A question re pushchairs,any advice welcome from you lovely ladies.

[wrinklytum]

dd is nearly 2 and I currently take her out and about in a cheap n cheerful stroller (easy to fold as I use buses a lot and have small boy in tow too).Now dd is tall for her age and is gradually outgrowing this.I wonder if you could suggest any alternatives.She does not stand or walk independently.Thanks xxx

I know some people with older children with mobility problems use a McLaren Major buggy, I think OT departments can arrange that.

My friend who has a 4 year old with ASD who is sometimes in a buggy manages OK with her bogstandard Graco Mirage - but it's not that easy to fold. I've found a Chicco Caddy stroller easy to fold whilst being reasonably big, but not massive iyswim.

Thanks

wrinklytum good question
my dd is very tall and kicks the hell out of her buggy (and me) the bottom foot rest always brakes we have gone through 5 buggys and also have a Quinny, good for long walks but nothing else and its not suitable for shopping trips! she also rocks (with great force) back and fowards she is also 2 and I dont think she will be walking any time in the near future so one thats sturdy and easy to manage and she wont grow out of too fast would be very helpfull.

I too would recommend the Maclaren Major.

My son is 4.8 years old and has ASD, we went through so many footrests on buggys it is scary when I add up the costs.

The MM has a sturdy plastic footrest that can be moved in 3 different positions based on the size of the child using it.

It is extremely sturdy, yet folds up easily and is very light. It also allows plenty of space to grow into, so wouldn't need replacing for quiet a while (my DS is the size of a 7 year old and still fits just fine). You could easily use the MM on public transport etc.

We got ours from the wheelchair services department of social services after getting the school physio to refer us. They can however be bought privately, however our fairly expensive, at around £200 each I believe.

Hope this helps.

we use a major & have done for about a yr now.
A normal buggy became dangerous as he could reach down & put his fingers in the wheels, lean over & tip it up & throw himself back to tip it backwards. He is tall for his age.

It wasn't an easy decision but we are all used to it now & ds2 loves it & it does have advantages

Your first stop would deffo be wheelchair services to see how the system works locally - some give you a chair, some a voucher that you can top up yourself to get something a bit more swish.

DD1 is 3 1/2 and just growing out of her bog standard Mountain Buggy. You can get a SN "upgrade" for it which again is adjustable and seems to last up till about 9 years. So that's what we'll go with, but we're still waiting for our Wheelchair Services referral - School OT and Physio haven't returned phone calls or letters since June.