Re: mobility questions-Lynne

January 18, 2004

We use a kid cart. It is a stroller for children with

disabilities. It can give you all of the support you are looking

for, plus the seat looks like a wheelchair but the base/wheels look

like a stroller. They can customize the supports you want/need to

the chair. It also comes with two bases. One for outside and one

for inside. The inside base can raise up to bar height and lower to

the floor. You can also have it anywhere in between. We love the

inside base. We actually own two. One for home and one for

school. The chair part pops out pretty easily so you can switch

bases without difficulty. I am not sure of the company name but I'm

pretty sure if you type in kid cart in a search engine it will come

up.

The other thing we own that may help is a microshell. It is a seat

that can be custom made to fit your child. You can also get a

standard model if your child does not need a lot of support. Wyatt

is almost 5 and unable to sit on his own so ours was custom made.

Anyways the chair can attach to anything. At restraunts when there

is not a lot of roam for his chair we will use the microshell and

attach it to one of their chairs. We also put it on the 4-wheeler,

snowmobile, and his kicksled. It allows for Wyatt to be outside

without having us to support him the whole time during the

activity. The microshell would give you the opportunity to support

him while in the wagon so that he does not always have to be looking

at the sky.

Just two ideas you may want to check out. Good Luck in your

search. Oh one last thing. Did your therapist refer you to a

medical supply company to help you make your choice? That is how we

found these two pieces of equipment. They have lots of experience

and can determine the right piece of equipment along with making

sure it fits properly.

Geri-Anne and Wyatt, Complex I

> Everyone has been so helpful with answering all my questions!

It

> seems like we are having to make so many decisions all at once

here. I

> really appreciate all of the experience everyone has shared, it is

> really helping.

> I have another question, now. What do you use for your older

kids,

> when they have outgrown a stroller, but only need a place to ride

part

> of the time - and you don't always know if/when they will need it?

> I mean, my son rides in his stroller the whole time we are out,

> maybe 1/4 of the time. Those times, he needs full body support,

with

> some recline, and head support so his head doesn't slump over. At

the

> other extreme, sometimes we can get away without having it at

all. In

> between those times - which is about 50% of the time - we need to

have

> it along because he will use it part or most of the time, and he

will

> need varying amounts of support at those times (sometimes just a

place

> to sit, and sometimes full support - it can really vary).

> Sometimes he won't use it at all but we still need to have it

along

> just in case, especially if we are out all day. He is just too

heavy to

> carry anymore, so that can't be a back-up. We really have to have

> something with us that he can ride in, in case fatigue sets in, or

he

> starts losing coordination in his right leg and falling tons.

(When I

> say fatigue, this is different than regular 4yo fatigue. Once it

> starts, it often lasts days or weeks or even a couple of months,

and

> occasionally gets so bad it drains him just to hold his own head

up,

> much less sit upright.)

> Do you use a wheelchair, or a special needs stroller, or just

squish

> them into a regular stroller? Do any of your kids need head

support

> part of the time?

> We are thinking of using a wagon, at least part of the time.

We

> were going to get a special needs stroller (Lex EASyS 2) but my

son's OT

> said that would soon seem too babyish for him. Right now he is

almost

> 5yo and is okay with a stroller-looking stroller, but he will have

to

> have it for at least 5 years before insurance will buy him

something

> new, and as she put it, " by 8yo, a boy isn't going to want to be

caught

> dead in a stroller " . I think she is right about that. She

recommended

> either a jogging stroller or a wagon, or if that wouldn't work,

then a

> wheelchair.

> The jogging stroller for special needs kids has a low seat

back, and

> no head support on the sides. Even with the seat back extension,

he

> would still be too upright for a lot of times, and no side support

for

> his head (or torso, when he needs that).

> I've looked around at the wheelchairs that are available, that

would

> provide enough support for the times he needs it. But I just can't

> imagine pushing something like that around while he walks or runs

ahead

> of me half of the time! I worry I would either start restricting

our

> outings, or else encourage him to ride more than he should - just

to

> avoid people's comments - and neither of those options is

acceptable to

> me.

> So, we are thinking of using a wagon for awhile. My sister is

> buying him a Radio Flyer Discovery wagon, which is roomy. The

sides

> come off so it will fit in our van more easily, and the sides are

tall

> enough to give a *little* support. We would have to bring

> blankets/pillows for him to recline on at other times, though. If

we

> are going to the zoo or on a walk, I just can't imagine him facing

up at

> the sunny sky the whole time, instead of seeing where we are

going. So

> it seems like this will only work part of the time, not full-time.

> Anyway - it just seems like there is not a good option for a

kid who

> only needs full support part of the time.

> Is anyone else in this position, and if so, what sorts of

things

> have you tried, and what has worked the best?

> Thanks,

>

> Lynne

January 18, 2004

I agree with Geri. We use a kidkart also for our five year old daughter,

Leah. It has been so wonderful. At first I was opposed to it because I

thought it screamed special needs. But you can take the foot supports off

and as Geri stated, it looks like a very nice stroller. You take it apart

and it fits in the back of a van. It takes up the whole back part; but I can

get duffle bag type suit cases underneath and other stuff around it when

traveling. I've used it on the sides of roads when there aren't side walks

and it rolls real nice. Our daughter will be in it for a long time. It

reclines back and has head and side supports. At the medical store where we

got it from they measured Leah and did all the adjustments. I like it

because it can go right up to table height and it does come with a tray. So

even though they can't use the table for eating; they are right there with

you. You do build up muscles hauling the seat in and out of a van. But you

get pretty good about whipping that baby together. We use the eating base

when we go on vacation to my mother in laws so we don't have to bring her

high chair to sit in. The manufacturer is Sunrise medical and they are

located in Avon Lake, OH. Leah uses her kidkart in school, too when they

need to transport her around. It rolls real smoothly; especially if you get

the bigger wheels. I've had a few people say, wow, that is a cadillac of a

stroller and I smile and then say thank you, but it really is a wheel chair

for kids. Plus my two boys can push her around real easy, too.

Say, Geri can you give me more information about the microshell? That has me

real curious. Where do you get it and is there a web site for that to check

out the style and what it does. You can email me privately with that

information or if you don't know where to get apicture of it; may be you can

send me a picture of Wyatt in it. Leah can support herself better now and I

like the fact that it can attach to anything. We can still carry Leah

around, so to bring her in restaurant would not be a problem that we always

need her kidkart.

Good luck, Lynn with your decision. There is so much out there and by going

to a medical supply store they will be able to guide you in what you would

need. Ours asked a lot of questions about our life style and what we are

looking for in a chair and plus they checked out Leah for what would best

suit her needs without going overboard. Insurance did pay for our kidkart.

So that was nice.

Nerenhausen

mom to Leah

gazubich wrote:

> We use a kid cart. It is a stroller for children with

> disabilities. It can give you all of the support you are looking

> for, plus the seat looks like a wheelchair but the base/wheels look

> like a stroller. They can customize the supports you want/need to

> the chair. It also comes with two bases. One for outside and one

> for inside. The inside base can raise up to bar height and lower to

> the floor. You can also have it anywhere in between. We love the

> inside base. We actually own two. One for home and one for

> school. The chair part pops out pretty easily so you can switch

> bases without difficulty. I am not sure of the company name but I'm

> pretty sure if you type in kid cart in a search engine it will come

> up.

>

> The other thing we own that may help is a microshell. It is a seat

> that can be custom made to fit your child. You can also get a

> standard model if your child does not need a lot of support. Wyatt

> is almost 5 and unable to sit on his own so ours was custom made.

> Anyways the chair can attach to anything. At restraunts when there

> is not a lot of roam for his chair we will use the microshell and

> attach it to one of their chairs. We also put it on the 4-wheeler,

> snowmobile, and his kicksled. It allows for Wyatt to be outside

> without having us to support him the whole time during the

> activity. The microshell would give you the opportunity to support

> him while in the wagon so that he does not always have to be looking

> at the sky.

>

> Just two ideas you may want to check out. Good Luck in your

> search. Oh one last thing. Did your therapist refer you to a

> medical supply company to help you make your choice? That is how we

> found these two pieces of equipment. They have lots of experience

> and can determine the right piece of equipment along with making

> sure it fits properly.

>

> Geri-Anne and Wyatt, Complex I

>

> > Everyone has been so helpful with answering all my questions!

> It

> > seems like we are having to make so many decisions all at once

> here. I

> > really appreciate all of the experience everyone has shared, it is

> > really helping.

> > I have another question, now. What do you use for your older

> kids,

> > when they have outgrown a stroller, but only need a place to ride

> part

> > of the time - and you don't always know if/when they will need it?

> > I mean, my son rides in his stroller the whole time we are out,

> > maybe 1/4 of the time. Those times, he needs full body support,

> with

> > some recline, and head support so his head doesn't slump over. At

> the

> > other extreme, sometimes we can get away without having it at

> all. In

> > between those times - which is about 50% of the time - we need to

> have

> > it along because he will use it part or most of the time, and he

> will

> > need varying amounts of support at those times (sometimes just a

> place

> > to sit, and sometimes full support - it can really vary).

> > Sometimes he won't use it at all but we still need to have it

> along

> > just in case, especially if we are out all day. He is just too

> heavy to

> > carry anymore, so that can't be a back-up. We really have to have

> > something with us that he can ride in, in case fatigue sets in, or

> he

> > starts losing coordination in his right leg and falling tons.

> (When I

> > say fatigue, this is different than regular 4yo fatigue. Once it

> > starts, it often lasts days or weeks or even a couple of months,

> and

> > occasionally gets so bad it drains him just to hold his own head

> up,

> > much less sit upright.)

> > Do you use a wheelchair, or a special needs stroller, or just

> squish

> > them into a regular stroller? Do any of your kids need head

> support

> > part of the time?

> > We are thinking of using a wagon, at least part of the time.

> We

> > were going to get a special needs stroller (Lex EASyS 2) but my

> son's OT

> > said that would soon seem too babyish for him. Right now he is

> almost

> > 5yo and is okay with a stroller-looking stroller, but he will have

> to

> > have it for at least 5 years before insurance will buy him

> something

> > new, and as she put it, " by 8yo, a boy isn't going to want to be

> caught

> > dead in a stroller " . I think she is right about that. She

> recommended

> > either a jogging stroller or a wagon, or if that wouldn't work,

> then a

> > wheelchair.

> > The jogging stroller for special needs kids has a low seat

> back, and

> > no head support on the sides. Even with the seat back extension,

> he

> > would still be too upright for a lot of times, and no side support

> for

> > his head (or torso, when he needs that).

> > I've looked around at the wheelchairs that are available, that

> would

> > provide enough support for the times he needs it. But I just can't

> > imagine pushing something like that around while he walks or runs

> ahead

> > of me half of the time! I worry I would either start restricting

> our

> > outings, or else encourage him to ride more than he should - just

> to

> > avoid people's comments - and neither of those options is

> acceptable to

> > me.

> > So, we are thinking of using a wagon for awhile. My sister is

> > buying him a Radio Flyer Discovery wagon, which is roomy. The

> sides

> > come off so it will fit in our van more easily, and the sides are

> tall

> > enough to give a *little* support. We would have to bring

> > blankets/pillows for him to recline on at other times, though. If

> we

> > are going to the zoo or on a walk, I just can't imagine him facing

> up at

> > the sunny sky the whole time, instead of seeing where we are

> going. So

> > it seems like this will only work part of the time, not full-time.

> > Anyway - it just seems like there is not a good option for a

> kid who

> > only needs full support part of the time.

> > Is anyone else in this position, and if so, what sorts of

> things

> > have you tried, and what has worked the best?

> > Thanks,

> >

> > Lynne

>

> Please contact mito-owner with any problems or questions.

>

January 18, 2004