Wheelchair for 10 year old

[4myprincesses]

Found out today that my 10 yr old daughter has a broken leg...we leave TOMORROW for Disney :/

The doc wants her in a wheelchair for Disney, but is okay elsewhere with crutches. I feel like a fish out of water, this is the first broken bone for us. I am thinking of renting down there, but have no clue where to look or what to ask. I am assuming they make them in her size (she is average sized for her age) and am hoping to rent one once we are down there.

Bring on the advice, I need it! I will be checkingback in between of loads of laundry and loading suitcases.

[Disney Hungarian]

I have just did an exhaustive search. I was unable to find a pediatric wheelchair for rent. I was only able to find a 16" adult wheelchair. They are available at most of the scooter rental places ie...apple. I do hope someone else can find a place and post. Good luck.

[RedSoxandPatsfan]

My sister uses a wheel chair while at WDW. In the past we been able to get them at the resort. I would check there first.

[Pirate Granny]

We used Apria Healthcare to rent...they delivered to the resort and it was a small child like chair as my dad only weighed 105 lbs.
Make sure to mark it well...people take them if they think it's a Disney wheelchair. We had a large black bag that we put my dads name with puffy paint (glow in the dark even), and it hung from the handles. Worked like a charm.

[BrerGnat]

Honestly, don't overthink this. Just go with the Disney rental wheelchairs in the parks. You don't need a "pediatric" sized chair. It will not be difficult for one adult to push a 10 year old in a wheelchair. This will work the best because she can simply hold her crutches while she is riding in the chair, and then you can park it and she can use her crutches to get in/out of different attractions, around inside restaurants, etc. Plus, you can ditch the wheelchair once you leave the park and not have to worry about bringing it on buses, etc.

You will follow the protocol for wheelchairs in the parks (waiting for attractions either in the regular queue, or in a separate area; the handicap sign will point the way, and if you are unsure, just ask the CM at the head of the line queue where to go).

Think about how she gets around at home and I think you will see that she can do pretty well on the crutches most of the time. I think she can probably handle being outside of the parks on crutches. Also, if you are staying at a WDW resort, they do offer complimentary wheelchairs for use around the resort. Just ask at the front desk. And, make sure you request a room close to the bus stop, or lobby, whatever, so you can shorten the distance as much as possible.

[4myprincesses]

Thank you everyone, the info is most helpful.

We are off property and the resort we are at does not offer wheelchairs. I think I will look into the 16" size, I want her to be comfortable and able to wheel herself a bit if she wants. She is a very independant type of kid and this business of not being able to carry things around or do a few basic things solo is driving her nuts. We went to our local stuff mart last night and tried out their wheel chair. It was very difficult for her to wheel and that was on
completely smooth floors. The seat was so big that her arms had a hard time reaching the wheels (not to mention is was a heavy chair.)

Also found digging around on the forum that we should make sure to bring a towel to cover the seat (hot vinyl, ouch!), sunscreen for her legs and tops of feet, and a poncho that will cover her lap in case of rain. FIgured I post it on here in case anyone else searches for it in the future. Might try brining a bag from one of our bigger camp chairs to hold the crutches on the back of the chair along with a bungee to keep them from bouncing around. Trying to get as hands free as possible for her and I both I have 4 kids total, so juggling the crutches is not ideal, lol!

Leaving in 4 hours with a plan in hand, some snazzy duct tape to trick out her crutches, and 2 days driving time to decorate them. Thank you again!

[LVT]

I am glad you are going with chair from the start. She does need time to adjust to pain and crutches. It is not an instant skill.
Take it easy and have some fun yourself.