Kid Kart and Thoughts

This is a Kid Kart. It's a pediatric wheelchair/stroller. Several weeks ago D had an appointment at a clinic and they reccommended that he get one of these to help him sit up straight, since he is unable to support himself. There are a lot of benefits to this chair, but the state insurance won't cover it, because they consider it a stroller. It's more than a stroller, because D ends up slouched in a ball when he's in our stroller, despite all the rolled up blankets we put around him to try to hold him in place.

The Kid Kart costs around $2,000 without any "options" and about $5,000 fully loaded. But D's foster care advocates called around and found a used one for $20! Incredible! So now D has his very own Kid Kart. And I think he likes it! He certainly liked being in the middle of everything last night while he was in it. We haven't gone for a walk around the block, but I know he'll love that! He'll be able to see much more than when he's packed in his stroller.

But T and I agree, it's pretty sobering. I mean, we know D has some pretty special needs. He's almost 2 years old, but functions physically at the level of a 4 month old. He looks physically different from a 2 year old or a 4 month old. But when we see him in the chair it just screams "I'm disabled!"

It's proabably a good thing he enjoyed it so much last night, or I'd be thinking of excuses not to use it. As it is, I think it's very good for him. So I'll have to swallow big and let go of pretending everything is "normal". And that's ok. I just didn't think it would bother me like this!