Play Time

One of the biggest challenges about having a child with special needs is finding places for her to play.  Most playgrounds have mulch or sand around all the equipment, which makes it difficult for her to get around.  I suppose she could crawl around in it, but she's still at the age where she's putting everything in her mouth, and honestly I don't like how dirty she gets when she's on the ground (yes, that makes me a bit of a lazy parent).  I'm always excited when I find a place that's wheelchair-friendly, which is where we went today.

This playground is not totally wheelchair-accessible, meaning she could not get up onto all of the equipment.  She was able to roll around on almost everything because the surface was rubbery and it was surrounded by concrete.  And it was almost totally flat, so she was able to get around very easily.  I opted for her dynamic stander this time.  She's been more excited about using it lately, and I think it's a little bit easier for her to use right now than her wheelchair.  It's also very good for her to be standing up... both for bone growth and development in her legs and feet but also for internal circulation and digestion.  Double win!  I thought she'd only want to be there for a little bit, but I had to be the one to pack up and drag her out of there after over an hour.  She kept saying "more, more" when I told her it was time to go.  We will definitely have to go back. 

Here are a few pictures of our outing this afternoon.  You can see how easily she was able to get around.  She liked going under the playground and hiding from mom.    She also loved the swing!  It's one of her favorite things to do at any playground.