I had my first ortho appliance when I was a baby and then my mum says I had a removal brace at aged 4yrs. I didn't get fixed braces til I was around 13 or so (I forget the exact age). I was born with a cleft.
However that was 31 years ago I was born and i believe things ahve changed since then
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
My son is now 6, also cleft affected, and doesn't have braces yet...but there's absolutely no doubt about it, the braces will be coming his way...he has a massive open bite at the front (although all his top teeth are still babies) and he's already lost 2 bottom front teeth and only 1 adult tooth has come in in that space (there's no room for all his teeth)
So it is feasible that a young child could ahve a brace, I'm not sure about fixed ones though.
Having said ALL that, there is a girl in my daughter's class at school who had braces aged 6 years - 8 years and in my head I did think it odd because why would a child need fixed braces before all their adult teeth were in??