Special needs stroller

[kmorris97]

I have been looking at the Maclaren stroller for special needs. My DS (4) has mild CP and wears AFO's. He can walk with his AFO's on, but tires easily. We travel quite a bit and use his current stroller, which is a jogging stroller. Knowing that he will be in the AFO's for a while, I have started looking into a special needs stroller. What are the advantages of these strollers over a regular stroller? Particularly for a child with mild CP, that requires only AFO's for walking, but but has no other medical interventions.

[anj_rn]

Most special needs or adaptive strollers are geared for kids who can not adjust themselves well, so they provide support and keep their positioning in line. They also have high weight limits. They are also pretty pricey, but our insurance covers ours. However, I do not think they would if DD walked.

Since your DS can position himself and walk, I would look for a regular stoller with a high weight limit that he feels is comfy.

[kmorris97]

Thanks so much! That is exactly what I needed to know. Just wasn't sure if he would be more comfortable in special needs stroller or if a regular one will be sufficent.

[bandgeek]

If he does not need extra support, I'd definitely get a regular stroller with a higher weight limit. The SN ones are quite bulky and heavy. Maybe the ones for milder kids are lighter..I don't know. Our kimba is a beast, but necessary for DD unfortunately.

[Kathryn]

If you can get away with a regular stroller without causing any kind of spinal issues due to incorrect positioning, do it. When he outgrows the normal strollers, if he still needs any help, I'd look into a wheelchair and not a stroller. We had the Kimba for Lily and now have the Chuc 45 wheelchair (she needs a massive amount of support though, so the situation isn't comparable).

[kmorris97]

I was looking at the Maclaren Major, but I may just take him to test out a regular Maclaren stroller. They seem to have pretty good support.