with her right hand. It would often go between her legs. (Before you say anything, yes, I know part of this is due to her being a beginner to the cane.) When she did finally put her cane in front of her, the tip would get stuck in cracks on the pavement and would not move smoothly.

When she outgrew that cane, we got another one from her O&M (Orientation and Mobility). He gave us a 30 inch NFB cane with a small, rubber, white, rotating ball on the end. The rotating ball worked well while trying to teach Elena to move her cane from side to side (as well as a neat song we made up) but it was still to lite weight. It was also too long.

The next cane we tried was a success! (Also from her O&M.)It's a 28 inch white cane with red on the bottom. There is no label on it so I don't know who makes it. It has a thick rubber grip which, at first, Elena didn't seem to like. It has a hard, white, rotating ball on the end about the size of a tennis ball. This cane is heavier than the others and made Elena put her arm down. Because it rotates, it's great for exploring while moving it side to side. It moves very smoothly. It's also heavy and big enough that it doesn't get stuck in every sidewalk crack. Don't be worried that's it's too heavy for your kid, though. I think it's a perfect weight for beginners.



She has had some O&M training but most of it has come from her dad and I taking her on daily walks. I don't want to speak badly of the O&M but his visits seem pretty pointless. I'm sure it's just because she's so young and there's not much he can tell us that we don't already know or do with her. Don't think I'm saying not to contact your local O&M because you should. They are a help to parents who are new to cane traveling toddlers. For us, though, her physical therapist already told us many things that the O&M would later tell us and many things came naturally to us. For example, while taking her on walks, we'd bang on a stop sign post and have her find it with her cane. We had been doing this for a long time before her O&M came along and said to do the same thing. I'm not trying to sound boastful so please don't get me wrong.

Anyway, that's my experience with canes. If anyone wants to share their experiences with different types of canes or what situations are best for what canes that would be great. And I'm talking toddler or adult canes. I'm very interested in learning more.