Adapted Jeans

Being in a wheel chair and wearing a back brace makes some clothes oh so uncomfortable. Jeans or any pants with a snap or button for that matter are definitely in that category. We wanted Junior to be able to still wear jeans and look "cool" but also be comfortable.
I cut off the tops of his jeans and replaced it with a more comfortable material and he was all set.

Junior's adapted Jeans.
We start with a pair of jeans and a pair of boxers(I used the hanes boxers)
Measure from the bottom of the waistband and cut off approximately 4 inches. This may be different with each child and I have adjust how much I cut depending on the jeans at times as well. For the boxers I measure from the waist band and cut off 4-5 inches, again it will depend on your child and you may want to adjust.
Turn the boxers inside out and slide them over the top of the jeans, line up the front of the boxers and jeans(cut edges are together). Pin the top in place
Stitch around the edge(sorry this is a different pair which is why the black boxers)
Unfold and your all set. In this pair I used some soft sweat shorts for the adaption. When Junior was little the Hanes boxers worked perfectly but now that he is larger I find that the material wears out quickly so we switched to a heavier material.

i-Toys (Sundays Toy)

Junior loves music so the i-music toys are perfect for him. No need for him to turn them on or move to get them to work.
They each have lights and movement and can plug into an mp3 player, IPOD, or cd player(we have even found that they can be plugged into the head phone jack on the tv). Junior loves to have Bumblebee(transformer) read his stories to him. His all time favorite is probably the i-dog dance because it moves so much.
Here are Junior's favorite I-toys

Don't forget to go leave a comment on the no sew blanket post for a chance to win one of the blankets. Just let me know which is your favorite. We will draw a winner on Feb 3rd.

Tummy Tunnels

Tummy Tunnels are patches especially made for access to G-Tubes. Prior to having Junior's GJ placed we used these on all his under shirts. Much cuter then just cutting holes in his clothes.
Here are a few of their cute designs, click any of the pictures to visit the Tummy Tunnels website to see more designs.

Snow Dough

Todays arts and crafts project comes to us from Tammy and Parker over at their blog
Praying for Parker. Be sure to stop by and learn more about this brave hero and his amazing family.

Who Needs Play-Doh When You Can MAKE Snow Dough?

by Tammy & Parker on January 5, 2010

This week’s preschool theme is: Snow.

Last night I made a double batch of ‘Snow Dough. It’s awesome.

(I don’t know about you, but I think the Playdough you purchase in the store smells awful. blech. Making it is fast and simple!)

And because I love you guys so much I’m even gonna share the recipe.

Snow Dough

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 Tbsp. oil
1 cup water
2 tsp. cream of tartar
glitter

Optional:

1 Tbsp. white paint
Peppermint essential oil

You could so omit the paint and glitter, and just make a huge batch and color different colors and scent with different essential oils. Lavender for purple dough, grapefruit for pink, etc.

Mix everything except glitter and essential oil in a pan over low heat.

Stir constantly until dough thickens and pulls away from the side of the pan.

Or until it looks just like the last batch of mashed potatoes McCall made.

heh.

Knead in glitter and essential oil.

Yeah, I know. My mad photography skills know no bounds.

Add one Brave Hero and some fun dough toys.

And you’ll have yourself one rockin’ good time.

Hmm……..wonder if Mom would blow a gasket if I threw this…

Snowflakes, Baby!

Then after all the fun is over, remember how much of a mess your kid makes during activities like this.

sigh.

Thank you so much for sharing this great project with us.

The Many Uses for Pool Noodles

We use pool noodles for so many things. They are great for positioning, the giant noodles are best but we can't always find them.
When Junior was little and his car seat was too big we cut a pool noodle to the needed size then sewed little covers for each piece and used them to help keep him in the right position(next to his hips, along the sides of his trunk).
Junior has never liked ball pits so we instead filled one of those small inflatable pools with pieces of pool noodles, he loved it.
Need some help with those motor skills? Cut the handles off a jump rope, knot one end and wrap the other with a piece of tape so it is stiff. Cut slices of pool noodle(about 2 inch slices, and be sure to get the pool noodles with the hole in the middle) and now you have a giant bead stringing activity.
With many of the PVC items I make I use the pool noodles to pad them. They have a hole in the center and fit perfectly around the pvc.

I am sure I have not remembered all the ways we have used pool noodles over the years but these are a few.

What do you use pool noodles for?

No Sew Blankets and a Give Away

I know these are something many people already know how to make but I will go ahead and post the directions.
With these blankets being so warm we use them a lot during the winter if we have to be out. The small size work great for covering Junior while in his wheel chair. His legs get cold easily.
For the small size blanket I use 1 yard of patterned fleece and 1 yard of a plain color.
lay the two pieces on top of each other. Trim the edges to even them out and remove the salvage if needed.
Cut a 4 inch square out of each corner
Then cut slits along the outside for the entire blanket. They should be 4 inches just like the corners.
Tie a knot in the two pieces of each slit and thats all it takes.
These small ones can be done in an hour or less. We also like to make the 2 yard size.

Now that these two blankets are made they need a home.
Leave a comment and let me know which one you like the most. I will draw a winner for each blanket on Wednesday(Feb. 3rd) . follow our blog and get a second chance to win.

Hi-Ho Cherry-O

Hi-Ho Cherry-O is our adapted game this week(I used the MB Classic Preschool Collection version because it had individual trees which made adaption much easier)

For this game I cut out the bottom panel of the spinner and used my printer to enlarge it for use on the switch adapted game spinner.
This shows the game prior to it being adapted(I had taken out the cherries, and trees).
The enlarged spinner, then after it is cut out and placed on the switch adapted spinner.
I placed a strip of velcro across the back of each tree so they can be placed on the game easel
I then placed a small square of velcro over each hole on the trees and a very small piece on the back of each cherry. Be sure the piece on the back of the cherry is very small because it won't stick well if it is too large.
Now you are ready to play.
Junior depends on eye gaze for playing games which is why everything is adapted so it can hang on his game easel up in front of him.

Baby Legs

Baby Legs, at our house we call them sleeves because Junior certainly won't let anything called "baby" be put on him.
This is obviously not an adapted item but it is something we use all the time. I hated trying to get long sleeved shirts on Junior and he gets hot so easily. About a year ago I decided to order a pair of baby legs just to see if they possibly would fit Junior's arms. They are perfect and you would never know he doesn't have a long sleeve shirt on.
Here are a few pair of his babylegs. The flames and striped pair are the "super soft" type and are longer, a little more stretchy, and warmer then the regular ones. Junior is 11 and the regular style will probably fit him for a couple more years, the super soft will fit for several more years(they would fit me).

Junior in a pair of his "sleeves"(he never wears long sleeved shirts anymore so any pics you see of him from this winter, he is in his "sleeves".Here are a couple websites for the "sleeves"
Knotty Baby Wear
Baby Legs

I did see a few pairs at Target but the selection was very poor and the one in our area only had the infant size.

Sundays Toy, GloDoodle

Junior got a GloDoodle for Christmas and it has been a hit. Though it comes with a little pen to use on it you can also just use your fingers. Any marks glow. Junior doesn't have any fine motor skills but even him pressing his hand into it leaves a glowing hand print. You can set it for one of three colors.

Adapted Jackets

Getting a jacket on or off a child in a wheel chair can be a challenge. Muscle tightness and spasticity can make it even more difficult. Junior gets hot very easily, which brings on seizures, so I need to be able to take his coat off in the car or in a doctors appointment but then get it back on without major hassles.

This jacket opens up the back so getting it on or off is not an issue.
I have found that the easiest jacket to adapt is a fleece non-hooded one so I will start with that type.
Lay the jacket flat and cut a slit up the back from the bottom all the way to the top.
Sew a seam down the cut edges so the material does not start to unravel(I was out of yellow thread but it would have made the seam invisible).
Fold over one side and place a strip of velcro on the underside(side which would be against your child). Be sure to use the soft side of the velcro for this part so if it comes undone and ends up against the skin it won't cause a scratch.
On the opposite side place a strip of velcro(scratchy side) on the outside edge of the jacket.
You can use one long strip or a few smaller strips, either way just pin on the velcro and then sew it down(I am not a seamstress so don't look too close).

The second type jacket that I have adapted for Junior is a regular hooded coat style. Not sure if this would work with a really heavy coat unless you have a heavy duty sewing machine.
Lay the coat flat and cut a slit up the back from the base to just below where the hood starts.
Sew a seam on the cut edge so the material does not start to unravel.
Pin on the velcro the same as with the other coat and then sew it into place.
With this style I have found it easiest to place the hood over Junior's head before placing his arms through the sleeves. If I am in a hurry and know he will want the coat taken off in the car I sometimes just leave his arms out of the sleeves and just tuck it around him.

I have been adapting his coats, hoodies, and fleece jackets like this for several years and can't imagine trying to get him into them the normal way now.
Be sure to close the velcro before washing so it doesn't pick up a bunch of lint and then not hold like it should.