Should You Consider a Custom Wheelchair for Your Child?
- If you are about to buy your child’s first wheelchair, you might consider looking at a custom wheelchair. Why? Because a child learns by moving around his world, and so, if he relies on a wheeled chair, the experience should be rewarding. It can be difficult to fit a child into a chair that isn’t just right for him.
- There are some questions to ask yourself when considering your child’s first special wheelchair.
- The first thing you’ll need to consider is whether your child will be pushing himself, or if someone else will be pushing the customized wheelchair. Obviously, if you have a four-year-old who will be pushing the custom chair himself, it will need to be lighter with small wheels. It may be customized to be quite a bit smaller than a chair made to by tall enough to be pushed by a full-height adult. Because he will be interacting with other toddlers, the special wheeled chair needs to be low enough that your child will be at eye level with his young peers.
- Next, you should think about where your child will use the custom wheel chair. If it is to be used outdoors, then you will need to look for custom, heavy duty tires that won’t go flat. On the other hand, if the custom chair is to be used mostly indoors, you should look for a chair that will allow a smooth ride.
- Finally, it is critical that the wheeled chair specially designed for your child is able to grow along with him. Some manufacturers offer growth kits that will allow the wheelchair to be custom-expanded to grow with a child. Other wheelchairs will allow you to adjust the seat and wheel heights as your child grows.
- Shopping for custom wheelchairs for your child can be made easier by talking to a physical or occupational therapist because they will be more readily able to see which wheelchair is right for your child and his unique needs.