The Walker Finally Arrived

Yesterday afternoon was like Christmas afternoon at our house.  Whitney's walker finally arrived.  The home health care people dropped it off and by the time I got home from work Melanie had Whitney carefully walking around the house with it.

It's quite a bit different than the walker she had on loan from the school district.  Mel and I have decided to have her try it out with the front wheels in pivot mode.  Her previous walker had its front wheels locked in a forward direction so she had to lift it to turn.  Also, we've disengaged the locks that keep the walker from rolling backward so Whitney actually has to bear her own weight instead of leaning back on the walker when she's tired.  The new walker is also a bit bigger and heavier than the loaner from school.

Whitney seems to really love the thing so far.  She's been cruising around the house getting used to it and she's improving fast.  I caught some of her first steps with it in the video above. She's actually even more confident with it now.

Here are a few photographs and details about the new walker:

Here's the new "Crocodile" walker in the foreground with the older school loaner walker in the background.  It's a little wider and a little lower to improve stability.  It's also going to have a little black seat for Whit to flip down and sit on when she's tired, but it won't come for another day or two.

Also, on the stability front, these anti-tip bars can be swung down behind the rear wheels to prevent tipping on hilly terrain.

The front wheels can be locked in a frontward direction or be allowed to pivot freely.  You can also see the hinge that allows the walker to be folded for transport.

This close up shot of the rear wheels shows the brake on top of the wheel that can be used to prevent the walker from rolling backward.  It can also be flipped out of the way so the walker rolls freely in any direction.  The red hub can be twisted to place resistance on the rear wheels to limit the walker's speed.  I love the big wheels this thing has.  This summer Whitney will be all over the yard, "on and off road!"

Now the only part left is to get the bill for the walker, but after seeing how much Whitney loves getting around in it, we'll gladly pay what they ask.  And we've just got to find ways to keep her from running over her brother and away from us!