Special-needs seats for on-the-go or at home

My family has been living in the Netherlands for about 9 months now, and we plan on staying for a total of 3 years. My husband and I decided that 3 years isn't long enough to warrant us purchasing a car, especially since the town where we live is so easily accessible by foot and bike. We're about a 15- to 20-minute walk from the train station and just a 10-minute walk to the town center, where there are plenty of shops. By bike, of course, it takes even less time.

Our 2-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy affecting his left side, attends a therapeutic day care program 2 mornings a week at a local rehabilitation center. The walk there takes longer---30 minutes---and is quite boring for my son and tedious for me, so traveling by bike would be ideal. We've tried biking before, with me cycling and pulling him behind me in a bike trailer designed for small children to sit in.

July 2015

But I found that the trailer's bench seat with its 2 shoulder straps, a strap between the legs, and a long lap belt just wasn't enough support for him: He was so tired after 3+ hours of day care that on our way home, he'd slump over on his left side, with his head lying almost horizontal on the left shoulder strap. It looked very uncomfortable, as well as unsafe and not good for development of his spine.

So I've tried finding an alternative solution. A lot of moms in the Netherlands bike with their child or children in small children's seats at the front and/or back of their bike, like this:

© Nadezhda1906 | Dreamstime.com - Mother and daughter on bike

This doesn't seem like the best option for us, though, because I think: What if I lost balance or got into an accident? Oliver had a brain injury soon after birth, and I hate the idea of him falling and injuring his head and brain further. And I'm concerned that a helmet wouldn't offer enough protection, especially for his neck. (Some would say I'm a bit paranoid. But better safe than sorry, I say!)

So I've decided to stick with the bike trailer and try to find a special-needs seat that I could install into it. I've done quite a bit of research online, and here are some options that I've found. These weren't designed specifically for use in a bike trailer---some were designed as feeding seats, for example, and/or as seats that could be easily transported and strapped into chairs at restaurants, friends' houses, etc.---but they seem like they could be easily adapted for other uses.

1.) Tumble Forms Deluxe Floor Sitter

Photo from www.nrshealthcare.co.uk

This seat was designed for correct positioning of a child during feeding. Some of its top features, in my opinion, are that it....

• can be easily wiped clean
• has a 4-point harness
• can be attached to a wedge using a large Velcro® strip, allowing it to be tilted at a wide variety of angles

availability: 
In the U.S.: eSpecial Needs, Medical eShop, and more
In the UK: NRS Healthcare

price:
In the U.S.: $295 and up for the sitter + wedge
In the UK: £139 and up for the sitter alone, or £280 and up for the sitter + wedge
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2.) Special Tomato Soft-Touch Sitter

Photo from www.specialtomato.com

As the name suggests, this seat is made of a soft-to-the-touch material rather than a hard plastic. Some of its top features, in my opinion, are that it....

• can be easily wiped clean
• has a 5-point harness 
• has 2 attachment straps that allow it to be secured to a regular chair

availability:
In the U.S.: Adaptive Mall, eSpecialNeeds, Tadpole Adaptive, and more
In Europe: Global Carehab

price:
In the U.S.: $225 and up for the sitter alone
In Europe: €295 for the sitter alone
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3.) GoTo Seat

Photo from www.fireflyfriends.com

This seat was recently redesigned to be more easily adjusted so that it can fit more kids. Some of its other top features, in my opinion, are that it....

• is lightweight, allowing for easy transport
• has a 5-point harness
• can be strapped not only into a regular chair but also into a child's swing or even a shopping cart

availability: 
In the UK: Firefly

price:
€299-339, depending on size (The old model is also available in size 1 for €199, while supplies last.)
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Each of these seats comes in multiple sizes.

Ultimately, I ended up purchasing a Tumble Forms Deluxe Floor Sitter, really just because I found one on ebay that was the right size and reasonably priced. I just received it last week and tried it out this past weekend. More on that later!

(Disclaimer: I have not tried the latter two seats for my son. Descriptions of them are based purely on online research.)