Dad Invents Contraption to Help 2-Year-Old Son with Spina Bifida 'Crawl'

A determined father named Taylor Moreland invented a device which allows his 2-year-old boy with Spina Bifida crawls around the house.

As reported by GMA, Taylor's son, Brody, spent 16 days in the NICU after he was born with Spina Bifida, a birth defect that happens when the spine and spinal cord don't shape appropriately. The little boy needed to go through two medical procedures within the first week of his life.

“Just seeing him try to move, that sparked it. Then it was [a] relentless drive to get him crawling.

Brody was then diagnosed with a second condition called spinal cord atrophy, which implies he’s paralyzed from the chest down.

Ally Moreland, Brody's mom, said that at first, they were crushed. She told the news outlet:

“There was a lot of guilt and questions and worry; ‘What did I do wrong? Why did this happen to my child?'”

However, Taylor and Ally turned that distress into determination. A year ago, the couple noticed that their child kept getting his hands stuck underneath a scooter board that helped him move.

At that point, Taylor started thinking that he can improve something. He said:

“Just seeing him try to move, that sparked it. Then it was [a] relentless drive to get him crawling."

In September 2018, his idea came to life when he made the Frog, a $300 device on wheels that enables a kid who is at least 6-months-old to utilize their arms to move.

“One, a little 12-month-old boy with Down syndrome. It helped him to figure out how to use his arms for crawling,” Ally said.

“The other child has a big feeding tube in her belly and was not comfortable lying on her tummy. Using padding she is able to use the Frog without pain and move around successfully. The third is a child with very little muscle strength," she added.

GMA reported that Taylor, who has no formal education in engineering, creates the device from foam core plastic.

“Most of the kids who have them now have found out through our network of physical therapists or our GoFundMe page,” said Taylor. “I never thought this would be something that would help another kid.”

With the help of his invention, Brody can now scoot around the house, play with the feline, and interact with other children.