Selecting a pediatric walker cum gait trainer is an important decision in the journey towards independent movement of a kid with motor handicaps. Every parent wishes to make sure it will provide the most effective device that makes it possible for therapy in an ideal approach and enhances everyday tasks.
The assessment of the offered products prior to buying should be based upon the medical diagnosis of the client by a specialist medical professional. This should be donein consultation with a knowledgeable physical therapist; assessing the condition, potential and environment of a user in relation to the chosen gait trainer walker.
Commonly, when selecting a suitable walker and having it personalised for your child, you should look out for the following factors:
Size
Size is a very essential parameter in the selection. Certainly, the walker needs to fit the size of the kid well in all relevant dimensions after adapting all the adjustable features. It should have the ability to withstand the users mass, presently and for some future growth.
For that reason, most manufacturers make their products flexible and use several sizes. Nevertheless, the walker ought to likewise be sufficiently adaptable to be able to grow for some time with the kid.
Besides the economic considerations of catering for some considerable growth, having the ability to keep the same tool for a longer period is also reducing disturbance in the mobility progression of the user.
Once a walker suits a kid really well, changing to a new one (even of the equivalent kind) can become an added challenge.
Precise Measurements
The relevant dimensions for fitting a pediatric walker or gait trainer are:
- Hip height– corresponds frame elevation of a walker
- Elbow elevation– are the lower arm support/ armrests adjustable to this height and higher
- Chest width/circumference & upper leg width/circumference– relates to mount width
- Weight– relative to the weight limitation of the product
Based upon these measurements an appropriate frame size can be chosen. You should also not forget that your child will continue to grow. As such, the measurements taken above should serve as a base on which the gait trainer walker’s flexible adjustments allow for further expansion.
Child’s Preferences
One aspect which is typically somewhat forgotten is the preference of the kid itself. Children can be in fact remarkably decisive in the choice products and also their aesthetic preferences. For a product which has such a crucial function in their life, it is very crucial that they can connect to it also on an emotional level.
Such an identification can elevate the device to become a source of motivation rather than a symbol of tasks. Feel and look of the product is more crucial then generally acknowledged in very rationally based considerations.
