anyone use this contraption???

[lilac7700]

This is Paige's new "walker", although it seems like a glorified baby walker to me! So many straps, velcro, what a pain. She just pushes herself back when she gets mad. It's really to get her to start bearing weight, but she doesnt do it in this! She looks happy here, but that was luck that I got this pic. My hubby calls her robo baby!

[andromeda31]

I once saw a boy in one of these at the park. He got around pretty good in it. Caitlin has a pony walker which I don't really love...paige's walker looks like she has to do the work....Caitlin tends to sit on the seat of her pony! Grrr! Although I talked to her school PT today and she said they having been working with her in it a lot (I send it to school during the week).

Lisa O.

[jen]

We haven't used this one, but you sure have a cutie in that walker!!!

[Tracy Sheppard]

We tried the Rifton Pace walker with megan. We didn't like it all for her. I am so glad that we tried it 1st and just didn't purchase it. It was very hard to get her in and out. We are on the search still, and checking out Kaye's harness walker now......Good luck
Tracy

[J&K Mom]

That's an older style of Pacer. Jake had the "middle" version. It came after the one you have but before the one of Megan. He did so so in it. But he mostly just wanted to sit. We eventually took the seat off so he couldn't sit and he did good. He "graduated" from the Pacer and got the Kaye reverse. The PT keeps mentioning putting Jake back in the Pacer because as he's getting bigger.... and tighter, he's just not walking as well, not that it's EVER been functional walking. I keep saying no. The darn thing is too big and cumbersome. It's fine for therapy and if you have a big house or cemented driveway, but I just never found it to be funtional. I had to pack it up and drive to the rec center or school parking lot for him to use it.

[Carly'sMa]

Yes, we had one of those. It is an older molder Rifton gait trainer.

Carly did really well, but with her trunk tone issues, it was hard for her to remain upright or not chafe against the trunk support.

She has a newer Rifton trainer. But, we were able to prove she could walk when she used one of these contraptions!

Hey, you should have seen the stander they were using for her. I swear it looked like a rack from medeval days. Wooden and lots of straps. Now she has a Easy stand, much better.

[lilac7700]

Thanks Jen, I think she's cute, but boy does she have a temper!!
Tracey, Megans looks pretty much the same, just a larger version. That is a huge disadvantage of this thing to, I cannot manage to find a way to get her in and out without her howling and fighting me, so that by the time I get her in it she doesnt want to do anything anyway. And then there is also the issue, it is SO big and clunky, it sits in my kitchen (that is one of the few places with linoleum)adn takes up so much room. Ugh!! What ya gonna do??
Mickey, Paige also just sits. I'm afraid if I take of the seat though, she'll be rubbed raw on her arm pits from the trunk support. I just dont like this thing!

Wow, at least it isnt wood!!!! Poor Carly! Hope she didn''t ever get splinters!!!:D

[Heather]

Aidan used the rifton gait trainer at his old, short lived, playgroup. He tolerated it pretty well, in the gym, with lots going on and other kids to watch while he was in it. He pushed backwards in it, without hands on "help". If I tried to use that at home, he would only fuss, I'm sure.
Most sn equipment is cumbersome and poorly designed, for home use, if you ask me. It's deadly to bump into, damaging to floors and furniture, and asthetically incompatible with any home decor, even if it fits.
Aidan now uses a rifton stander, borrowed from the school district. I would prefer real wood, to sharp cornered chrome and painted steel. Some SN equipment resembles shop machinery, with all the stiff knobs, levers and guages and is even painted those kinds of colors. Aidan's hated Gazelle is primary yellow and chrome, with black pads.
Special wrenchs are often required to make adjustments on special equipment too. That's hardly user friendly. I think velcro is easier than straps and buckles, at least.
My DH has called Aidan ROBO baby too. It's hard not to make the connection.
Wouldn't it be nice if every child could have custom made positioning aids made to fit their own natural enviroment? It would also be great if public settings were designed for universal access and had built in adaptive options for our kids, so we wouldn't need to haul along our own equipment.
We're about to finally move back into our remodeled home. After removing walls and widening doorways we should be able to manuever more easily, but I still plan on editing some equipment clutter. I want to keep it as simple as possible at home and want more sn equipment to be stored at school, especially as he spends more time there.