special tomato liner (in v old Mountain Buggy) v wheelchair/sn buggy?

[hazeyjane]

Ds has been referred to wheelchair services for a sn buggy/wheelchair, He is nearly 3 has low muscle tone, and tires very easily.

His ot has referred us to wheelchair services, but the community ot has just emailed to say that she has seen a special tomato liner in stores that we could borrow to use in the buggy he has.

The only thing is, our buggy is nearly 20 years old, and pretty knackered, so we will have to replace the whole thing at some point soon. Also, ds is already quite snug in it, so I'm not sure how squooshed he is going to be if there is a liner in there as well.

Any thoughts?

I would clarify that the order for a wheelchair/buggy would still be made and that this is just a "stop gap" in the short term. While adequate support is important for him, you would be doing him a disservice by accepting the liner for a buggy that old in lieu of a new one that is adequately sized and fit specifically for him, has growing room and is not going to fall apart at the worst possible moment...

I agree with beemom, if trying the liner is not going to affect the wcs referral then it's worth a go but if it's instead of then no, I wouldn't take the liner. You might have quite a wait for a chair, it was 5 months from referral to delivery for dd3's wheelchair so if the liner will do for a stop gap while it's all sorted then it could be a good idea.

Thankyou both.

I rang the ot to ask her what she thought, and she had forgotten to put the referral into wheelchair services. She said she would call the ot and ask whether we could have the liner as a stop gap, but I said I wanted a guarantee that it wouldn't make any difference to wheelchair referral.

Liner sounds like a good idea while you wait for the sn buggy/wheelchair.

Did you want info about the pros and cons of wheelchair vs sn buggy? DS2 (aged 5) has had both.

just explain that your pushchair is 20 yrs old & does not meet current safety guidlines particularly now your ds is bigger and able to reach more moving parts etc.
They find it hard to refuse a safety issue ;)

Good point about the safety issue!

Ellie, I am not sure what is going to be available to us, wrt buggies and wheelchairs. The community OT suggested wheelchair, but for the reason that bigger children in buggies get judged more harshly. Really I just want the best option that will offer some trunk support (he has a tendency to slump in the buggy) and be a good long term solution.

I think ellie's idea of considering wheelchair or buggy is a good one, you can add trunk support to either, ime it's good to have an idea what you want before you see wcs

I found the SN buggy we had this one was a nightmare on buses because it was so big and difficult to fold. DS2 didn't have "wheelchair user rights" when we had it so bus drivers would expect me to fold it and when we went to school concerts etc we were told no buggies allowed so I would have to carry DS2. He also got treated like a baby by adults and children. However for longer distance walking it was really good, although heavy, had a big basket for shopping.

The wheelchair we've got this one is a lot lighter than the buggy and even I can fold it and shove it in the car (sn buggy was a job for DH with a lot of swearing and kicking required!). DS2 self propels sometimes, mainly on shiny floors. Bus drivers etc are more sympathetic and DS2 can access more places. The wheelchair is a lot trendier than the buggy. DS2 was able to pick a red frame and spoke guards with spiders on. Nobody treats him like a baby although a lot of adults assume he has learning difficulties (he doesn't). There is no room for shopping and unless your DS is a lot bigger than mine the wheelchair will be narrower and the handles lower than a buggy. This is great for getting through doorways but awkward for your back/arm muscles. Brakes are controlled by the child, this is sometimes a good thing and sometimes not! DS2 puts the brakes on whenever he has a strop, the wheelchair users equivalent of sitting on the floor and refusing to move.

Pros and cons for both. I think the wheelchair is best if you travel mostly by car/bus with a bit of walking but I would go with the buggy if you walk a lot.

ellie, dd3 has an action 3 junior and does exactly the same with her brakes we do have adjustable handles on hers though as I'm quite tall, otherwise I couldn't push it! They only give clear spoke guards here because they're cheaper what a surprise so we customised them with those stickers for kids bedroom walls, she also wants the light up front wheels too as one of her friends has them. The wheels come of at the press of a button and the chair folds widthways so it goes in the car really easily.

if you're still planning on doing kids south next month it could be a good opportunity to see what might be on offer.

Oh god, I can see myself getting tied up in knots trying to work out what is best! We walk a lot, but also catch the bus (I can't drive). Will have to do a bit more research!

These were the 3 that were recommended by people on the Kleefstra Facebook page

alvema-ito

ottobock-kimba-spring

swifty

They all seemed to go down the buggy route, although I know some of the older children on the page use wheelchairs.

your ds is still quite young, whichever you chose you're probably looking at replacing in 2/3 years as he grows anyway so if you go for the buggy type now, you could consider the wheelchair option again around 5 which is when a lot of people make the move between the two if you think that would suit you better? Will ds need to use it in preschool/nursery?

If you are concerned about your mountain buggy I have one looking for a good home. About 13 years old and used on and off for about 8 years. Has had some bits replaced, probably needs new inner tubes. Pm me if interested and I will see about a courier. (as I see you live no where near me!)