OUR MISSION
The Little Roo Foundation
Here at Little Roo we are proud to support future and present children within Warrnambool & South West Victoria diagnosed with DDH (Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip) or in other terms Hip Dysplasia.
Our mission is to provide quality and long lasting clothing for infants and children as well as accessories that help develop skill sets that are needed for their important milestones as they grow and learn. We also want to provide a very affordable price range to our customers and have carefully priced our garments accordingly.
OUR STORY |
Why it is so important to us:
At the age of 6 weeks old our Daughter Rumi was diagnosed with Mild Hip Dysplasia and had to be full body harnessed for 12 weeks straight.
Part of our mission is to pay it forward, we wanted to do something very special as part of this small business adventure we are on and that is giving back to people in our local community that are about to experience the same journey we have just completed.
OUR DONATION PROPOSAL
We are kindly ongoingly donating a large percentage of contribution from every sale on our website to the Warrnambool Paediatricians that will go towards funding hip wear such as the Pavlik Harness, to other South West families. We are proud to announce we have just donated 21 harnesses already. We are fortunate that Rumi was diagnosed at an early age and we were able to buy her harness on the spot to start treatment with our own out of pocket expense, but we know for some families this is not necessary the case (especially in covid times where people's incomes are at an all time low) and after reading numerous stories of other families who have been through tough times and not being able to afford the basic harness needs that could potentially save their child's quality of life, it devastated us. So we wanted to show our appreciation by providing this small contribution so it lightens the load of the medical bills that also come with this journey.
We are very proud of this and proud of what we have accomplished as a family and we hope our local community gets on board and helps spread awareness for Hip Dysplasia so it is absolutely normalised and is accepted in the public eye. We will also be stocking ‘Hip Friendly’ clothing for other families that struggle to find cute outfits whilst braced.
WHAT IS HIP DYSPLASIA?
Hip dysplasia, also known as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is the most common musculoskeletal birth abnormality in the world, however it does not only present at birth, hence the inclusion of 'developmental' in the formal name.
The hip joint is made up of a ball and socket, the femoral head of the thigh bone (femur) is the ball and the acetabulum of the pelvis is the socket. Loose ligaments around the joint can allow for misalignment of varying degrees to occur. The hip joint is classified as displaced when the ball and socket do not fit together in their 'normal' position. Sometimes this is due to abnormal development and/or lack of growth.
Left undiagnosed it’s one of the leading causes of early-onset arthritis of the hip and possibly, the need for a hip replacement which it is a significant public health issue. Treatment is optimised when diagnosis occurs within the first 3 months of life.
Our little Rumi Girl in the Pavlik Harness.
Successful treatment!!
We are pleased to inform you that after Rumi’s 12 week journey in her harness, she was given the all clear for it to come off permanently with future checks to be done to maintain how her process is going. Her hips are now super healthy and she is now moving around rolling like nothing was ever wrong. We owe the South West Healthcare Doctors Rumi’s quality of life for the precautions and referring us to see our Paediatrician to get her hips looked at.
OUR CURRENT PROJECTS
Sleeping Bags
We have been lucky enough that community centres and small businesses in Warrnambool have been helping spread awareness on behalf of our Little Roo Foundation. We are proud to announce we are currently working on providing all new children diagnosed with hip dysplasia through the Warrnambool Paediatricians and other surrounding centres with an ErgoPouch Hip Harness Cocoon Swaddle Sleeping bag. We understand and have experienced the sleeping difficulties that come with this journey and know that making children feel safe and comfortable during their sleep times is super important. Standard sleeping bags are not recommended and provide no support with children that are secured in harnesses.
ErgoPouch Australia:
“This zip-up swaddle is TOG rated for warmth to keep your baby snug and securely swaddled during sleep. The extra wide bell-shaped bottom is approved by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute as being hip-healthy and comfortably fits over a Pavlik Harness, Denis Browne Brace and Rhino Brace. Being TOG-rated means the 1.0 TOG swaddle can be used on its own in room temperatures between 21-24°C / 70-75°F with no blankets in the bassinet or cot to make this a safe sleep option for a newborn or baby. Parents can choose to have their baby's arms inside the swaddle (if your child has a strong startle reflex), or to open the poppers on the shoulder and use as an arms-out sleeping bag. When on your child, the swaddle will have additional length below the harness. This length can be left as is, or rolled up underneath the harness for your child's brace to rest on if that's comfortable for them. Once your child is out of their brace, they can continue to safely use the Hip Harness Cocoon Swaddle Bag for sleep.”
OUR CHILDREN’S BOOK -
“ IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU ”
We have been working on this project since June 2022 and it’s something that came up in a brainstorming meeting about how we can not only spread awareness but educated small children. It’s always so easy to talk to adults about Hip Dysplasia, post information online and have those important conversations with people that can process the information straight away. However, explaining Hip Dysplasia to a young child such as a 3 or 4 year old can be quiet challenging and this was evident when we had Rumi in her harnesses and children would actively and “loudly’ ask confusing questions to their parents when seen out in public.
So we came up with this idea to create a fun and interesting children’s book to showcase an infant in a Pavlik Harness that can be read to children at bed time so then they can be educated on the importance of Hip Dysplasia and the emotions that parents and caregivers go thought along the way. This book was written by co-founder of Little Roo, Heidi and the illustrations will be done by Asha Huf from Sisterly Designs.
We researched the Australian market for children’s books that involved Hip Dysplasia and there was only one we could find which was “Hope, the hippy hippo” which follows the story of an older child in school who is diagnosed, however we did not find any books that deal directly with Hip Dysplasia in infants so we knew there was definitely a gap in the market for this book idea.
This project of course costs a great amount of money and due to not being able to currently have the funds to finish the artwork we have been slowly working on ways to raise money so we can get this book published and into homes and schools all across Australia. If you would like to donate any money that goes towards this book fund, you can do so by hitting the button below.
6 Things You Didn’t Know About
Hip Dysplasia
1. It's more common than you think
According to Healthy Hips Australia approximately 11 kiddies are diagnosed with some form of developmental hip dysplasia every day! That's over 4,000 Aussie kids diagnosed and roughly 1 in 50 Australian babes being treated every year. And just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Approximately 15% of all babies born have some form of hip instability due to the pliability of our bones at birth. The hip joint deepens over the first 6 months of life which is why Healthy Hips Australia recommends screening not only at birth, but between the first 1 - 4 weeks, 6 - 8 weeks, 6 - 9 months and at 12 months.
2. Common, but not without risk when missed
Diagnosis of DDH often happens in the early months of life but can be missed - sometimes even by GPs, health care workers that’s why its so important that when in doubt, trust your gut and get a referral to get an ultrasound or X-ray to double check so you know for sure everything is where it needs to be.
Healthy Hips Australia report that when left untreated, hip dysplasia is one of the leading causes of early-onset hip arthritis in adults, slower milestones when learning to walk and chronic pain as the child develops, that often leads to major surgeries and long cast or bracing periods.
3. Don't assume - treatment and family experience can vary significantly
Ultrasound and X-Ray will usually confirm the degree of displacement of the thigh bone into the hip socket. While some cases correct themselves over the first 6 months of development, as the femur and pelvis grow, other cases of DDH can take from months to years to correct.
Conservative management for those more persistent cases may mean no surgery, but the day to day lives for babes and parents is still significantly more difficult. Harnesses, such as the Pavlik harness, that hold the legs in an M or froggy position are used in this case and usually worn for a minimum of 6-12 weeks, 24/7.
4. Risk Factors
- DDH is 12 times more likely if there is a family history
- 6 out of 10 cases of DDH occur in first born children
- Girls are 4-5 times more likely to have hip dysplasia than boys
- Breech babies have a higher risk for developing DDH
- In-utero babes are more likely to have hip dysplasia if they're packed 'tight' such as twins and triplets or low amniotic fluid around the baby.
5. Things you can do
Although risk factors might make your babe more likely to develop DDH, there are positions to avoid and encourage to help reduce those risks. Incorrect swaddling technique, that is wrapping the legs tightly together and not allowing movement of the hips, has directly been shown to cause hip dysplasia. Another thing to be mindful of is your baby carriers, to make sure your baby is correctly fitted as instructions are presented where your babies hips and legs are well supported.
6. Despite it all, full recovery and return to typical development is normal
Approximately 95% of babies born with DDH can be successfully treated with medical intervention. However, each treatment plan is unique, as the severity and response to treatment varies from person to person. The path cannot be predetermined, so changes and reviews at regular intervals are normal.
HIKE 4 HIPS FUNDRAISER 2024
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
Details to be confirmed at a later stage. Looking for expressions of interest to get numbers.
This year we have been focusing a lot of education. Education is the key to spreading awareness so then it can be detected earlier. We feel we do this generously mainly through social media platforms where our targeted audience spends a lot of their time. However, we would like to spread this education further and after many meetings and brainstorming we have developed an idea that can reach the younger generation. A rhyming illustrated, self funded children’s book that can be provided to schools, libraries, play centres, daycares, kindergartens and many more parenting outlets. This will allow parents/educators to read to their children about Hip Dysplasia so then it’s normalised and understood in a calming and attentive environment. This all comes at a cost. Although the book has already been written, creative illustrations and imagery for this book have been quoted to around the $4k mark, plus extra for printing, binding and distributions. We are hoping to achieve this sum by curating this fundraiser for the communities benefit and raise the much needed funds to get this book going. Currently there are no children’s books available in Australia that provide evidence of hip dysplasia specifically of babies born and later put in Pavlik Harnesses which is why this idea is such a great way to spread awareness for youth and young children.