Adaptive Parenting Strategies and Equipment (Plain-language version)
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The Disabled Parenting Project (DPP) has hosted two Mother’s Day Twitter Chats. In 2016, 152 people participated and there were 900 tweets. In 2017, 83 people participated and there were 377 tweets. Each Twitter Chat lasted an hour. Many important topics came up during the Twitter Chats. One of them was ways to make parenting easier. Here are some of the subjects that came up during the Twitter Chat, along with things people said.
Ways to make parenting easier for parents with disabilities
Many mothers with disabilities find ways to make parenting easier for them. Making parenting easier can be something like changing parts of their house. Or it can be ways to keep both their children and themselves safe.
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“I gave up changing tables and change my kids on the floor.”
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“Bells on shoes when I’m out to hear my children. This way I can follow them.”
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“Our house is dual adapted (most easy things) to make our kids as independent as possible and us.”
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“Ditch the crib. Put the mattress on the floor.”
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“When daughter was a baby, ‘floor time’ was done from the bed-easier for me to rise from.”
Tools to make parenting easier
Many of the mothers use helpful tools to make motherhood easier. Several mothers said that these tools were very important when their children were babies.
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“Baby stage stuff for this w/c [wheelchair] using mom: arm’s reach co-sleeper, lotus family zip down travel crib, LapBaby, baby k’tan.”
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“I bought a specific type of car based on what I could get a baby carrier in and out of.”
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“With my kid, I looped a ‘Big and Tall’ belt through the car seat handle, used my lap and looped belt around WC [wheelchair] back. Worked!”
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“I use my wheelchair footrests as a car seat holder/stroller.”
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“Bells on shoes, talking thermometers, print/Braille books, tactile medicine dispensers, & much more.”
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“Though one product that helped me persist was @mybreastfriend.”