Written by Hulet Smith, OT
For kids with special needs, especially toddlers and young children, getting out and about can be a challenge. But no family wants to have their child left out of activities, or feel like they can’t include them in trips outdoors.
Special needs strollers are a great solution to this issue, allowing kids to easily travel through indoor and outdoor terrains, while being pushed by a parent or caregiver.
Similar in format to manual pediatric wheelchairs, strollers designed with the special needs child in mind are usually lighter, compatible with a variety of terrains, easier to push, and foldable for convenient transport.
A variety of designs make these strollers perfect for a wide range of needs, from children who just need a bit of extra support to those with more complex involvement. Multiple points of adjustment ensure a great fit, allowing each stroller to be customized to your child.
While the vast selection ensures that everyone will be able to find the best special needs stroller to meet their child’s requirements, it can be an exhausting task to sort through all the possibilities and numerous design features.
We’ve simplified the process for you by consulting with some of the most experienced experts in the field to get their tips for how to choose the best stroller for your special child’s unique needs.
Katie Bergeron-Peglow, PT, MS, is the COO for Special Tomato.
Begun as a labor of love for his daughter born with Down syndrome, industrial designer Tim Bergeron began the Special Tomato company to create softer, more durable, and aesthetically pleasing seating products for children with special needs.
When we asked Bergeron-Peglow for her tips on choosing the best stroller for special needs, she first stressed the importance of determining where and how the stroller will be most often used.
“If trips to the grocery store, doctor’s office, therapy clinic, and shopping mall make up your daily routine, then you’ll want to consider stroller style pushchairs”, she said. “These strollers feature lightweight, compact folding frames for transport in the trunk of a car and swivel front wheels for maneuverability. A great choice is the Special Tomato EIO Push Chair.”
Bergeron-Peglow further explained how the intended use determines the type of stroller you will need.
“If outings to the soccer field, playground, and walks through the local nature trail are more your speed, all-terrain strollers will offer large wheels for easier pushing, a lock-out mechanism on the swivel wheels to keep your stroller moving forward, and some even offer suspension in the frame for a smoother ride. The Special Tomato Jogger is a good example of a chair like this.”
“Another category of special needs strollers to consider is bus transit strollers. These strollers have been crash-tested for use with tie-down systems in buses and vans. For parents looking for one of these, the Special Tomato MPS with Push Chair is a great option.”
Bergeron-Peglow pointed out the benefits of choosing a stroller that offers adjustability to adapt to the changing height and weight of your child.
“It is always important to order a special needs stroller to fit your child now,” she said. “However, you also want to make sure that there will be years of growth available in the adaptive pushchair that you purchase. Most strollers have growth built into them or offer accessories to help them ‘grow’ with your child.”
She also stressed the importance of analyzing your child’s needs for extra support.
“Special needs strollers offer extra support to help the user maintain a well aligned seated position. Many special needs strollers have this extra support built in as standard. Optional accessories offer opportunities to customize support. Some of the most common areas that children with special needs require additional support are head, trunk, pelvis, and feet.”
Christy Clover-Nalley is the Product Manager for Ki Mobility.
Ki is a Greek root word meaning to set in motion, and that is exactly what this company is all about. With an emphasis on remembering what is important to truly make a difference in the industry, Ki Mobility strives to make life ‘better by design’ for all the users of their products.
What started as a small family business has grown into a worldwide corporation that continues to expand and provide a wide variety of specialized seating and mobility products for adults and children.
When asked what parents should consider when purchasing a special needs stroller for their child, Clover-Nalley wanted to be sure they understand the reality of daily transport needs.
“When selecting a stroller, consider how often you will need to transport it,” she said. “Keep in mind how often you need to put the stroller in the trunk of your car, the folded dimensions of the stroller, and how easy is it to fold and/or disassemble.”
She also pointed out the importance of the stroller’s holding functionality, saying,
“The stroller should accommodate all the equipment your child requires and include a storage area to place the necessities of the day or activity.”
Clover-Nalley highlighted the affordability of choosing strollers that adjust for growth changes, as well.
“With limitations on how often equipment can be replaced, it is important to ensure that the stroller will grow with your child.”
Laina Brock is the Global Product Manager for Convaid R82.
As the original inventor of the adaptive assisted wheelchair, Convaid has been helping children and special needs families live fuller, more productive lives since 1976. Acquired by Etac AB in 2015, Convaid, along with the R82 company, form the Etac Pediatric Group.
Together, the company delivers stellar quality mobility, standing, transportation, walking, seating, hygiene, and bathing solutions for special needs children around the world. They are dedicated to helping families living with special needs reclaim their freedom.
Brock’s first tip for parents is to figure out the best seat angle for your child’s particular needs and to match your selection to strollers meeting those needs.
“The angle of the seat is critical for meeting the specific postural needs of the child as well as facilitating interaction with their environment and peers,” she said. “A seat angle of 10 degrees like the Convaid EZ Rider is recommended for a child who can transfer independently and has good trunk control. The 10-degree seat angle allows the child’s line of sight to be level with the environment for increased social interaction.
A seat angle of 30 degrees like that in the Convaid Cruiser is better for a child with less trunk control, with the need to be in more of a resting position, and those who wish to be more "cocooned" to reduce overstimulation.”
Brock also emphasized the importance of comfort for both the young rider and the caregiver/parent pushing the stroller.
“Comfort is a critical component when selecting a special needs stroller type wheelchair”, she said. “The upholstery and underneath mesh of the Convaid chairs provide reliable support and comfort for users sitting in the chair on a daily basis.
Adjustable tension back upholstery allows the seat back to be customized to conform to the child’s exact postural needs. The larger size of the rear wheels and casters also make a difference, allowing for a comfortable ride when being pushed over rough terrain.”
The stroller’s ease of use, cleanability, and durability should also be closely examined according to Brock, and she advises that customers look for a manufacturer with a history of durability and satisfaction.
Amy M. Wheeler is the Regional Sales Manager for Innovation in Motion.
The Innovation in Motion company makes and customizes all-terrain wheelchairs, standers, pediatric seating systems, and gait trainers to help children and adults get moving, and get where they need to go. As the exclusive distributor of the Magic Mobility and Ormesa product lines in North America, Innovation in Motion offers exceptional mobility equipment for users of all ages.
When we asked Wheeler what she felt were the most important considerations in choosing the best stroller for a special needs child, she said that parents should first determine how much positioning is needed.
“Make sure that the adaptive stroller is ergonomic and offers a variety of positioning options such as laterals, seatbelt options, headrests, and tilt & recline functions”, she suggested. “The stroller should be able to handle all of the needs of the patient, regardless of the diagnosis. The adaptive stroller should be as customized for the patient as possible, not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ option.”
Wheeler also wanted to emphasize the importance of safety if the stroller is being used for transit in a van, train, or bus.
“If the occupant will be using the stroller on public transportation such as a school bus, commuter rail, or train, it is important that the stroller is crash-tested with WC-19 compliant transit tie-downs,” she said.
Determining out how much portability you require with the stroller is crucial to making the right choice, as well.
As Wheeler explained, “Needing portability could limit the choices in adaptive strollers. Make sure if the adaptive stroller needs to collapse, that it is easy to operate and not cumbersome to fold. Are there tools needed, or can it be operated with one or two hands? Are there weight limitations for the caregiver? If the seat is to be used on different bases (i.e. stroller; hi-low feeder), ease of use is very important.”
She also stressed the importance of daily comfort and practicality, saying,
“It is important that the upholstery of the adaptive stroller that comes in contact with the skin is intended for infants and children for their safety and well-being. Make sure the upholstery is fire-retardant and has maximum resilience to rubbing. For the purposes of practicality, the upholstery should be resistant to sweat, lightweight, and easily able to be removed from the seat, and able to be machine-washed.”
Darlene Hawthorne is the President of Thomashilfen North America.
As a premier resource of special needs seating, mobility, and sleep systems for children and adults, Thomashilfen NA focuses on creating superior quality and innovative products. They value and utilize real-life input from parents, caregivers, and the end users of the products themselves to ensure their equipment is designed to meet every special need.
Hawthorne pointed out that while not every child with a disability requires a special needs stroller, when they do, what matters most is ensuring the equipment will help the child take part in life and interact with other people.
“Very often, it is not easy to transport children with a disability in a standard stroller,” she said. “These strollers do not offer enough support, so that the child “droops” in the stroller and can not sit or lie down stably and safely in it.
With the help of a special needs stroller’s positioning aids – such as cushions, a headrest, a high back, and upper body belts – the child gets support and stability when sitting upright. Postural damage is avoided as early as possible and a therapeutically correct sitting position can be set.”
As a child’s first contact with mobility aids, Hawthorne discussed how important it is that the stroller conforms to the needs of the child, and can accommodate other equipment.
“Because of their disability, such as spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), some children need to be transported while lying down some or all of the time,” she said.
“Commercial strollers do not offer this possibility for older children. This is where a special needs stroller is used, in which the seat can be converted into a surface on which the child can lie down. Furthermore, medical equipment such as an oxygen tank or an aspirator can be placed on a special shelf under the seat.”
Hawthorne further explained about the needs of different children and how this affects what kind of stroller to select.
“A special needs stroller can also be used for older children if the child can not operate a wheelchair by him- or herself or is already too big for a standard wheelchair.
Even children who can walk on their own for shorter distances despite their disability – such as cerebral palsy with mental retardation – still need a special needs stroller to rest or as a place to recover. This is provided by, for example, a slightly reclining position for resting or a roof as a shield against environmental stimuli.”
Reiterating the point that everybody wins when the correct equipment is used, Hawthorne said,
“The right special needs stroller encourages interaction with family and friends, and thus participation in everyday life – improving the quality of life for both child and parent.”
Special needs strollers come in a vast assortment of styles, sizes, and designs to help provide mobility for children. While they are often similar in form and function to manual pediatric wheelchairs, they’re usually lighter in weight, easier to fold and transport, and can handle a lot of different indoor and outdoor terrains.
Because there are so many choices when it comes to determining the best stroller for your child, we reached out to industry experts to get their advice for parents and caregivers.
Their most important suggestions include figuring out where and how the stroller will be used, determining specific positioning needs to support the child’s needs for different activities, and finding stroller designs that are adjustable and can grow along with your child, eliminating the need to purchase new strollers every year.
Our experts all agreed that choosing the right special needs stroller will help your child to more fully engage and participate, while also improving the quality of life for the whole family. Be sure to check out our other special needs parenting support at Caregiver University, and peruse our entire special needs stroller catalog at Rehabmart.com.
Co-founder/CEO of Rehabmart, Pediatric Occupational Therapist, husband, and father. Passionate about connecting special needs kids with superb nutrition, sensory integration, and complementary health strategies. Excited about Rehabmart's mission to become the premier online educational platform which empowers caregivers by spotlighting innovative devices and interventions to achieve optimal patient response and recovery.
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