…........……….and a tee shirt to match

Our niece had a baby about six months ago.  She is a beautiful little girl and greatly loved.  Everyone in the family, plus many friends, has given her clothes, toys and miscellaneous items that are needed with a small child.  One of the things associated with babies that I have really been looking at lately is walkers.

Most baby walkers are round with four wheels on the bottom.  There is a canvas seat/holder in the middle that the baby’s legs fit in and hold the child up.  The baby’s feet can walk on the floor but the walker will not capsize under normal circumstances.  I was wondering if something like this could be made for adults.

Most of the time when I am out of the house, I have my cane in one hand and hold my husband’s hand with the other.  This makes me feel very safe and I do not fear falling.  I know that my husband will hold me up if I begin to fall.  The cane I am not so confident with.

When I broke my leg I was still in the workforce.  I had to use my walker while my leg was healing to help me get from here to there until it healed.  It was very sturdy and I felt pretty safe using it to walk.  But, if I had begun to fall sideways, I fear I would have toppled over. This is what made me start thinking about the baby walker. 

My design would be more of a square so as to not take up as much room.  There would be a canvas seat/holder in the middle and allow the person to stand up much as the baby walker.  It would also be sturdy enough that the person could put all their weight in the seat and rest. It would have four rollers that go in all directions.  There would be a brake on the front top bar.  Some could have a small storage area much like some adult walkers have now.  The walker would have the body close to the ground where the wheels attach.  That way it would be more sturdy and harder to topple.  The perfect fit would make the top of the walker fit around breast level and be adjustable for wherever it is the most comfortable for the user.

I have thought about this a lot.  The adult walkers we have now are not sturdy.  If a person starts falling sideways, backwards or forwards, it will fall with them.  If they become tired during their journey with the walker, they have to find a place to stop and rest.  I know that they are great for some, but for those of use that get tired and nearly fall easily, they really are not that great.  I know that some have seats.  To sit on these seats, one has to turn around and sit down.  When your legs are not working properly and very unsteady, turning around is not always an option.

I would love to find a company that makes things that are designed by the people who use them.  Most of these kinds of things are designed by healthcare providers.  For the most part they do a really good job.  Sometimes though, since they will not have to depend on these things like we do, they don’t quite have what we need on them.  I have found this true with clothes, dishes and other everyday items.  Even when I do find something that I think would really help me, it is so expensive that I can’t imagine spending that kind of money for.  Most things that are designed for a specific group of people are always priced out of reach of most in that group.  It has always seemed ironic to me………..

I was daydreaming about that walker one day and went even further with the dream.  The canvas seat could come in different types of print or solid color.  There could be shirts to match……..hats to match……..shoes to match……the list could go on and on…………we could have our own line of clothing to match accessories we use………sounds like a plan to me!