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Adaptive winter clothing

This morning our temperature was 6.  Yup…6.  That’s tough weather to raise any child in, but it’s particularly challenging for families who have children in wheelchairs with various other disabilities.  Over the years I have struggled to find the best combination of cold weather gear that will keep Quincy safe and comfortable when she is outside but is also easy to dress her in.  When she was little snowsuits were great…you could just slide her in one,  zip it up, plop her in a wheelchair and head out.  But, Quincy is now the size of a small adult and snowsuits just aren’t practical.  Getting her into one resembles more of a WWF wrestling match than care-giving.  Often what Rob and I do is design what we think would be the best item for Quincy and then we research endlessly on the Internet to find something close.  Because we live in a climate that gets incredibly cold, we have to find gear that is much more insulated than most.  It’s easy to find rain and wind ponchos, but to find gear that is wind and water-repellent at subzero temperatures is hard.  Our research brought us to this great website, adaptationsbydadrian.com, which has really helped us find what we have been looking for.  I use two of their products every day.  This morning Quincy wore her pink, down puffy jacket by Obermeyer which is easy to put on and easy to cinch down with the wheelchair straps because down is so soft.  Then, I covered her legs with a Leg Cozy which is lined with polar fleece but has a water-resistant outer shell.  Finally, I cover Quincy and her wheelchair with a hooded, polar fleece lined Wintercape.  It’s difficult to keep a hat on her, but the hooded cape does a great job of keeping her head warm and covered.  Quincy is protected from head-to-toe with this gear and is probably warmerthan the rest of us.  We still struggle to find winter boots that we can get on her feet.  We have to purchase oversized boots so we can get them on, but we then struggle to keep them on.  I haven’t quite found the answer to that issue but am constantly trying new products.  With Quincy it’s all about zippers.  If something can zip all the way open then we can get it on and zip it into place.  If it has to be pulled on, it doesn’t work well.  Adaptions by Adrian makes a fingerless mitten that zips all the way open which instantly solved our struggles to keep her hands warm.  You can’t push a child’s hands into mittens or gloves unless they know how to move their fingers into place.  The mittens that zip open so you can place her hand it and zip close are perfect!  One other thing to note…because this company was started by parents raising a child with CP they really understand our specific needs.  Not only are the items functional, but they are also stylish.  The have great colors, like pink and purple and red, so Quincy can be warm and pretty every day which is equally important.  So, a big thanks to Adrian and his family for helping us keep Quincy stylish and warm during our long, dark, cold Alaska winters.

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