Carrier or wheels for child who is often too overwhelmed to walk

[11NigelTufnel]

I regularly have to piggyback ds when he says his legs are broken and he can't walk. He is 20kg, so still doable, but my arms ache and I can't then use them to go in a shop, hold a bag, hold other child's hand to cross the road etc. I am now looking into getting a disability push chair, but the cheapest seems about £240 and if he refuses to use it, it's a hell of a lot of money.

Can anyone recommend cheaper options? Those push along scooters with a seat seem to be for toddlers. Do carriers go big enough for a 120cm child (age 7 clothes), and easy enough to put on out and about? Are there places to get cheaper disability push chairs? Are there other options that I haven't considered? All help appreciated!

I would go with an SN buggy or wheelchair. A carrier isn’t going to be a longer term solution.

Have you looked at grants for an SN buggy? You could also request a referral to wheelchair services. The Red Cross does wheelchair loans if you want to test if DS would use one.

@Headfirstintothewild a rental to test sounds good, I will look that up

How old is DS? I used an all-terrain mountain buggy (huge wheels) for my DS until he was about 5 (not all the time, but for the type of situation you describe). It was a hand-me-down from my next-door-neighbour and was fairly beaten up, but able to handle his weight and height (top end for his age). If your DS is older, then I think you are looking at a special needs buggy - the push-along scooters are not going to work for a bigger child. The only other thought (depending on DS and the kind of trips you’d be taking) would be something like a maxi micro scooter with the little tether to pull him along behind when he gets tired. No idea if that would work?

@landofgiants he is nearly 6 and tall, so can't see any younger child push chair working. I could get one that is ok for his weight, but think his knees would be dragging along the ground! He has always refused to use a scooter in the past, so I don't he would agree now as it involves effort to push. I think we will just have to fork out for a disability push chair I can't keep carrying him, it's hurting my arms and back.