Hey guys, it’s Emily here from MiaThrives!

Growing up with DDEB, my skin was most affected on my jointed areas (knees, elbows, ankles, hands, and feet.) We used knee pads to protect the skin on my knees. I started wearing them when I was around six months old and learning to crawl, and I continued to wear them growing up in school. When my knees would blister, I would wear the knee pads over my bandages to protect them from opening even more.

There are so many great knee pads on the market now that weren’t available when I was growing up. Keep an eye out that there is no plastic on the knee pads. I preferred the ones that slipped on and off with elastic\ stretchy material instead of having any closure; this makes them less bulky.

Another product that goes well with knee pads is cotton tights. (Make sure to put them on inside out so the seams don’t rub on your little ones’ toes.) They were the perfect thing to wear under the knee pads, and I have found a similar example on Amazon.

Lyla tested them out!

We asked a community member to test out some new knee pads since we couldn’t give any product recommendations from many years ago. Lyla’s mother, Sarah, said the knee pads seemed comfortable, but Lyla skipped crawling and went straight to walking! I have heard this from a handful of parents in the EB community. For crawling, walking, or busy toddlers\children, knee pads can still be a helpful tool for navigating EB, and we hope this hack might help!

We would love to hear from you if you tried any of these hacks or have any hacks you would like to share with the EB community!

MiaThrives presents our EB Hacks blogs and vlogs. They offer tips and tricks to live your life to the fullest with Epidermolysis Bullosa. Connect with us on our Facebook, Instagram, Youtube. If you’re new here click to learn more about our story.