Helping a family who need accessible baby equipment

[KatyMac]

So I'm trying to work round it

I know about remap and how they can help but I'm pondering an accessible cot

So leaning over the side and picking up a bigger baby is not going to be ideal - what options are there?

Sorry I cannot help. I am not disabled.

I can’t help unfortunately but if you are on Facebook there is a group called Accessible Holidays and Day Trips which may be a good starting point for people who have experience.

is the baby old enough to use a bed with rails/rolled up blanket (under the sheets) instead of a cot? I know we had to do that with ds from about 18 months as he hated travel cots!

Thanks @Sirzy I joined

The baby isn't here yet, we are getting ahead of ourselves - for the first months the cot should be high enough to reach into

But after that I'm at a loss

Can you get a tutti bambino XL. The side rolls half down in the next to me version.

Is that like this (stole a pic off marketplace)?

How easy is it to get that bit off/down? Or have I misunderstood?

It addresses the leaning over, but I think it would still be hard to bend that low, maybe?

Yes that's it. There's a button under the bar on each and a zip to lift the side bar off. The one I've got isn't that low. They are designed to line up with the side of your own bed.

Can't answer that but are you the poster with the very talented dancing daughter? I haven't seen you in ages but wanted to say hope shes doing great if so!

But can it be used not next to a bed? It has possibilities

@Amsx yes DD is still dancing professionally and choreographing now plus a bit of modelling for the clothes I make

Yes of course. You obviously would have to zip it up and down every time baby goes in and out. Fourth trimester they prob won't move/roll but after 4 months they might start to move themselves in the cot

Can the disabled parent (I'm assuming) get an Occupational therapy assessment? OTs are more likely to have access to the latest specialist equipment information. Maybe the midwife could do/back a referral.

The small bedside cots will only help up until about 4-6 months. Once the baby can pull itself to sitting, they're not high-sided enough to be safe.

Thinking longer term, what about getting a hospital cot, or a joiner to build one? They're essentially a normal cot with a drop side, but on longer legs so that the bed of the cot is bed or waist height and then the sides go up from there. It might not be very pleasing to look at (the metal hospital ones look like mini prisons ), but there'd be no leaning for the parent.

Is lifting the baby/toddler also a problem?

The hospital cots look like this. But a wooden one built by a joiner could look a lot nicer?

Yes raising the legs would work I think

An ot would be fab but not sure I'd get an assessment without going private

I'm going to be the childcare for the family and I'm the one with the disability so tricky

Tutti Bambini cozee xl

Very expensive, but you could look at something like this.

I have limited mobility and I found this usefull when she was little. Neat Nursery Bath

I also carried her on my front with a baby carrier.

That is out of my price range!!

But I reckon fixing the cot legs to a substantial coffee table is a practical and safe solution

Now the next problem is in and out of the car, but I think a twisty car seat will work, do they go past the baby stage?

Thanks @MotherFeministWoman Thats a good idea

Not a cot, but a snugglebundl blanket with handles helped my friend with a terrible back. Then you can pick them up instead of scooping and bending.

So the baby grew!! And is about to not fit the moses basket

Which makes an accessible travel cot and cot a matter of urgency

Any workarounds anyone can share?

What are the specific needs here, does the baby need to be at waist height, floor height? Is it better to have a side opening lift from floor or a high mattress lift from a raised position?

If you're able to provide a wish lift specification then someone may be able suggest a product or modification.

I can't pick the baby up from the floor, but I can from a moses basket or the sofa, I would struggle to pick up the baby from behind the sofa, stretching over the back, so similar to over the side of a cot - well I can; but it really hurts and I'd like not to

So maybe knee height with out a barrier?

I cant use the snugglebundl as I can't reach the handles to pick it up

For a cot I'm thinking a dropside cot on a coffee table or bed risers maybe

For changing the baby I use a mat on a footstool or coffee table while sitting down so that works

I have a high-level bouncy chair which they are only just old enough for based on head control so that's good

I paid for an ot assessment which was useful for the conversations it had but the report ended up being a list of expensive kit to buy

Thanks @InfoSecInTheCity even just talking it out makes me realise how much I have achieved even if I still have a way to go

Baby carrier is still a challenge though as I have reduced mobility for putting it on or putting the baby in when it's on - Ot suggested a harness for wach of us that clips together but neither of us found one

Or maybe these on a dropside cot

I would veer away from any kind of leg that isn't very very attached. As they get more mobile they do fun things like hold on to the side of the cot and jump and bounce and throw themselves into the sides. You do not want the cot tumbling off of the legs!

If you can find someone handy could you get them to make you something like this but with hinges on the front panel so you can open it out. Initially they could be on the higher mattress setting, then as they get more mobile and start climbing you can lower the mattress down and they would be able to crawl/walk out when you open the side.

I do need to be able to put a sleeping baby down I think

So it does need to be higher I think, I do like that cor though