Advice/Help Needed, Please!

[AnnaKate]

Help! My son, 10 (will turn 11 in a few weeks), sprained his ankle a couple of days ago, and we leave for DW Tuesday!!! He has been using crutches around the house and staying off of it as much as possible. The doctor thought he'd be about well by tomorrow and that he'd have no issues getting around in the parks, but he is still sore and unable to walk more than a few steps without crutches.

What would you recommend for him to use to be able to get around the parks? We are staying on-site, so we will be using the Disney buses everyday to travel from AKL to the parks and back. I had thought an ECV might be a possibility, but after reading a few threads here, it seems you have to be 18 to drive them, even from the private rental companies. Am I correct that our only options are crutches or manual wheelchair? I am concerned about either of those options working well for several days in a row in the heat! What advice do you have for us?

THANK YOU!

 

[gap2368]

yes a wheel chair I would rent one off site and get one that fits him so that he will be able to push him self some. also bring his crushes so that if he needs them to transfer he can and bring some gloves for who ever pushes him.

 

[mamabunny]

Yep... an inexpensive pair of bike gloves for the "pusher" will help prevent blisters tremendously. Additionally, you may want to pad the seat out with towels from the hotel room to help him be more comfy. Rent a standard wheelchair - the "travel" or "companion" chairs will work, but the smaller wheels make for more work going up and down ramps.

 

[minnie mum]

Definitely get a chair for him and the gloves for the designated pusher. And bring the crutches - he can use those for shorter distances, like at your resort. I agree that renting from an offsite agency will be better, since just getting around some resorts can require a fair bit of walking. Not to mention getting from the bus stops to the park entrances.

You'll find the names and contact info for the rental places in the FAQ sticky.

 

[wilkeliza]

Could he do one of the knee scooter type assitant devices? I've seen some ankle injuries used those at the parks and on cruises.

They aren't electric but the person using it propels themselves.

 

[anonymousegirl]

the off site rental companies have child size wheelchairs. They are more comfortable for kids than the full size adult ones.

 

[AnnaKate]

Thank you all so much for your help! We have rented a wheelchair for the duration of our stay from one of the Disney approved providers, so it will be waiting for us when we check in tomorrow. And I bought bicycle gloves today to take with us so none of us "pushers" get blisters on our hands. I never would have thought to do that! We will also bring the crutches. Not exactly the way we planned to do Disney, but I'm so thankful to have a way to get him around the parks and resort now.

 

[Disneykidsdad]

I have pushed my daughter through Disney World almost 20 times and have never needed gloves.
I can see gloves for your son if he is going to wheel himself some of the time.

 

[minnie mum]

I have pushed my daughter through Disney World almost 20 times and have never needed gloves.
I can see gloves for your son if he is going to wheel himself some of the time.

DH and DD both got blisters the first day they pushed me. Why take the chance?

 

[SueM in MN]

DH and DD both got blisters the first day they pushed me. Why take the chance?

It doesn't hurt to have gloves along.
Whether you get blisters or not might depend on a lot of things - how much your hands sweat, how easy the chair is to push, the material the push handles are made of.

We've got a young adult child who we've pushed around WDW for more than 20 years without ever getting any blisters, so it's not universal to get them. We personally found gloves to be very hot.
So, whether to wear or not is a personal decision.