Looking after and raising children can be challenging for any parent, but can be even more difficult for a parent with disabilities. Here are a few tips to help make life a little bit easier.
Clothes
Fasteners can pose problems for parents who have difficulty with grip or painful joints. Look for alternative and easier styles of dress, such as slipovers. Also consider separate garments, such as top and skirts or trousers and pyjama tops and bottoms instead of an all-in-one outfit. Buy essential baby clothes such as baby grows, which unavoidably have poppers, from second-hand outlets as the poppers will pop in and out much more easily than those on brand new items. Shopping online for clothes is handy if you struggle getting to the shops and navigating your way around stores. Delivered direct to your door, you can browse your purchases in your own time.
Buggies
Very often the most basic buggies are the simplest and easiest to use. You don’t always need to resort to finding disability aids at specialist outlets to find a buggy suited to your needs. High-street stores have large collections varying in features, weight and price. Collapsible buggies that are lightweight are often the best choice for disabled parents to use on a day-to-day basis. These models tend to have easy-to-use levers rather than fiddly buttons and release mechanisms.
Highchairs
It is not necessary to have a highchair if getting the baby in and out of it is going to be a problem for you. As long as the baby is sat upright and strapped in securely you can improvise. In the early stages of weaning, a bouncy chair will do just fine. When they get a little older and bigger, they can sit on a normal dining chair in a portable travel highchair. These handy devices fit easily onto any sort of chair and attach using straps. They are very secure and can be used at home or when out and about.
Bathing
Babies need regular baths, but if you have trouble lifting and handling your baby, they don’t necessarily have to be bathed in the big bath. Even some able bodied parents have done away with the traditional plastic moulded baby bath. Instead, invest in a portable baby bath or bathing tub, which can be used wherever and whenever is comfortable for you. However, in the early days, many babies simply need freshening up, so simply grab a flannel and some warm water to top and tail them.
Play
Stimulation and play are very important aspects of your baby’s development. Every child needs to participate in activities that are entertaining and challenging, but disability need not be a barrier to this. So you may not be able to run around with a disabled child, but reading together and doing craft activities are just as rewarding and creative. The latest craze of tablet PCs and smartphones has opened up a whole host of learning opportunities for children and there are many apps available that can be downloaded.
This guest post was submitted by Francesca on behalf of Quest 88.
Top Tips For Disabled Parents
