Stroller/wheelchair for older child

[loving mom of two]

We will be leaving for Disney the end of May and I have a question concerning what to do about an older child who tires easily. Our DS is 11 years old and has epilepsy and PDD. We tried a Disney stroller last summer and he was just to big. I was considering either a special needs stroller or a wheelchair. DS's doctor recommended that we just take a lot of breaks throughout the day, but I am not sure what to do when the long lines and the heat get the best of him. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Tissa]

I have a ds 10 with cp who also tires easily and I got him a Convaid chair/special needs stroller http://www.adaptivemall.com/ezridbycon1.html You have to get a DR or PT to write a prescription for it and they run about $1500. Insurance covered ours. If you don't want to go that route I would just rent a wheelchair in the parks for him that way he can ride around and save his energy.

We went last June and hit the parks early then left in the middle of the day and came back out in the pm when things cooled off.

Have a great trip

 

[SueM in MN]

I would probably just play it by ear. Late May should not necessarily be real busy and you would be able to get a wheelchair later in the day if it is necessary. (ECVs are in shorter supply, but wheelchairs should not be a problem). If he's able to tell you, I'd ask him how he feels about using a wheelchair. He may be OK with it, or might rather just walk and take rests.
If he has frequent seizures and/or seizures without advance warning/aura, then I'd probably use a wheelchair for safety.

Another thing to think about is getting to the parks as early as possible in the morning. You would be able to get on lots of things with little to no wait. I can't get youngest DD ready early enough in the morning to do that, but DH and I have gone on "couples only" trips to WDW in the middle of summer and found it worked very well. He has also taken some members of our party to the parks early during really busy times (Spring break/Easter) and found they could cover all the Fantasyland rides, plus Splash Mountain and BTMRR before coming back to the room to rest before lunch.

During the hottest part of the day, you can be back at your hotel or in the pool. Then come back to a park in the evening when it's cooler. That avoids most of the heat and most of the crowds.

Also, using Fastpass will help avoid long waits in line. You can send one member of your party ahead to a ride with all your park passes to get Fastpasses for everyone. You and your son can be taking a break during that time or go on some other attraction. We did this on our recent trip.
You can also look in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of the board for the information about GACs (Guest Assistance Cards). The GAC is not meant to shorten or eliminate waits in line, but might provide conditions that are better for your son (although using Fastpass gives more predictability - since you know when you return with a Fastpass that you will usually be riding with a wait of 10 minutes or less).

 

[forr2grls]

check this site out.we will be renting a stroller from them in December. www.medicaltravel.org click on florida mobility rentals.

 

[loving mom of two]

Your guys are GREAT, thanks for all of the wonderful advice!!!!!! Since I will not have time to get approval from our insurance company before we leave, we are just going to rent a disability stroller for the week. Thanks again for everything, it is so nice to have other parents of special needs kids to bounce ideas off of.

 

[SueM in MN]

check this site out.we will be renting a stroller from them in December. www.medicaltravel.org click on florida mobility rentals.

On our recent trip, I saw several special needs strollers that had stickers indicating they were rented from that site. They looked nice and in good condition. Please give us a review when you get back.

 

[Linda Bell]

Do check out a Nova Comet transporter. I absolutely love ours.

Bought one for my daughter with MD. It has paid for itself a dozen times.

I have a review on Amazon and you can see it relative to her size. Just search on
"Nova Wheelchairs Transport Wheelchair - Color - Red" (Sorry the url is just way too long.)

If you have any questions about them, I'll be happy to answer any I can.

Also consider one of the wheelchair bags on eBay. Got one that holds two water bottles and the days gear.

They come in kids colors too. Candy apple red (we added some flame decals) and a jazzy blue.

Linda Bell