The Transition from Baby Gear to Medical Equipment
I do a double-take every time I see a stroller. There are adaptive strollers and pediatric wheelchairs that look like baby joggers. When something catches my eye, I am hopeful there is another parent out there just like me. A parent of a child with disabilities.
Often though, it’s a regular ol’ stroller.
When my son was three, he still fit in a stroller and slept in a baby crib. Yet I started to notice it was time to transition him to adaptive equipment. Unlike most preschoolers, my son couldn’t get out in public without either a walker or wheelchair.
His crib was also becoming an issue. It was hard for us to lift him in and out. I should also mention, he somehow flung himself out of bed early one Saturday morning. When my husband went in to get him, he was sitting in a huge pile of books flipping through the pages. He needed a tent-type bed to keep him safe.
We reached the point of needing pediatric medical equipment. I had no idea where to start.
My child’s physical therapist (PT) told me it was time to explore medical equipment. She made some recommendations. Then she connected us to a durable medical equipment (DME) company to order his equipment.
Transitioning from Baby Gear to Pediatric Medical Equipment
Do some research before the appointment with the DME representative. If you are in the market for a wheelchair, for example, start to google the different types. Read user reviews and pay careful attention to product descriptions.
If you know what your priorities are, you are more likely to get the right fit. For example, if you need a wheelchair that is lightweight. Or, if having a hydraulic foot break is essential. All these product features will be helpful in your decision-making. Of course, there's no perfect adaptive equipment. But, if you know what your non-negotiables are, you’ll know where you are willing to compromise and where you can’t.
When the DME rep makes a suggestion, ask to see a sample product. If you have something in mind, ask to see a sample product. Sometimes, they won’t have anything available to show you. But if they do, it’s worth it to see the equipment in person. You and your child can try it out. It will give you a better idea about whether its the one.
Once you’ve decided on a product, get back online and read the specifications again. This will help you know with more certainty if it is the right fit for your child and family. Will it fit in your house? Will you truly use it the way it’s intended? Will it improve your child’s quality of life?
Start selecting the customizations, if available, for your child’s equipment. You can often choose the color(s) and different customizable features. This is the fun part. You can begin to visualize your child using the equipment.
Note that some of the different product features will depend on your child's specific disabilities. Your PT will be able to select the right features for your child's equipment.
Finally, involve your child in equipment decisions to the degree that you can, and enjoy the process of making it their own.
It's hard to make the transition to any type of pediatric equipment. It signifies the end of the baby era. From here on out, your child’s disabilities and differences may stand out more.
That’s hard.
If we lived in a world where everyone knew or cared for someone with special needs, maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to find the right equipment. Pediatric equipment would be as plentiful as products in the baby aisles at Target. Moms groups would talk about special needs car seats and adaptive strollers instead of breast pumps and high chairs. If everyone dealt with the daily challenges of caring for a medically complicated child, it wouldn’t be so lonely. If that were so, then disabilities would be normal. But it is not a normal path, and that difference is where the tension lies.
I fight this tension. I want it to go away. Yet it only dissipates when I don’t press up against it and hate it so much. It drifts off when I decide to acknowledge it and name it. I am on a special needs path. My external circumstances may not change, but my internal heart can shift. My path may not change direction, but the way in which I walk it can.
Find other parents you can talk to both about the practical parts like choosing what product(s) you need and also the emotional parts of caring for a child with special needs. I’m constantly on the lookout for other special needs parents. It’s good to have a support team surround you and help guide you through this milestone. In addition to a fellow parent, look for caring therapists, physicians, and even a darn good DME rep.
