Stroller issue

[kjmommie]

We have a stroller issue that I am hoping that someone out there may have suggestions for.

I have two children, ages 5 and 4. My 4 year old has muscular dystrophy and struggles to walk long distances. And our dr. has said that he does need to ride a lot so that he doesn't wear out his muscles.

We have a joovy tandem stroller that we have used for a long time. However, his feet are not protected as they get caught in the wheels and he is about to grow out of the seat.

We are planning on doing some traveling this summer that will require lots of walking (a few amusement parks, museums, etc.) and don't know what to do.

We have a single stroller that we like for my daughter. We don't have anything for my son. We have been debating on whether to go ahead and get an expensive double stroller that has a higher weight limit for my older kids, get him a push chair if we can find one relatively cheap that will last a year or so, or just get a regular single stroller and attach them.

I have to make a decision soon but am really stressing it. I want to make this a fun trip and there is no way that either of them can do the walking AND enjoy it.

Any suggestions from others out there?

 

[SueM in MN]

It would be helpful to know about how tall he is and how much he weighs.

Since you have a stroller you like for your daughter, my suggestion would be to get something separate for your son because that would give you the most flexibility.
There are times when you may want to have your son in a stroller, but not your daughter - for example, on a shopping trip when he might be having a bad day and needs to ride. Or, for amusement parks or museums, you might want to split up and have one adult take each child in different directions for a while.

Since he has a need for a mobility device, your insurance may cover at least part of the cost of purchasing one for him. It would need to be more specialized than a regular stroller and you would need to get a prescription from his doctor (which sounds like it would not be a problem, since the doctor said he needs to rest his muscles). That kind of more specialized pushchair would also be more of a longer term solution than just fitting for the next year and should be more comfortable for him than a regular stroller.
If you are working with an OT or PT, they could also help you with options and fitting.
Adaptivemall has a good selection of special needs strollers with quite a bit of information about each one. Even though you will probably work with his own therapists, it’s still a good place to start.
http://www.adaptivemall.com/allstrolpus.html

 

[kjmommie]

Thanks for the link. We aren't using our insurance at this point on the advice of our specialist. He will need something larger in just a few years and we will need to have insurance pay for that so our dr. suggested that we pay for this one on our own. It is a bummer but probably best in the long run!!

We will probably go with two but, unfortunately, when we travel this summer my friend that we are traveling with will be in a scooter much of the time so it is hard to do two strollers!!

What a problem, huh? Just a small one in the grand scheme of things but I can't seem to find what would work best!

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[SueM in MN]

Yes, I can see you might want to save the insurance benefits for later since he is young and you can still manage with a regular stroller.

You might want to look at the link I posted, pick out some that look like they could work and then look on eBay for any with good feedback who are selling one like that. I know several people posted on the disBOARDS that they got a great stroller for a great price that way.