Below are yet more excellent gizmos available in our shops , online and in store and it is up to individulas to decide what out of the fantastic amount of helpful gadgets might be relevant to their needs. Click on the images and you will be taken to the relevant web site.
Cots from Jojo Maman Bebe:
Cocoonababy
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| Look for first few months a cot with no ridiculous sides for those with poor reach etc! You will need to think where you put it,, if I was using one I would have placed it on our sons bed with a bed gaurd on bed that I could sit on bed and bottom shuffle to this nest and get baby up for feed, read on bed, cuddle etc. That is only my opinion and not recommended by Jojo Maman, but needs must as a disabled parent. |
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| A brilliant and almost total requirement cot for disabled parents who don't want to get anyone in to adapt a normal cot or can't afford an all singing specialist disabled parent cot, Easy access to baby from your bed, no real reach issues and I could only breast feed on our bed so this is just an ideal set up from Jojo Mamam but also available in other good baby stores online and on high street. |
| Both items are expensive but this is a genuine disabled parent physical need and hence is why many of us have DLA. If you are going to be a parent, get saving for a cot now because the likelyhood will be the cheapest cot in the high street just will not be accessible to you. |
Teaching your baby to walk as a physically disabled parent:
Wow, of course showed my mum this who spent the best part of an afternoon busting her back to try and help our son get walking, meanwhile I was at a Dr appointment reading a parent magazine with this gadget:Walking wings harness from Jojo Mamam
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| For those with painful hands would recommend putting forearms through straps as spreads weight more evenly, we can't afford to all be running to have wrist replacements or surgery once little ones walk! |
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| Casemere toddler walking harness. A cheaper option to the above but you do still have to bend which may totally defeat the point of a gadget to help you assist your child in walking. From Amazon uk. |
Potty training a toddler when lifting and bending is tricky for the parent.
Potty training is a challenge for every parent and child. Patience and kindness and perseverance is the key but it is no doubt going to be an arduous task for my husband and I who have every bone in our body working against us. Still we will meet the challenge just as every other parent has to. Here are some pots that look up to the job of meeting a few of the parents physical needs as well as the child's.
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| Über cool design, potty that is sat on top of a stool so when little one gets older can throw out the potty and use the lightweight stool to help them get up to the big toilet. Also makes the potty high enough for ease of lifting toddler on and off without dislocating a hip joint or slipping a disc in spine. From Jojo Mamam bebe. |
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| I may not even bother with the potty bit and go straight to toilet is my son is not scared. This seat clips easily over toilet seat. Making the whole toilet experience feel more safe and secure for child. From Amazon uk |
Bathing baby, yet more ideas:
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| I know looks mad but because is inflatable it means the sides are more squashy which makes it easier to push down on and access baby a little more ease, certainly if parent has poor reach is definitely worth a try. From Bambino direct. |
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| Guether Aqualino bath and changing combo unit. A good low height for those parents in wheelchairs or shorter stature. From Amazon uk. |
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| From Asda direct, deluxe baby bath seat supports baby in adult bath leaving your hands free to wash baby. An item for those who can bend down and reach in adult bath. |
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| Summer infant mini bathtub. Can be used as a bath as really babies of an age where they eat, sleep and poo are not doing enough to warrant a full submersion! This allows you to take a jug of warm water, pour on baby and water will sit at base of this product. If you put this product on top of slatted bath board as shown in previous posts you have baby at good height, make sure all baby products very close by, we can get a full size baby bath and our sons products all on the bath board. This product will hold baby whilst you use both hands to wash. From Amazon uk. |
For me bathing baby is absolutely a must do with two people. The reality of the situation is I am just not able bodied enough to do on my own safely. Either my partner, a grandparent or friend has to be with me. Never leave baby unattended. It is often easier to have a towel and changing mat in the bathroom so you do not need to carry slippy baby too far. Get a sturdy camping table (Go outdoors is a good camping shop), put industrial strength strips of Velcro all over table and Velcro on underside of changing mat to ensure changing mat stays on table whilst lowering your child onto it. Have a snug towel over the mat to simply wrap your child up in and dry!
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| Camping table with adjustable legs, folds flat when not needed. Made by Hi Gear and sold at "Go Outdoors" online uk site. |
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| Another Hi Gear table sold by Go Outdoors online store. Looks more sturdy but legs non adjustable but good height me who stands at four foot ten. |
IF YOU HAVE POOR GRIP DO NOT USE MOUISTURISERS OR MOUSTURISING BABY WASH ON BABY OR YOURSELF BEFORE AND AFTER BATHING BABY, THIS IS SIMPLY DANGEROUS! I nearly found this out when trying to lower my child slathered in sun cream from the sofa to the lounge floor, fortunately not a big fall or a hard fall but made me realise that I needed Banana Boat powder lotion sun cream (feels like talc on skin once dried which it does in seconds).
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| Banana Boat powder dry sun cream from many retailers, I get mine from my worshiped altar of Amazon uk! |
Teaching a child to ride a bike.
Gosh where has Jojo Mamam been all my parenting life, no am not endorsing every item they sell but I initially disregarded them as another baby and toddler manufacturer of clothes and thought no doubt every thing would be over priced and rubbish, I was so wrong, great clothes, great gadgets and reasonable prices:
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| Balance Buddy Bike Handle" from Jojo Mamam. Saves you bending, will totally allow my very arthritic husband to help teach our son to ride a bike! |
Useful Baby clubs for discounts on above items and more!
KidStart- www.kidstart.co.uk
How it works:
Basically you go to individual online stores such as Jojo Mamam through KidStart site and will get an automatic discount at check out. There are over 450 stores on the KidStart site.
You also will be issued a card which you can use in high street stores to get a discount.
This site is a definite must for any parent but given that many disabled parents have to purchase more gadgets for looking after their babies it makes sense to try and get discounts if possible.
Tescos Mother and baby club. http://www.tesco.com/babyclub/
Tescos have mother and baby store events and will send you a booklet of all offers at the time along with lots of vouchers for money off baby goods. There is an event on from the 29th of Aug 2012 in Tescos and I have just received a load of great vouchers for it. From Nivea Q10 firming cream for us mums to reduced price premium nappies and vouchers of baby wash goods, snacks etc. Join now to get best value out of the scheme.
ASDA baby club.http://your.asda.com/baby-club/
Works in the same way as Tescos, they will throw a mother and baby event every so often where you can pick up cheaper nappies, vouchers off for baby goods, reduced prices of baby clothes and baby gadgets. The supermarkets are usualy in huge competition with one another so more often than not the baby events will be scheduled around similar dates, Asdas summer event is scheduled for the 27th of Aug 2012.
NCT nearly new sales. http://www.nct.org.uk/
The NCT - National Childbirth Trust, is a UK ran charity with an amazing amount of information but of course almost nothing for disabled parents on the site. However they are incredibly keen to help so check out events through the site in your area, contact them, use their help and ask their help, they are bright people chomping at the bit to do what they can.
NCT have nearly new baby clothes and equipment sales in your area, check when the next sale is and where and take a visit. You will find clothes for baby with poppers that have been worked by someone else hence loosening poppers and making them a breeze to do. Latest baby equipment brought by other parents is often sold off here so save some money and check these sales out before paying top prices. Get your midwife to help you get in touch with your local NCT leader at your first appointment and certainly before baby arrives.
I have to say if I was having a baby now never would I have felt there was a better time! The manufacturers for baby gadgets has finally twigged that pointless love hearts and smiley faces in bright colours is all very nice but any parent, fit or otherwise, just wants practicality,functional objects at the lowest prices!
Chin chin lovely parents,parents to be and curious readers x
Posted with Blogsy
thanks for all this great advice. Do you have any tips on helping baby walk for those of us who can't walk ourselves? I have an able bodied partner who could do it but I really don't want to miss out!
ReplyDeleteCool products for kids specially the lesson of teaching to ride a bicycle
ReplyDeleteHi Maddy,
ReplyDeleteAs you probably already know whilst some baby gadgets offer the same solution to baby care for well parents as disabled parents such as the walking wings , occasionally we have to find common shop brought items and work out inventive ways of using them to help us in parenting care. Walking your child from a wheelchair is one of those times.
I do not know the details of your chair or of your disability but here are a few solutions:
1. A curtain poll, from a DIY store or astrong garden cane. On conventional old fashioned manual chairs the arm rests have gaps underneath the rest. Simply post garden cane, husband can cut down to safe size so you do not look like you are about to embark on tightrope walking but there must be a good portion of cane poking out of the arm rest gaps either side. Your child when it gets coasting will instantly enjoy finding any thing he or she can to pull himself up onto so as in walking position. Slowly move wheelchair back using a leg to scoot or arms and hey presto.
2. Electric wheelchair, wack chair speed right down. Using a scuttlebutt trike which is a fantastic purchase for getting your child to use on own to build up legs, the saddle of scuttle bug also slips nicely under many electric wheelchairs. So the saddle will be under your wheelchair seat and handles facing your child. The instinct to grab on handles will be overwhelming for any coasting child! In order to tow scuttlebug slowly without need to use your hands, take a long strip of material, like a dressing gown tie, tie one end in a knot around the handle bar centre on scuttle bug and the other end onto a belt worn around your waist. Slowly edge wheelchair back whilst your child holds onto the scuttlebug bar and hey presto you are helping your child walk.
There are several items that are useful for us not great at walking ourselves parents, that will encourage your child's leg muscles to build and co ordinate for walking such as the Scuttlebug on its own, my son pushes it around the room by himself and tries to climb on now and then. A baby walker but get partner to take your child to sit in a few as some just are awful at putting child in a good walking position. Removing cushions of a sofa and placing interesting toys at back of sofa encourages child to let go a bit of the sofa and reach to toys hence putting more weight through legs and learning confidence. A Tippitoes baby bouncer is the easiest of bouncers on market to use to encourage weight bearing. Toddle trucks, hmmmm not sure these are great really and certainly no good for my hubby and I to use with our son as neither of us can stand and bend down that low etc.
HO.S blogger being annoying, I mean a "Scuttlebug" not scuttlebutt as my computer is hell bent on auto correcting to.
ReplyDeleteYou will find a way, it is difficult to look in the future and ponder how something will happen until you see it unfolding in your child so these are just some ideas but I bet you will have come up with a hundred more inventive ways by the time you are getting your child to walk. I am still in learning about all this really, my son is 19months old and despite all our inventive ideas, purchased items to encourage walking he still prefers to coast and will stand for a few seconds UN aided but that is about it. However his intellectual capacity seems to have taken off, so I think walking very much depends on your child and whether or not they like reading and learning quiet games or up and about exploring the world. What ,any mothers have told me is to not worry, it is just our sons way and to be honest when our little darlings are walking boy you can bet we will have a new hundred things to be inventive about to stop total caious ensuing haha x
thank you so much. It was really kind of you to send me such a detailed reply. I'm sure your advice will be really helpful.
ReplyDeletex
Thank you so much for this one. I'll definitely recommend it to a friend who's been having a hard time with their new born.
ReplyDelete