Britax Traveller Plus EL

Hello RettGirls!

This week at RettGirl we are featuring the Britax Traveller Plus EL car seat. You can find this incredible car seat in our Product Reviews under Positioning.

We have had this car seat in our van for about a year now and we are so glad we do! We had originally tried to purchase a different one at twice the price when the order taker on the phone had me take a look at this one online. She mentioned the comfort, durability and headrest over and over. I was sold, and it arrived within 2 weeks.

We call it "Abby's Lazy Boy." It is so soft and cushiony. With the headrest or wings, as they call them, we have not had one incident of head flopping. The only bad thing I can say about it is I am pulling a sleeping child out it every time we go to take her out of the van. That is not always a bad thing though. Sometimes when nothing else works to get her to sleep...into the van she goes. A drive or 2 around the block usually does the trick.

Is this car seat just what you've been looking for? Do you have one and want to share your review with us?

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From the company website:

Britax Traveller Plus – a forward-facing car seat specifically designed for children with special needs.

The Britax Traveller Plus car seat model meets USA standards (FMVSS 213) for safe and secured travel for your child in a vehicle.

•Forward-facing car seat for children 22 – 105 lbs. (10 – 47.6 kg)

•Appropriate for children with mild to severe disabilities

•“Thigh Depth" should be equal to or greater than the “Seat Depth" (within + or – 1 inch) to promote a proper seating position

The Britax Traveller Plus includes the following standard features:

•Height-adjustable Headrest

•Removable & Washable Fabric Cover

•5-Point Harness (extended lengths of 3" on the belt and the crotch strap)

•Foam Abductor

•Tether Strap – used with ALL configurations

•LATCH Strap – used for children between 22 and 48 lbs (10 kg & 21.7 kg)

•Recline Bar – installs the car seat at a 26° angle for children that need assistance maintaining head control

•Pad Kit to adjust the amount of support for your child

•Buckle Guard


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Need I say more? I haven't met a family that has one that doesn't absolutely rave about it!

Hope you all are have a wonderful week! Stay safe!

http://rettgirl.org/2011/08/britax-traveller-plus-el/


Terri V~For RettGirl

Stylin' in Cardboard?!

Good day Rett Girls! Today we have a guest blogger! Stefanie Gutierrez gives us the scoop on her daughter's new adapted chair....made from cardboard!

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After receiving Anna’s adaptive stroller and feeding system earlier this year, we were at a crossroads, as most of my fellow Rett-mama’s can relate to. We were thankful for the chair that would help keep Anna nice and straight and position her really well, but we were sad that she spent most of her days in it. Anna is non-ambulatory and can’t sit on her own.

So she had breakfast in it. Then her morning therapy sessions. Then her snack. Then lunch. Then dinner then….

What happened when she just wanted to watch television with her brother, Gabriel? When she just wanted to “read” a book with us or “color” on her iPad? If we weren’t able to hold her, she was in that blessed chair that we were all – including Anna – sick of.

We were looking around for a relaxing chair… A lounge chair of sorts that Anna could just relax in and she knew was just for her down time. I had heard bean bags were great options for some.

I kept thinking about when Gabe was three, and how he had this little red Ikea chair. Anna should have something like that, too, I thought.

Enter Adaptive Design. Dr. Sasha at the Rett Syndrome Clinic at Montefiore had suggested it at one of our prior appointments. After a quick phone call, we had a very informal get-together with Antoinette, one of the brains behind the project. It seems she can create anything you’d like out of any possible reusable material on the planet. We walked in and they had an entire showroom full of chairs of any kind – think rocking chairs to high chairs to booster chairs – all made out of 100% cardboard.

We explained to Antoinette the desire for this lounging chair we had in mind and she immediately grasped what we were going for. Within a week they had built a chair for Anna out of cardboard. It has a pummel to keep her positioned correctly and a Velcro wrap keeps her upright. A tray fits in the front. The cherry on top? A local artist who donates their time and talents to Adaptive Design painted the chair in colors of Anna’s choice and her favorites… Think purple, butterflies, flowers, ladybugs. It was delivered a few weeks later and it is her relaxing chair. Exactly what we wanted.

Take some time to check out their website: http://www.adaptivedesign.org/.

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Thank you for sharing Stefanie! If you would like to share something with all the Rett Girls out there, send me your story!

Terri V. for RettGirl

Our Marvelous Media Category!

Good Day RettGirls!

This week at RettGirl.org we are featuring our Media tab under our Product Reviews.

There is so much to find here that can help you and your girls. Teachers and caregivers have all used our media category to teach themselves a little more about our girls and what works for them.

What can you find here? Let's take a look.

Media

Books-We have online books, Children's Books, Education in Rett Syndrome books, Nutrition, Care and more ...

Music-Personalized CDs. GirlPower2Cure CD; controllers, RettComposers, devices ...

COOL ALERT! It's a large-button controller to control songs on an iPod!

Software-Free software sites, Recommendations, Sites for Teachers and Speech Pathologists ...

Video-Websites, Devices, Video suggestions, Educational videos, ASL ...

Websites-Disability resources, Government offices, Product resources, App reviews, Software sites, Free Educational Programs for the classroom sites, and much much more ...

We are always learning and growing for you here at RettGirl.org. If you have suggestions or anything to add to what you find at RettGirl, we would love to add and share with all of our families living with Rett Syndrome.

We hope you find something here that can help!

And please feel free to share with your schools. My daughter's teacher has RettGirl.org bookmarked and uses ideas from here for her entire classroom!


Have a great week,

Terri V-for RettGirl

Back to School!

Good Day Rett Girls!

With the new school year quickly approaching we want to remind everyone about our School Stuff category at RettGirl.org!

As the new year starts I know we are all anxious about new school, new teachers, aides and IEP's.

Our School Stuff category is a place for everyone to use as a resource ... an abundance of information is just a few clicks away. Our resources are gathered from people all over the country. We welcome your additions, too!

Here is the place where you and your daughter's team can find information on books, websites, resource papers, software and links about Education and Rett Syndrome! Tons of stuff here that really goes into how a RettGirl learns. You will find invaluable information on:

Apraxia and how a RettGirl's brain works with her body
Eye gaze
Patience
How to ask
How to respond
Lack of Consistency does not mean lack of intelligence
Therapy Tips
Equipment and software that works

We have invaluable papers we urge you to go over with with your child's team.

Linda Burkhart's- Multimodal Communication Strategies for Children Who Have Rett Syndrome

RJ Cooper's-About "Girls with Rett Syndrome"


OTHER SECTIONS:

Communication

Websites

Sensory

Positioning

Care Notes

IEP Bank


Apple iPAD page with info and helpful apps


Eyegaze System Hub for sharing experiences/ideas with others who have the same device

We urge you to pass this information on to your teachers, schools and therapists!

Have a great day!

Terri V~For RettGirl