It all started with a trip to Butlin’s…
We had borrowed a friends larger sized buggy for the week we were away so that we could transport a sleepy Noah back from any evening entertainment that we wanted to go to. Despite being only 4, and having a skinny little frame, Noah is actually the heaviest toddler on earth when he’s a dead weight, so carrying him back to the chalet would not have been ideal.
In the end, we used that buggy almost every day that week, because Noah liked having a base when his legs were tired, or whenever we had to wait in a queue, and sometimes for when he just wanted to sit and watch his tablet.
It was ideal, we had been able to enjoy the holiday a lot more because we hadn’t had to contend with meltdowns and tantrums, because we had a mobile chill out zone with us all the time. It got me thinking about using one more often at home, but the buggy we had used when Noah was smaller was no longer tall enough to house his gangly long legs.
I debated with myself for a while about whether or not it was worthwhile getting a special needs buggy. I wanted something that would fit him and our needs, but I couldn’t quite settle myself with the idea of pushing around a perfectly mobile, too-big-for-a-buggy-now sized child. Granted, Noah chooses on a whim which days he wants to try and run off down the road without me, but for the most part he walks along beautifully holding my hand. Did I really need one? What if people stared at him and made comments? Was I going to set him back if I suddenly started pushing him around all the time?
I looked into special needs buggy’s to see what I might be getting myself into, and the price instantly set me back. Prices ranged anywhere between £700-£1200! That settled it for me, we couldn’t afford that. Unless something came up second hand that was affordable, I would put the idea to bed, and that was that.
And then I saw it. Advertised on a Facebook page dedicated to buying and selling second hand special needs equipment, was the perfect buggy. Old, well used, but exactly what we needed, and being given away for free by a wonderfully kind foster parent just a 45 minute drive away. They had been gifted it, and wanted to pay that kindness forward as their foster son had grown out of it.
I reasoned with myself that it would cost me nothing to try it out with Noah and see how much we used it or needed it. I am constantly looking for ways to make our lives easier so why would I resist something that would actually help? It didn’t make sense not to go for it. So what if people made comments? If I took him out without it and he had a meltdown they’d stare and make comments either way!
So I collected it the next day.
It lives in my boot, I’ve had it for around six weeks and we have used it on four occasions. My concerns about stunting his development by pushing him around all the time we’re nonsense. Just this past week, we used it on a Tuesday because my mum-tuition told me he would possibly get overwhelmed with our social plans that day, but by Wednesday we walked through the woods for two hours with our friends and our dogs and didn’t complain once. It’s not a taxi, it’s a tool, and it helps him when I can’t change the environment for him. He can climb up in there and enjoy the ride, or switch off into his own world with his tablet.
… and selfishly, best of all it helps me.
Parenting is hard enough. Being an Autism mum especially, requires me to have so many plates spinning in the air at all times. Why would I reject anything that means I can put one of those plates down, and not worry about it (as much) anymore?
Forget the norm, forget what’s expected. Do what works for you and your family, and you can’t go far wrong.
Xx
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