Disabled parents - equipment tips for toddler and older

lopp_pott

Hello 

Our little boy is almost 3 and so far my husband has carried him on his electric wheelchair using a baby/toddler carrier. This has worked just brilliantly up to now. But we’re not sure what we can do as he gets older and he’s not liking being cuddled up to his Dad quite so much.

Does anyone have any tips for how to transport a 3-5 year old around safely as a wheelchair user? 

We would be sooooo grateful for any advice anyone has,

Thsnk you.

Chloe_Alumni

Hi @lopp_pott and a very warm welcome to the community! It's great that you have managed to find something that has worked so well up to this point!

I unfortunately don't have any immediate thoughts but I did find this. It's called LapBaby and could work as an alternative to a carrier

I hope the community have more ideas for you!

April2018mom

Hello
Have you looked at adaptive equipment catalogs? Ask your local council about the option of a home assessment. What sort of adaptive equipment will he need? 
https://www.livingmadeeasy.org.uk/
This is a useful website which I have used before.
My son has a wheelchair. Make the wheelchair fun for him. My husband actually named our son’s wheelchair Freedom. Explain everyone needs help with something. We sing silly songs and tell funny stories to amuse him whenever he needs to use it.
You can buy cute pretty wheelchair accessories online that may help ultimately. What about wheelchair lessons? Before my son got his first ever chair we went for a wheelchair skills class. If he can walk a bit suggest politely he uses it as a tool for balance and stability. Can he walk independently or not? Does he have spina bifida too? 

Richard_Scope

We used 'daddy train' for ages. We taught our daughter to hold on to either my jeans or as she grew the sides of my seat cushion.
She still does it now when she's feeling poorly or lazy! Trouble is I can no longer see over the top of her head