March 20, 2006 6:51 PM
Parenting Q&A - grocery cart support
I thought someone out there might have some suggestions for this reader:
Dear Barbara,
My husband and I will soon be adopting a 15 month old boy who we have fostered since he was 6 weeks old. He has a visual impairment, possible mental retardation and probable cerebral palsy. I would like to know if you can recommend a device for keeping him sitting upright while I grocery shop.
God Bless You and All you do!
Cathy
Posted in Disabilities | Permalink
Comments
i'm not a mom; i have just seen these in the store before, and thought it might be helpful. it's a fabric seat cover for grocery carts; and it might help>? i don't know. here's a link so you can see what i'm talking about
http://www.shoppingcartcoverstore.com/
good luck!
Posted by: emily | March 20, 2006 7:01 PM
Hi,
I was looking into different options to a shopping cart seat cover and for some reason a child flight safety vest popped up in the search! It got me thinking along the line of a support vest and here is a link that I found to what looks like a great option especially for a slightly older baby. http://store.yahoo.com/am/lepowa.html
This may be a great resouce in general!
I hope this helps! Maybe it will spark some other ideas, maybe a homemade vest would work. If you click on one of the pictures of the vest it will take you to a page with a drawing of how the vest attaches to a seat.
Posted by: Michele | March 20, 2006 8:26 PM
I'm no expert ... but maybe the mom could talk with some rehab experts ... (my husband's master's degree was in Rehabilitation Engineering).
A quick Google search brought me to:
http://www.rehabpub.com/features/672002/3.asp
Hope this helps!
Blessings,
tkb
Posted by: Tara Barthel | March 20, 2006 8:35 PM
This is the simplest and least expensive product that I have found yet: http://www.beyondplay.com/ITEMS/K053.HTM.
Posted by: Adrienne | March 20, 2006 8:49 PM
Cathy, I don't know your particular situation, but a few more suggestions. The cover mentioned by emily above is a good one, I use it for sanitary purposes (actually another company, but one like it). It won't do the job of keeping him upright if it's his torso that's the problem. .Here's another option, just saw one today at Target. It is similar to the one above but has shoulder and chest straps on it to help keep in those wiggly children as well as those like my 23 month old who seem to get out of anything. It might work for your boy. I do have a question that you don't directly need to answer, but what have you been doing abou this? Is his torso getting weaker? This boy needs to be seen by a physical therapist if he hasn't already. If your pediatrician hasn't already suggested it - shame on him/her and go find a new one. I have a daughter with CP and I understand the balance and stability issues. My daughter's problems are more with her legs than her torso and trunk, but she attends therapy at the same time another little oby is being seen (by a different PT) and he also has CP and his main weakness is his torso and he has a brace to help him. Your boy may need this. You are welcome to contact me via my blog if you ever need to talk or ask about what we may have already been through. I do hope you find what you are looking for.
Posted by: the SmockLady | March 20, 2006 9:45 PM
You can purchase seat covers that secure with velcro or snaps. I know several online stores carry them, as well as speciality baby stores. Perhaps it could be re-inforced with extra padding?
Blessings.
Posted by: Kim | March 20, 2006 9:53 PM
This may not be exactly what she might have in mind, but I used a sling when my little guy couldn't sit up. You could also use a mei tei, which might offer more head support. I don't have a mei tei, but a google search turned up quite a few vendors. I do have a fleece pouch (like a sling, but more sturdy, in my opinion), though, and I got it from Kangaroo Korner
Posted by: gwen | March 20, 2006 10:19 PM
I was going to recommend a sling and Gwen beat me to it. :) I don't know if there is research specifically on Cerebral Palsy and the benefits of slinging, but babywearing in general is good for the nervous system of the baby.
Posted by: Carrie | March 21, 2006 10:05 AM
Just thirding what Carrie and Gwen recommended. A Mei Tai or other Asian style carrier would be great for an older baby/toddler. You could wear him on your front or back...I'm sure a back carry would be fun for him.
Posted by: Amanda | March 22, 2006 3:35 PM
My daughter is 9 months old and can not sit up without help. Since she has outgrown her carrier I usually use a buggy with the built in baby seat. However I'd been planning in my mind making my own seat support for grocery carts. If you can sew, you can make one, for VERY cheap.
Unfortunately I don't have fabric measurements, since I was using remnants I already had.
For back support use a kneeling pad for gardening. Its a nice height to give back support for a baby/young child. Cut enough fabric to make a slip cover for it - and a little longer (to come up between legs). Make 2 hexagons from your fabric and sew together - leaving a one inch opening on the two top sides. Sew hexagon to the piece that would come up between legs.
The existing seatbelt on a shopping cart can be fed through openings on the hexagon.
At the top of the hexagon sew two buttons. Using overall buckles at the end, create two straps that go from the back to the pad and would attach to your buttons. If your straps are long enough you can loop them through the back of the grocery seat (or any household chair).
I hope to post pics of my creation in the next week or two. I took pictures of Rebecca in it, sitting on a regular kitchen chair.
Of course you can always add the kneeling pad to any other commercial shopping cart cover, and with the comibination of the built in strap on the cart, and the strap on the cart cover you might be able to give him enough support.
Posted by: Keri Kennedy | March 30, 2006 2:33 PM
