Well, well, well. Welcome to the world of care giving. I assume you’re here because you have someone newly diagnosed that you’re now responsible for or are trying to help. First let me say I’m sorry you’re going through this. I’m sorry your loved one or friend is going through this.
In a perfect world….yeah….blah, blah, blah. I’m not gonna blow smoke here. It downright sucks to be watching your person go through medical issues. It sucks for them and it sucks for you. So how can we make things better? Easier? More manageable? Less Painful? Especially for them?
In case you haven’t yet noticed, everything marketed for special needs is way, way more expensive than the exact same product but called a different name for a different purpose. For example, you can use the infant hair brush you got from the hospital for free when your baby was born to do sensory therapy. (brushing arms and legs) Or you can use your electric toothbrush for a vibration hold instead of buying the expensive vibration sticks. So THIS is your first lesson. Get creative and think outside the box. Just because something is called special needs doesn’t mean it’s made specifically for special needs and you can often find it cheaper when you find out how it’s really used.
Tip #1- We use the Infinity Enteralite feeding pump. The bags are configured with a pump set with a rubber tube set in a plastic case. The rubber tube wraps around the pump wheel and the plastic case clips into place. Did you know you can take that rubber tube off of the ends of the plastic case to relieve any blockage? Don’t waste that bag! Just unclog it! You can also “milk” the rubber tube during cleaning if you’re having trouble getting the remaining formula through the tube. Check out the following videos.
Tip#2 A hip seat. If you have a disabled child that is past the point of toddler and you’re starting to have issues carrying him/her, I highly recommend this nifty carrying “belt” that I got off of Amazon. It’s called a “hip seat”. What I do is wrap it around my waist and then pick Charlie up in a basket carry (like I’m gonna rock him to sleep) and rest his behind on the seat. It takes a bunch of his weight off of my arms so I’m still able to carry him. It’s not going to work for me for too much longer because I’m small and he’s getting bigger. So even if his weight isn’t an issue; his length is starting to be.
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