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Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

SN children

Pushchair ...........what next?

19 replies

reiver · 26/02/2006 17:34

At present we use a Maclaren Vogue & Mothercare three wheeler which I bought 4 years ago. Both have been great but showing signs of age. Whilst DD can still fit in both I fear it won't be too long before I need to find a replacement.
I'm tempted to buy another ordinary Maclaren but know it'll only last us a relatively short time so perhaps should think of a Major instead? Thought about a Mountain Buggy as a possible replacement for the three wheeler. Sounds awful but I'm not sure that I could cope with something that looks like a wheelchair - hope that doesn't offend - but do you know what I mean?
DD has a condition which affects growth and development so although 7 she's more like a samll 3 year old in size but will need "transport" long term.
I've just written to our OT asking for her advice but could do with gathering a few ideas first.
It's all so expensive so I'd appreciate any advice on what others have found to be useful. Also what help (if any) should I expect from the OT?
Thanks

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sparklymieow · 26/02/2006 17:35

you should be able to get a major buggy from the wheelchair clinic. I would phone the local physio or OT and ask to be referred.
if you can't get one from them (and you should ) you can buy them from mothercare.

reiver · 26/02/2006 17:37

Not a samll 3 year old - just a small one!

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reiver · 26/02/2006 17:41

Do you mean they would actually supply one?!

Would you (or others) recommend a Major or are there any major (sorry!) drawbacks?

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buzylizy · 26/02/2006 18:49

We had a major buggy for ages and found it really good. We got it from the wheelchair department so try there because they can also assess your needs so that if later you need a wheelchair you are already in the system. also they will know if there is another buggy that will suit better. i do understand about the wheelchair my dd is in one and it is such a big step.

Cappucino · 27/02/2006 10:30

We have a child's wheelchair from the wheelchair clinic for dd who is 5 - she was really pleased with it because it was what adults had, rather than looking like a little child in a buggy. She certainly does look 'older' in it than she did in her convaid cruiser ( like a buggy but bigger). Having said that we do have a Maclaren (though really it isn't ours!) and that's a lot lighter and more foldable - depends on yours and dd's preference but I wouldn't rule a wheelchair out. If you have to buy your own I know people with some really funky imported ones.

buzylizy · 27/02/2006 10:44

We got a really lovely kid active wheelchair from the wheelchair service. It was cadbury peurple. She now has the next size up.

sparklymieow · 27/02/2006 15:37

BL my son has the same wheelchair as your dd

mulsey · 27/02/2006 16:04

I know just how you feel.....We were offered at major buggy for my daughter when she turned 2/3 years. However, as we lived close to the beach I wanted a 3-wheeler to make it accessible to us. We used our vouchers to help pay for the mountain buggy - its fab.

When my daughter turned 4 and we started thinking about nursery , I wondered if a wheelchair would be better for her. We went along for a fitting, well they sat her in the chair and off she went trying to turn the wheels and make it move!

Sometimes what seems like a step backwards for the parents ie - ME, was really a bigger step forward for my daughter.......she loves her wheelchair as she can escape in the supermarket or get up close to the TV. What im trying to say is, it wont be the end of the world getting a wheelchair, infact it might be the begining of a whole new chapter....good luck

reiver · 27/02/2006 20:13

Thanks everyone for your comments - they've certainly given me something to think about. It's also made me realise that I mustn't dismiss the idea of a wheelchair ...... it just seemed to be a big step.

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fairydust · 27/02/2006 20:15

I had big issues with dd going into a major as i didn't want her to stand out but i finally gave in as the techno wheels caved in - and it's so much easier to use wished i'd swallowed my proud and got one sooner our physio filled the forms in with us and it was deliverred 2 weeks later.

Caroline5 · 27/02/2006 21:14

This will be us in a while - dd2 while nearly 5 is about the size of a small 2 year old. She still fits into a standard Maclaren buggy, but it's wearing out.

I hope you don't mind me asking reiver, but I was wondering what your dd's diagnosis is? It's just that my dd has no diagnosis and also appears to have problems with growth and development. (You don't have to say if you don't want!)

reiver · 28/02/2006 12:12

Caroline5 - no diagnosis here either. DD probably has some form of skeletal dysplasia which has affected her growth and development. She was tiny and has grown very slowly. She had low muscle tone and very mobile joints. On the development side it was just a case of waiting and gradually as she missed the milestones we began to realise that she's working on her own timescale. The strange thing is she often gets there in the end but way way after her peers. Any similarities?

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JakB · 28/02/2006 14:19

Mulsey, we have just got a wheelchair. I went along to get, I thought, a new Major (ours is knackered) and got quite a militant OT who said she thought it was unethical to put a 5-year-old in a buggy! Still reeling from the shock of the meeting but we'll see how we go. It's quite a neat wheelchair. She said that if we stuck with buggys it would be hard to get DD to make the transition.

JakB · 28/02/2006 14:20

Sorry, Reiver, just ignored your initial threaad!
I was also offered a 'voucher' towards getting the buggy I wanted? If we didn't want what was on offer so could be worth looking into that.

moondog · 28/02/2006 14:23

I have a Phil&Ted,and my friend's 7 year old (slim but pretty tall) who has CP fits into it very comfortably when we go on rugged walks (I put my baby in an old pushchair-this is in Turkey btw where she is waiting for a wheelchair for him.)

Just a thought....

Caroline5 · 28/02/2006 21:18

Hi reiver, no one has ever mentioned skeletal dysplasia to us, but your dd does sound similar in some ways - my dd also has low muscle tone in her legs and hypermobility in her ankles particularly (she wears Piedros). Like your dd, she does seem to be very gradually meeting the milestones but at her own (very delayed) pace. Have you had lots of tests done?

reiver · 28/02/2006 22:27

Caroline5 - think skeletal dysplasia is just a term which covers a range of conditions where growth is a factor. We saw a lot of people when she was younger. DNA testing didn't provide any clues then. Her Xrays were sent to GOSH too but they only came up with one fresh idea which wasn't a close match for DD. At first it was thought to be a physical problem but it gradually became apparent that her whole development was affected too. We moved nearly five years ago so have since seen a different set of medics who really have come up with nothing new on the diagnosis front since.
DD also wears Piedros for ankles!

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Cappucino · 01/03/2006 12:04

I've just remembered what I thought about when we got our wheelchair: I'd read an interview with the wheelchair athlete Tanni Grey Thompson about what she would do if her daughter was disabled, and she said she'd get her straight into a trendy wheelchair rather than a horrid plaid buggy - I realised that for kids who are school age it's as much a fashion accessory as anything else

(this also applies to her foot splints which I have never forgiven myself for not letting her have Barbie ones)

reiver · 01/03/2006 19:53

Thanks all for your advice - it's made me see wheelchairs in a new light. Now just need to pin OT down for an appt!

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