Wheelchair (for my child) or not? Wheelchairs for kids

[Anne]

Thanks lots everyone for your replies. We are going to see Wheelchair Services next Monday after they offered Grace a wheelchair . i'll be back to let you know how we get on.
Love Anne xxx

[Anne]

Hi.
Grace was offered a 10 inch width wheelchair. It was so thin I thought it hadn't be opened up ehough. She loved it but we decided to go with the Maclaren Major for every day use. We may try to apply through Education for a wheelchair to be solely used at school if Grace tires too much in lunchtimes/afternoon play sessions. We hopefully will receive it in a few weeks !
Love Anne xxx

[pinkiepunksmummy]

Hi, I must admit to not reading this thread thouroughly, so just ignore me if this is no help or has been previously mentioned!

We bought Monty a Mountain Buggy last week.

He had completely grown out of his ordinary buggy, and it was becoming impossible to push as he was far too heavy for it. He is only 4, but already the height of a six year old...and his buggy was the largest I could find.

I had been looking at the Maclaren Major (on ebay!) but it wasn't really suitable as we go for a lot of country walks, and on the beach etc. - then I came across the Mountain Buggy Terrain XL. Basically it is a regular Mountain Buggy Terrain, but supplied with an additional larger seat and foot rest, making it suitable for upto approximately age 8. They are VERY expensive brand new, but we were lucky enough to be offered a second hand one.

Anyway, here is a link to the site:

http://www.pushchairs.co.uk/acatalog/mountain_buggy_terrain_xl.html

and another link to photos of Monty's one!:
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x165/pinkiepunksmummy/PlayinginthegardenMay2008103.jpg
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x165/pinkiepunksmummy/PlayinginthegardenMay2008102.jpg

I have put the pics of Monty, because I found it hard to get an idea of the overall size of an empty buggy, and how high the back of the seat would be, etc. The pictures show the regular seat, and the extended foot rest, and as you can see, he has plenty of room, can hop in and out when he needs to rest, and it is a dream to push on rough ground and is great around town.

[TED]

Aw, he is SOOOOO adorable. I just had to say!!!!!!!

That buggy looks ace

Hope you all get a lot of enjoyment using that!!!!

TED

[pinkiepunksmummy]

Ahh, thanks for the lovely reply, TED!

He is so much more comfy in it, and the great thing is, it dosen't look like a 'baby' buggy.....we get a lot of the "he's a big boy to STILL be in a buggy" type comments!!

I can definately reccomend the Mountain Buggy, and wish we had thought of getting one sooner!
Pinkie

[jcwilson]

Hi Pinkie and all, I too have the mountain buggy, I got the one for special needs and it goes up to just above age 10 years.I got it from a sight called chariots.They do the mountain buggy and another that goes up to an older still age.Sylvia is luckily out of it more than in it these days,due to the superb program at Gosh.However ,it is the best we have had it 4 years,it went with us to Florida.And you can use it every where ,it is a true all terrain.Pinkie You got yourself and that young man of yours a great buggy.I have a tip.If like Sylvia he gets Rhyumatism and is cold in the winter weather or over heats in the hot weather.Try an inexpencive pure sheepskin rug.It helps regulate the body temprture and keeps them warmer in winter and cooler in summer.We used ours in extreme hot weahter in Florida and Sylvia felt so much cooler.
Another tip which I am sure most of you know.When you purchase these things you can get the VAT off ,it saves a wad of money.
Julianne

[jcwilson]

Ps, I forget to say, Sylvia can still fit in hers nicley without the hood and she is coming up to 11 years now.So there is a long life in them.
Julianne

[jcwilson]

Hi pinkie, I saw like me you got a sheepskin rug, so the tip of course is for the others.He is such a cutie.
Julianne

[pinkiepunksmummy]

Hi, Julianne. We originally got the sheepskin when DD1 was a baby, for the cot! All three kids have used it as babies, and Monty had it in his bed until recently when we bought him a synthetic fleecey single sheet....his bed is 'bony' apparently, and the extra thickness is more comfy for him.

It seemed a shame that no-one would use the cot fleece any more, so DH and I took a Stanley knife to it and cut holes for the buggy harness...it worked a treat, and the buggy seat is now lovely and cosy!

And yes, he is a cutie...and he knows it...he's a real charmer, just like my brothers!!

Pinkie.

[Beth]

Thought I would bump this thread as my daughter has injured her foot and matter of factly asked for a wheelchair. She was on crutches for a few days and, with the foot getting no better, just hit a wall. She flat out said she could not get around on crutches with her shoulders and back in such pain and I had choice but to take her seriously. So, I called the dr and explained the situation and he called in a prescription for a wheel chair, no questions asked (bless him).

I had some mixed feelings about her getting a wheelchair but, since she got it Tuesday evening, she has been more active and in (relatively) less pain than she has been for weeks, maybe months. She has a love/hate relationship with it - she hates it because she feels conspicuous and vulnerable in it but it gives her a sense of freedom she hasn't had for a while. After she used it for a day or so, she said she hadn't realized how hard crutches had been on her.

So, we are viewing the wheelchair as a temporary tool until we figure out what is going on with her foot and take the rest on step at a time. Mainly, I am trying to keep my own ambivilence hidden so I don't add to the burden she is already carrying.

Beth

[genj]

noticed your in usa - do you have organizations like whizz kidz ( its a charity who run free training courses for children in wheelchairs ) the courses teach them how to be independant - safely get up and down kerbs , pick up stuff of the floor etc my son went on one of their courses not only did his new found abilities help him day to day but also gave him lots of confidence (as a wheelchair user and a person) but his skills amaize his ablebodied peers - who stopped looking on him as 'poor lad who cant do stuff' to the lad who can do the cool 'stunts' (back wheel balanceing while manovering round the 'course' one handed!!)

[Beth]

Hi Genj,
Not sure if we have the types of organizations that you spoke of here in the US but I would imagine we have something similar. Right now the wheelchair is a temporary measure for my daughter so I am not sure she needs that type of course currently. Everyone - drs, PTs, OTs - are doing everything they can to get her OUT of the chair, while understanding her need for it at the moment. And she is able to walk now - around the house, outside for a few minutes, that type of thing. She really is just using the chair for long distances but hopefully will wean off of it now that her foot is getting better. Hopefully, the water therapy that she is doing 3 times a week will build her strength back up so she can get up and moving again. I suspect it will be a long process - and her current back injury isn't helping - but I think she will get to a point fairly soon where she no longer needs the chair. Unfortunately, I think she will have times in the future when she needs a wheelchair during an injury and simply cannot use crutches. For that reason, it is good to have it available.

Thanks for the information - I will do some looking to see what is available if we ever need it!

Beth

[melimo]

Hi,
I'm mum to 5 year old Charlie, who was diagnosed with hms in April. Charlie has his wheelchair assessment on Thursday afternoon. We think Charlie will be given a major buggy but I guess we will find out Thursday. As our physio is supporting Charlie getting some type of chair we know some decision will be made come Thursday.
At the moment I'm struggling with the whole wheelchair thing, I know its what's best for Charlie but I'm feeling totally overwhelmed by everything.
Charlie bless him is taking it all in his stride, infact today when his legs were hurting and he couldn't walk he told me he wished he had a wheelchair or buggy now.
I'd really love to hear from other mums who have had to go through the same process as we are now and who may be able to offer support and or tips.
Thanks Mel

[cyberbarn]

Hi Mel,

My son is now 14, and we went though this at age 7 or there abouts. So long ago I can't remember now! It was before I really knew much about HMS but he was always laying down on the ground when we were out and complaining about walking. I had never used a buggy as I live in a rural area and he was in a backpack until he was nearly 4. Someone had giving us an old buggy which was smelly, in the garage and way too small, but I tried it out one day and it made such a difference that we got a Major on ebay as soon as we could!

Peter then grew, and we bought an Independence. http://www.specialneedspushchairs.co.uk/babyjogger_independence.htm We thought that it would do until he grew out of his HMS. Oppps!

We have now graduated to a 'real' wheelchair, and it is better in some ways, as he can be independent, but worse as the seating position is more upright in a wheelchair than a buggy.

He has been sitting in it for a lot more than usual this last week as we have been going to lectures at the Cheltenham Science Festival, and he really misses his buggy for that. But on the other hand I can just say 'can you move yourself while I put my jumper on' and he does, which is really helping me a lot.

As for how it was for me, there was a huge learning curve as I had never even used a buggy when he was a baby. I can't tell you the number of times I stood in front of a closed door wondering just how to get through it! But now we are pretty used to it and it has really given us so much more freedom and he gets more exercise too as he knows he can get out any time and walk, knowing that when he is tired he can sit down again.

As for an NHS assessment, we have gone private and had the assessment done at a mobility centre so I can't help you with that.

Oh, and you meet the nicest people when you are with a wheelchair! At things like the Cheltenham Festival you get to sit at the front with the other wheelchairs and you get to know those people! It is like belonging to a secret club where you get to smile and say 'hi' to people that other wise you wouldn't speak to!

Having a wheelchair has been a really positive move for us, and I wish I had done it a lot sooner.

Good luck at the assessment!

Cheers,
Jennifer

[melimo]

Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for your reply. Charlie had his wheelchair assessment on this last Thursday. We were offered the major or a conventional chair. For now we took the major, its much easier to transport and hopefully we will get a couple of years out of it. The lady that did the assessment was lovely and get helpful. I think she would have preferred Charlie to have the proper chair so he can learn how to self propel. But to be honest I think he's a bit young for that yet plus I'm not sure his wrists or fatigue level will be up to it both now and in the future.
So now we have our major we went out today shopping and it made such a difference. Charlie did want to get out at times and explore but thats ok. He was definately less tired although I did notice the fidgeting more whilst he was sat. However he will hopefully have his lycra splints this next week so I'm hoping that will help.
As for the future we are busy making plans to visit the zoo and maybe legoland. We have so much fun to catch up on after being very house bound for over a year now.
I'm sure we are all going to love having the buggy and the freedom it will give.
Mel