New Chair and Stander

Recently a whole lot of Asher's old gear has left the house and a couple of new things have entered. The only of these things he still uses are the Benik Vest and gaiters (rarely). The two main things he likes to do are sit and stand (as opposed to lying on the floor which he now refuses to do) so we have been working on some more ideal arrangements to encourage that.

1. Child Rite Seat - this chair is like a giant bumbo seat except can fit very large children (Rio can sit in it no problem). It is ideal for floor play, other than how big it is (you'll notice it's padded to fit him better). He is at an awkward stage where he is too big for a bumbo (or something similar) yet still too small for this. Regardless, this seems to be the best alternative for now.

Not his greatest pic. This was sadly the best of the bunch but you get the idea.

2. New stander - remember our old one? This one allows him to be at Nolan's level which is exactly where he wants to be. The old one had its place - it was way more supportive than this one, holding him in very securely in multiple places, but it was so huge and had him elevated far above Nolan who was playing on the floor. This one is way less supportive, but because Asher's core and trunk are getting stronger, he can deal. All around good news - we get rid of the beast of a stander, and Asher is showing us he can handle working a little harder while standing.

Look at me standing up straight like a big boy! It's not pretty - notice the crutch ends on top and three chunks of duct taped-pool noodle down each side. But you do what you gotta do to make it work!

A very serious model! Velcroed and strapped around the chest, behind the bum (to keep his pelvis tucked under), with padding at the knees so he can't bend his knees (too much). It's hard to see but we've also laid a sand bag weight over his feet to remind him to keep his feet firmly planted.

 Playing together upright as they should be. Makes my heart sing!

Next up we are looking at a walker. Not this kind (he's nowhere near that yet) or this kind (he had one but is too tall for it now), but something sort of in between. It supports him both front and back and let's him stand and play, while also allowing him to walk when the time comes. We tried it a few months ago and he was neither strong enough nor tall enough - we're hoping this time he's ready.

Have I mentioned how lucky we are that we have all (most) of this stuff to borrow from our early intervention program?! Right, yes, I have, many times. Obviously we are incredibly thankful.