Bracing intolerance can be difficult for the entire family. Since bracing is always done at night, this often means that when baby isn't sleeping, no one else in the family is sleeping. Babies that normally sleep for multiple hours on end are suddenly waking every hour or sooner, and no one is getting any sleep.

Night waking can be caused by multiple factors, however it is almost always solvable with some change either in the brace setup or fit, or by identifying the root cause of baby's discomfort.

The first thing to look at is bar length. This is almost always the first reason that children who were previously happy begin night waking, as well as almost always the reason for initial bracing intolerance. While most babies are extra fussy the first few days of bracing, most will adjust quickly as long as there are no issues causing actual pain or discomfort.

When the bar is too short, this causes discomfort. Bar length is a critical aspect of bracing tolerance and the leading cause of sudden intolerance. It is near universal that a short bar causes all babies discomfort so if you're trying to sort out why your child is not happy when bracing, look to bar length first. Baby's shoulders should fit inside the heels of the shoes when they are attached to the bar. This is easy to check, just put the shoes on the bar and hold it up to your child's shoulders. If their shoulders fit inside the heels, just right.

There is a minimum length of shoulder width screw to screw, and a maximum length of a "smidge longer than shoulder width heel to heel". A smidge equals somewhere between 1/2" and 1".

It is essential to differentiate between what the doctor says is "fine" for bar length, and what your child feels is comfortable. Many doctors err on the smaller side, and some are insistent upon a very short bar despite clear evidence and testimony from the parents that the child sleeps when the bar is longer, and wakes all night when it's shorter. Parents know.

Dr. Ponseti designed his bar to come with the tool to adjust the length at home. Every Ponseti bar comes with the #52 Allen key tool for parents to adjust their bar as needed. All reputable bars come with this tool. If you were not given this tool with your bar, your provider has it and can give it to you if you request. Otherwise, any hardware store has this tool either singly, or in a set. The Dollar Tree even has a set that will work.