Hannah's New Equipment

As I've mentioned in previous posts, right now our difficulties concerning Hannah pertain to grocery shopping and eating out.  She's not sitting on her own and we don't have anything to help her positionally.  However, a product was brought to my attention that was made for those very reasons - apparently we're not the only parents out there struggling with appropriate seating options for their special needs children.

It's called the GoTo Seat.  It's light weight, but sturdy.  It has a five-point harness and a high back to provide the right support.  When I found it online, Drew and I hemmed and hawed over whether we should get it for her - would it really help, how long will she need that kind of support (before she's hopefully sitting on her own), and is it worth the cost since insurance would not help?  But as we discussed it we realized we can only live in the present - we don't know what the future holds, so to hold off getting something for her that would benefit both her and us because of the uncertainty of how long she could use it, just doesn't make sense.  We decided, if it's something she can use, then we need to try to get it for her.  Boy am I so glad we did!!  It has been even better than I thought!  It works wonderfully for her and has solved those main problems.

She can now join us at the table when we go out to eat.  No more sitting in our laps while we're trying to feed her and ourselves or sitting off to the side in the humungous stroller.  I love it!

No slumping or slouching anymore!!

Grocery shopping is a breeze!  No more propping or squishing things around her.  :)

We also found another way to use the GoTo Seat - in the bike trailer when we go on bike rides.  Before she was slumped to the side, but now she can sit up comfortably and see what's going on around her.

Another piece of equipment we recently got for Hannah is a manual wheelchair.  Hannah's therapist brought it from Riverside for us to borrow for the time being.  It has been perfect!  It has a long handle behind her that we use to push her around.  The chair didn't have any straps in it when we got it, so we stuck the GoTo Seat in it and it fit perfectly as well!  Now she has straps and the right back support.  The kids love taking her for walks around the loop in our neighborhood cul-de-sac and I love seeing her being able to be outside, interacting with her siblings and experiencing things an 18-month old should be experiencing.  

The last piece of equipment we received was a gift from Drew's family - his mom, James, his brother Brian, Brian's wife Natalie, and his sister Cathy. It's called the Upsee and it just came out this past April.  A mother in Ireland created it to provide mobility for her immobile child.  The idea is that you can give your child the independence to experience standing, walking, and kicking a ball.  We had been wanting to get one for Hannah, but it's yet another piece of equipment that insurance won't cover, so we just weren't sure we could get it at the moment.  Then one day, Brian emailed us to say that the family discussed it and wanted to get it for Hannah.  I don't think I was able to wipe the smile off my face for quite a few days afterward.  The Upsee brings Hannah so much joy!  She absolutely loves being upright and walking.  Whenever I ask if she wants to walk, her whole face lights up and she giggles and laughs in excitement.  Hannah's PT also thinks it's great for therapy for her.  It requires her to move her legs and provides her the experience of walking.  I try to use it at least every other day (if not more).  She loves it and is becoming more interested in things around her.  We always have to stop and look/touch the front door as well as plants along our walk.  If we're near outdoor toys, she likes being upright and having her hands free to be able to play with them - like the push mower.

The Upsee is actually very simple to use.  It comes with a harness for the child to wear that then clips into a waist belt for the parent.  Then there are shoe plates that connect the adult and child's feet, so when the adult lifts her foot, the child's foot also lifts.

Our first time trying out the Upsee!  It's actually very comfortable for me to wear and seems to be quite comfortable for Hannah too.

It was bright out, hence the shut eyes.  :)

Doesn't she look great in it?!  :)  We never get to see her upright, so it was amazing to see how tall she actually is.

All-in-all we're very excited about Hannah's new equipment that has really benefited both her as well as us.  We're now working on getting her a powered wheelchair.  Hannah's PT is a wonderful teacher, but also still a "student" because she never stops learning.  She's constantly attending conferences, teaching workshops, staying up on the latest research and learning how best to help children. 

So she has said that research has proven that it's very beneficial if you provide independent mobility to an immobile child (who should be mobile).  If they're able to move themselves around and explore the world around them (like any normal toddler would do), then it creates the drive to WANT to be mobile.  Plus it also provides them the sensory experiences that they're missing out on.  So we're working on getting the wheelchair for her, but it's proving to be quite the battle with insurance and others.  We're now learning what it means to be advocates for Hannah!