carrying stuff with DC in wheelchair?

[elliejjtiny]

I have DS1 (6), DS2 (4) and DS3 (18m). DS2 and DS3 have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. DS2 uses an action 3 wheelchair and I carry DS3 in an ergo baby carrier. We got the wheelchair a few weeks ago, before that we had a double buggy. I don't drive and school/town is 1.5 miles away, we have a weekly bus ticket.

Just wondering if anyone has ideas about how I can cart around the mountain of stuff that 3 children this age need that I used to put in the buggy basket. I also miss shopping. DH does the weekly shop but I like to buy a few bits in the week. DS2 is small for his age so the wheelchair is tiny. I can squeeze a couple of things into a toddler sized back pack to put on the back of the wheelchair and pray that recently toilet trained DS2 wont have an accident while we are out but there must be a better way of doing things.

I was thinking about getting a pull along shopping trolley to carry all the stuff but not sure if it's possible to push a wheelchair and pull a trolley at the same time in a straight line . Any ideas?

You'd give yourself an injury trying to push and pull at the same time.

Is DS1 capable of carrying some of his own stuff in a backpack or carrier bag? I know I struggle to carry much when I'm out with my two now that DS2's out of his Major, since I have him on reins in danger of pulling me over or tripping me up, but I can usually persuade DS1 to carry something (bribery often required), even if it's just his own lunchbag while i struggle along with a back pack and a big shopping bag in my usually free hand.

It's hard - I think the art is to find the biggest bag that will hang on the back of the chair! Sometimes I manage a carrier bag on the handles as well but you need to be careful it doesn't dangle into the wheels - I was once walking home in the dark when something fell on my foot! The bag had rubbed into a hole and my veg were dropping out! Sometimes I wear a small backpack - but you cant really do that with the baby carrier.
I haven't tried a trolley, but I think it would be difficult,you probably need both hands on the wheelchair to manage kerbs and doors.

zzzzz I hover over the loo in waitrose which is the only loo in town that fits the wheelchair, me and ds1 in. If I sit down properly I'm in danger of not being able to get back up. Think I may need to invest in a coat with big pockets. DS3 wears 6-9m and DS2 wears 2-3y but when they stayed with the IL's before christmas DS3 came home in DS2's clothes so I think that would work. I'll have a look at bike panniers as well.

ouryve he might if I bribed him and if I told him it was practice for carrying heavy loads for when he's old enough to go mountain climbing with his grandad.

starfishmummy the biggest bag that fits on the back of the wheelchair is tiny. I'll have a try with different shapes though. It could take a taller bag as long as it was narrow enough.

Thanks everyone for your help.

any of these any use? If the chair is tipping with the weight you could try buggy weights on the front but don't know how practical the extra weight would be. Or as zzzzz said, pannier style bags maybe.

This is something we're looking at as well. Ninja, that first link you put has this:

www.just-good-prices.co.uk/acatalog/underseat-bag.html

which is pretty cool! I will definitely be keeping that in mind! Thanks!

I could do a week's shopping for the house with Dude in his using a courier style bag and a holdall plus carriers looped on the handles (loop them round a couple of times to avoid rubbing)

He weighed 18st though, so no danger of tipping

What about a draw string sports bag?

i just use the biggest back pack possible, without it rubing on the wheels.
If i end up buying more when out i end up hanging them on the w/chair handles.
DS2 has a back extension on his w/chair that does give a bit more heigh to hang longer bags from (not the reason it was added but it is handy).

Be careful though if you cant get close enough for all the baggage you'll end up pushing bent over & do you back in.

I meant to add that i've just had to learn to travel light

after reading this thread i have just taken the net shopping basket off of DS's 3 wheel buggy and stuck it under his wheelchair...dunno why i never thought of that before!

Thanks everyone. Most of the bags designed to fit under/on the back of wheelchairs wouldn't fit on ds2's wheelchair as its too small and narrow. I think I'm going to try and get a tall narrow back pack and try to travel light. If we're going to the children's centre they have cups so don't need to bring ds3's and I'll just ignore the health visitor when she tells me I should always have a drink each for all my children when out. (This was at the children's centre where they have plenty of cups and a tap so I didn't feel the need to bring drinks for DS2 (4).

Wow, are siblings not allowed to share a water bottle these days? i have so much to learn...

Tbh, if you have a sewing machine and the time/energy, you could make one easily.

2 rectangles of fabric measuring the same as the chair back minus 2", one long rectangle measuring 2 long sides + 1 short side x 6", 2 narrow strips for handles.

Fold the narrow strips lengthways right sides together, sew the long edges, turn right way round, press.

Sew the long edge of the long strip to one long side, then a short side, then a long side of one of the large rectangles, right sides together. Repeat with the other side.

Press the open edge over twice and pin. Make a strip into a loop and attach the ends to the middle of the short edge. Repeat with the other. Stitch, backing over the handles several times.

Remove pins, turn right way out. You could alternatively make the top hem wider and use a draw-string but you get less internal volume can't stuff it to overflowing that way

:)

Ours share. Half the time if I bring two cups, they're passing them back and forth anyway.

purple, if only we had the photo thing over here, you could knock one up to show us how it's done!! Of course kids can share drinks, whether they want to or not is something different and no one in my house will share with dd3!

If i had the time and could get to my sewing machine, I'd make one for ellie and anyone else that needed one!

I set up in business doing this sort of thing for stressed sn parents but pregnancy and diy have put it on hold for now

I can't get any sewing done until DS2 is back in school. The noise from the sewing machine upsets him. And for some reason, he can hear it from anywhere in the house (the mixer as well!). But he can't hear me talking to him from a foot away.

Funny that