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Help with stroller questions...

My son is 3 and he still walks well on his own, though occasionally needs the stroller for walking breaks. He is too tall and heavy for traditional strollers and I am having trouble finding any at the stores or online, unless they are from the adaptive equipment websites.

Local MDA does not believe they have a loaner, though may be able to help with financing. However, it would be nice to get a regular stroller/jogging stroller that will give us 2-3 more years and handle his growth and weight (he grew 5 inches between 2nd and 3rd birthday!!!)

Two questions:
Should I just go ahead and get an adaptive stroller?
Does anyone know where I might find strollers for larger toddlers/preschooler?

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Permalink Reply by Liisa Underwood on July 30, 2008 at 8:52am

Thank you so much Carrie! This is very helpful, especially since I was wondering about the school part. I was thinking maybe that a scooter would be more desired at school, but it sounds like it's very doable with the MacLaren stroller.

carrie said:

We got my son Dylan a MacLaren Special Needs stroller at age 3.5. Our health insurance paid for the whole thing. Dylan is now 7 and gladly rides in it. He even chose to take it on a school outing to the zoo and some of his friends even chose to ride in it when he wasnt using it. Once his teacher explained that he used it because of muscle weakness/tiredess his peers had no issues accepting it and even wanted to take turns pushing. We have taken it traveling all over the place. easy to collapse and take with. We have asked him if he would prefer a scooter but he is happy to stick with "strollie for now",. He only uses it if we are doing a lot of walking etc.
Carrie

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Permalink Reply by Liisa Underwood on July 30, 2008 at 8:56am

I want to thank everyone. We're working with our PT at the MDA clinic to add an Occupational Therapy assessment at our next clinic in October. They will also have the durable medical equipment rep there to help us with fitting Connor with the right stroller/chair. We definitely need something because anytime there is more then 30 minutes of walking, he always wants to be carried and he's just to heavy to carry all the time!

Again, thank you so much for all the feedback =)

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Permalink Reply by Erin on July 30, 2008 at 11:04pm

Hi Liisa ,
I am in the same situation as you. My son is 5. This is what I have found out. The MDA will pay up to $2000 but the word stroller cannot be in the description. I have found 2 websites that have it in stock and it is called Mclaren major positioning push chair. It is the exact same as the special needs stroller. The websites are showeryourbaby.com and healthproductsforyou.com.
Hope this helps.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa on August 4, 2008 at 11:15pm

Thanks for asking this question! I was wondering what type of stroller to get for Owen because he doesn't like walking long distances. Everyone has given me a ton of information. Thank you so much!

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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Saulsbury on August 5, 2008 at 12:40am

I want to second the motion about the MacLaren Techno. We still occasionally can cram our 7 year old in his! And he's over 4 ft tall. Granted we get stares but he fits when absolutely necessary with the sunshade off(like after an exhausting day at the amusement park and we still have a hike back to the car . . .) Also most jogging strollers can accommodate larger and longer kids and there are great foldable ones on the market. We inherited a double jogging stroller when my son with DMD was 5 and his brother was 3 and it really helped him. He willingly started using strollers again because it seemed sort of sporty and he needed some help by then. Those adaptive strollers are pricey! I heard twice as much as an expensive stroller. Check on-line for MacLaren.

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Permalink Reply by Keith & Jill VE on August 2, 2009 at 12:54pm

Thanks for all the great information!

Question - for those of you that were able to get insurance to cover the cost of the pushchair/stroller, how did you do it? We have been trying to get BCBS to pre-authorize the purchase, but they're denying it because we don't plan to use it within our home?!?!? We submitted a letter of medical necessity from both the physical therapist and the neurologist, but still no luck.

BCBS is suggesting that we purchase the pushchair and submit the claim. Then when it gets denied, we can appeal. I'm a little hesitate to do this, given that these pushchairs can cost nearly $1000 or more!

We're considering either the Special Tomato Jogger or the Advance Mobility Liberty, since they're all terrain and don't look 'clinical'. We're not quote ready for that...

Any help is appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Liisa Underwood on August 3, 2009 at 11:17am

There is an non-profit group in Colorado that is the only one of it's kind in the country. You need to prove the insurance denial and provide the doctor order, and you can get a chair for your child's needs with a small donation. Find Kids Mobility Network @ http://www.kidsmobility.org/ Great group of people. Started by a couple with a daughter who needs accessible mobility devices.

Keith & Jill VE said:

Thanks for all the great information!

Question - for those of you that were able to get insurance to cover the cost of the pushchair/stroller, how did you do it? We have been trying to get BCBS to pre-authorize the purchase, but they're denying it because we don't plan to use it within our home?!?!? We submitted a letter of medical necessity from both the physical therapist and the neurologist, but still no luck.

BCBS is suggesting that we purchase the pushchair and submit the claim. Then when it gets denied, we can appeal. I'm a little hesitate to do this, given that these pushchairs can cost nearly $1000 or more!

We're considering either the Special Tomato Jogger or the Advance Mobility Liberty, since they're all terrain and don't look 'clinical'. We're not quote ready for that...

Any help is appreciated.