Parenting with a Disability: A List of Adaptive Equipment

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"Don't let what you can't do interfere with what you can do."

—John Wooden

Working with patients to find practical ways to parent their children is one of my favorite things to do as an occupational therapist. Parenting is tough enough without a disability but add in a stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, or any other form of impairment and the task is infinitely more difficult. Problem-solving these situations requires creativity, resourcefulness, and a lot of grit.

Over the years, my colleagues and I have compiled a growing list of adaptive equipment that has proven effective for our patients. Below is a collection of our go-to tools along with some intriguing, innovative options we haven’t yet tried but find promising.

To find even more parenting tools for kids with feeding check out this article on my favorite Baby Led Weaning (BLW) tools and if you want a more complete list of general adaptive equipment, look here.

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Parenting Adaptive Equipment

Travel & Transporting Kids

• TushBaby Carrier

• Moby Wrap

• LÍLLÉbaby Ergonomic Baby Carrier

• Baby B’air Flight Vest for flying

• SnoofyBee (Portable Clean Hands Changing Pad)

• Doona Car Seat & Stroller Converter

• Maxi-Cosi Swivel Car Seat

• Unilove Lightweight Travel High Chair Booster Seat

• Active Hands Grip Assist — I’ve used this successfully with a patient who had hemiplegia to attach his affected hand to the cross bar of the stroller.

Cribs

• PediaLift Crib — Side opening and lower.

• GertieCrib — Side opening and higher than PediaLift.

• Guava Travel Crib — SIde opening crib.

Feeding

• Weesprout Suction Plates

• Staybowlizer

• Podee Hands-Free Baby Bottle

• Baby Bottle Holder (Wrap Around Neck)

• Baby Bottle Handles

• Crossover Nursing Bra

• Baby Brezza Formula Dispenser/Bottle Maker

• Baby Brezza Bottle Washer

• EazyHold Silicone Holders/Grippers

• Kitchen Tower

Clothing & Dressing

• Button Hook

• MagneticMe Baby Clothing

• Easy Magnetic Close Clothing

• Sonic Bomb Baby Cry Signaler

Electronics

• Amazon Echo Dot — Beyond playing music and setting alarms, it can turn lights on or off, play lullabies, set timers, provide educational content, and even help with homework.

• Smart Plugs

• SimplySmart Smart Outlet with Timer/Automation

• Smart Light Bulbs

• Indoor/Outdoor Security Camera with Lightbulb Socket Attachment

• Smart Garage Door Opener

Home

• Childproofing Set

• Child Safety Chair Locks

• PICKSY Sticker Picker-Upper

• EZPIK® Grabber Reacher

• Heavy Duty Grabber Reacher

• Lightswitch Extender

• Lightswitch Extender for Decora Switches

• Kitchen Tower

Wheelchair Accessories

• Wheelchair Cup and Phone Holder

• Wheelchair Backpack

• Wheelchair Umbrella Holder

• Hands-Free Umbrella Holder Shoulder Strap

• Gooseneck Phone Holder

Everything Else

• Key Rings

• Boppy Pillow

• Munchkin Baby Bouncer

• OrCam MyEye 3 Pro — Glasses attachment that reads text aloud, identifies people, identifies currency, and more.

• Accessible Changing Table Option

Books

• Different Is Awesome by Ryan Haack

• One-Handed in a Two-Handed World by Tommye Mayer

Other Resources

• Disabled Parenting Project

• Through the Looking Glass

• Parenting after Brain Injury eBooklet

Related:

• 10 Life Lessons I Learned as an Occupational Therapist: Part 1

• A Comprehensive List of Adaptive Equipment in Rehab

• The Body by Bill Bryson: 3 Takeaways