Does anyone have advice on special needs buggies?

[CaptainPlump]

Hello! My autistic 4 year old DS has outgrown his 3-wheeler buggy, so last week we had an appointment with an OT who offered us a Maclaren Major buggy on the NHS. Obviously I'm pleased to have been offered it, but it's really not what I wanted to move on to.

My DS has behavioural problems that means it's impossible to go out without his buggy, but he does like to walk. I'll always let him as long as he's being compliant and allowing me to decide which direction we're going in - unfortunately that usually doesn't last long before he's lying on the pavement (or the middle of the road)and sceaming! With our 3-wheeler I can easily steer it with one hand while I'm holding him with the other, I can put the brake on FAST if he makes a break for it and I have to chase him, and it has comfortable pneumatic wheels and not the little plastic ones the Maclaren comes with - it's the perfect solution to trying to get anywhere with him! Also I don't drive so I rely on having the shopping basket under the buggy to carry anything at all, and the Maclaren doesn't come with that.

I've looked at lots of websites that sell 3-wheeler SN buggies, but the one thing they all have in common is that they have a fixed front wheel. When I accidentally fix the front wheel on our current buggy it becomes really hard to steer - does anyone know the logic to this? Apparently it's better for travelling on rough terrain, but how about getting around town with a small boy who likes to walk but needs to have his hand held ALL THE TIME and is prone to regular tantrums, meaning he refuses to walk at all? I just want a bigger version of what I have now, and the only one I've seen that would do costs £600!!!!!

Does anyone have any experience of this? Sorry to go on and on and on....

Can't help with an alternative to the major I'm afraid but I have found the major easy to steer & it is light.
DS2 has CP & ASD so needs me holding his hand if he is walking & I find it easy enough to steer. The lack of shopping basket is a pain, I think you can buy them but I have never bothered.
Up until recently ds2 has loved his major buggy but since stating school has started to notice the differences, said "baby" & is reluctant to get in it so I think I may have to swap to a wheelchair

Also some HA will give vouchers towards the costs of alternative sn buggies.

Talk to OT,you should be able to get a voucher for a sn buggy to suit your child.
My son is almost 20 and has identical problems.At the moment I am using a very old fashioned wheel chair but he actually loves it and is comfortable in it .Good Luck.

I'm not a huge expert on this, but we have just got a SN 3-wheeler. We got vouchers for most of the cost.

I'd say the main thing to look at is how they are balanced. Your current 3-wheeler is designed to have a swivel front wheel, and DS's weight is in the middle. Which means when you fix the front wheel it's a bugger to steer. A 3-wheeler that is designed to be fixed wheel from the start, they build it with the weight a lot further back. So you can steer by just pushing down slightly on the handle and the front wheel will lift off the ground easily. It's a completely different feel to the buggy you have now.

How easily will of course depend on how well the thing is designed. Which is why although we got ours off the internet, we got the SN version of a buggy we already had so we knew it would be fine. You really need to test drive 3-wheelers before buying.

The reason for the fixed wheel in the SN buggies, btw, is it generally allows you to have the child's feet either side of the wheel. Otherwise the whole thing has to be v long and you can't get it in the car or round Boots.

We've got a Major (couldn't fit 3-wheeler in our little hatchback) and I've never had trouble steering it with one hand or running with it. A couple of days ago we were on the seafront with a group of children and being the one with the buggy I'd been laden down with scooters etc when ds ran off towards the road. I managed to run after him quite easily with the buggy and everything. I've got a shopping basket which is used a lot which cost about £15. Also, the wheels are rubber rather than plastic and are actually very hard-wearing and quite good on rough ground. We've had our buggy for years and taken it over the Downs, through woodland and on the beach and the wheels are still perfectly fine.
I hope you manage to get the buggy you want, but just in case you end up having a Major, if only for a while, don't panic too much - we really like ours!

Thank you for all of this info! r3dh3d, what buggy did you end up getting? Pixel, thanks for the positive feedback on the Major - ours is arriving tomorrow and I shall give it a fair trial before I decide whether or not to look further into getting a 3-wheeler!

The one we got I think might be a smidge too small for you guys. It's the Mountain Buggy XL; essentially because the standard baby/toddler MB is so robustly built, they can make a SN version by keeping the same frame but putting a bigger canvas and different footplate on it. So it's a bit cheaper than other SN 3-wheelers, and of course we already know it fits in the car!

The down side is it isn't that big - DD1 is an absolutely standard sized nearly-4-year-old girl, and although it says it is good for up to a slim 9 year old, I think in practice it will last us to about 7 years old. Which handily just about carries us through to the next voucher from wheelchair services, but if you're paying the whole thing yourselves you might want something that lasts longer.

Good luck then Captainplump, I'm sure you'll get on fine. The only thing that comes as a bit of a shock when you first try the Major is that it does tip back quite easily. We didn't find it a problem once we were aware of it, just had to make sure we didn't 'park' ds where he could push his feet up against things or he could go over. I think they must be designed like that so that they are still manouverable with larger children in, I certainly appreciate it when trying to get my almost-eight year old up a big kerb!

pixel - oh dear, that might be a problem! DS loves nothing more than wriggling out of his straps, turning around and kneeling with all his weight against the back of the buggy. The whole thing fell over backwards in the lingerie department at Debenhams the other day!

On the other hand, I think he'll have a much harder job wriggling out the straps in the Major!

pixel - oh dear, that might be a problem! DS loves nothing more than wriggling out of his straps, turning around and kneeling with all his weight against the back of the buggy. The whole thing fell over backwards in the lingerie department at Debenhams the other day!

On the other hand, I think he'll have a much harder job wriggling out the straps in the Major!

captainplump, i have a larger than normal 3 wheeler WITH swivel wheel from the USA. its not a special needs stroller, but made by BOB trailers. the seat is wide and there is plenty of room, even for my larger than average 5year old. (its actually my youngest dd's, but dd2 cant resist hopping in it.) As its fom the USA i belive it has a higher weight limit than most 3 wheelers in the UK. its weight limit is 45lb here

i am not sure how much leg room for your ds requires.

but is one to possible have a look at. i be3live they will be over in the UK later this year.