Going for a day out with a disabled child can take a lot of planning – here are some tips to make things a bit easier and less stressful.
Getting out of the house when you have a disabled child can be a bit stressful.
Just leaving the house for a day out can look like you are going on a weekend away with all the stuff you have to take with you.
There is always so much going on and our stress levels are always a ‘bit’ too high, and even if we are really forward to going out, getting everyone ready to go can be a bit too much.
This blog post is full of ideas that will help make it a little bit easier and a little bit less stressful.
Research your day out
You don’t have to spend hours googling, but a quick look at the places you are planning to go before you go will make life so much easier.
Have a look at the places website, the majority of places will have a section about what the accessibility is like.
Some of them will say things like ‘suitable for prams but not wheelchairs’, so if that is the case and you have an off-road wheelchair it might be better to take that with you.
There are definitely some places a lot more helpful than others with the information that they give – some give a lot of of detail and others can be a little bit vague.
Googling the place you are going and then adding something like ‘with a wheelchair’ will help as well as you will get reviews or blog posts written by people who have already been to that place with a wheelchair.
For example, I wrote a blog post about visiting Aberystwyth and Center Parcs.
Hopefully in the future I will write a few more of these posts!
Another good way to find out information is to look on the websites AccessAble (I think they have an app too), or Euan’s guide.
Both are very helpful.
You can message the place as well with any questions you may have – most place are pretty good at getting back to you.
Or if you know someone who has gone there on a day out lately, asking them can be helpful.
Another way that I try to work out if a place will be suitable to us to go, especially for walks etc that may not have a website is instagram.
If you write the place into instagram you will have lots of photos of the location which can be helpful.
Something I tend to do is zoom in on the paths to work out if they are going to be suitable for our wheelchair or not.
Having a bit of an idea about what to expect does help.
Check admission
Another thing to check as well before you go is if it’s cheaper to book online, some places offer a discount if you pre-book online before you go.
Another thing to check is if there is a discount for disabled people and to find out if carers go free.
A lot of places do this so it’s worth checking!
Check for toilets/changing places
Have a quick check of if there is a disabled toilet or toilets or changing places (depending on your needs) where you are going.
If you need a changing places and there isn’t one there, it’s worth having a quick check in the local area or on the journey there so you know where you can stop at.
You can find changing places on their website.
If there isn’t a changing places it’s worth having a back up plan.
It’s not the best solution – in fact it’s not even a good solution – but we sometimes will change Anest on a blanket in the disabled toilet if its big enough.
We have got a fold up camp bed as well in the back of our car so we can change her in the car.
We have to think outside the box sometimes unfortunately.
Remember to pack a radar key for the disabled toilets or changing places – you can buy them online.
You can ask for one as well at the desk when out and about if you have forgotten one, although it’s easier to just take your own.
Make a food plan
Remember to take snacks!
If you do tube feeding make sure you have all the equipment ready to go, and your pump if you use one is fully charged.
Have a look at where you can get lunch out and if the things on the menu are things your child will eat.
We find it easier to just take a packed lunch/picnic with us.
Food out is usually expensive for what it is, and Mali has ARFID which means her options are very limited – there is usually nothing she will eat – so it’s easier to take food.
It’s nice everyone being the same.
But if you do like to buy food out, maybe take a packed lunch for any fussier eaters so that eating isn’t stressful.
Most places have a picnic area so you won’t be alone taking lunch!
You can make it easier for yourself by making the packed lunch the night before, making a picnic always takes way longer than you expect it too!
It makes the morning when you are trying to leave a bit less stressful too!
Think about other meal times too – will you still be out for evening meal?
Is there somewhere you can call on the way home for food? Mcdonalds etc?
If you have ARFID in the family, it may be worth taking a second packed lunch for the evening.
Keep it in the car in an insulated cool bag with a few ice blocks and it will be fine all day.
Remember to take drinks with you as well.
Most places offer free water re-fills.
Make day out packing list
I am a big fan of lists.
Something that I do that makes life a lot easier, is to have list ‘templates’ that I keep on my notion.
I have one with a hospital list, a day out list, an emergency hospital list etc.
Basically, they are lists that I can refer to so that I know what I need to pack for days out etc.
Sometimes, when we are a bit stressed it can be hard to remember everything we need in the moment.
So making a list when things are calmer, means that when these things are actually happening – you can just check the list make sure you have everything and off you go.
It takes so much stress away.
You can make the list wherever works for you.
I use notion.
You can write it in a notebook or on your notes app or whatever makes sense for you.
Make a list of the things you need to take with you on a day out.
Think about what you might need if it’s a rainy day or what you might need if it’s a hot summer day.
It makes life a lot easier.
If you rely on ipads etc while you are out, it might be worth taking a portable charger with you too.
Make sure it’s full before you leave!
Make sure you remember any medication and equipment
We keep an emergency few tablets in our bag so that if for some reason we forgot them, or if we were later coming home than planned we can still give the medication on time.
Make sure you think of everything – syringes, feeding pump, suction catheters, swedish noses – whatever it is you need to remember.
Remember those nappies and wipes too!
Another thing to make sure you remember is suncream, as a lot of medication makes skin more sensitive to sunlight and you are more likely to get burnt.
This leads on to the next one of…
Have a mini emergency bag in the car
Most things we can just pop into a supermarket if we forget something.
Like suncream.
Or even spare clothes.
If you are a parent carer there is a chance that your child has equipment they need – like feeding tubes etc that you can’t just go and buy if you run out.
This adds quite a lot of stress into our lives.
I don’t know how many times in the past I have had to pull over in a lay-by to check that I haven’t forgotten Anest’s feeding tube.
Or we have had to go back home because I have forgotten a syringe.
I’m usually good at double checking, and I try to keep an emergency spare in our bag.
Something I have started doing the last couple of years is keeping a small bag in the car with all the essential in there – a spare tube, a spare mic-key button, a couple of syringes etc.
That way, if for some reason I don’t have our bag with us or whatever reason – I still have everything I need.
It’s just peace of mind knowing if we are out and about that we have those emergency things with us.
Make sure if you are doing this too, that every few months you check the dates so they haven’t expired.
Even the syringes have an expiry date on them.
I set a reminder on my google calendar to remind me.
Think about taking two bags on your day out
We can have a lot of stuff to take with us.
Some bits are essential that we need on us all the time or we are likely to need them.
Like wipes, nappies, a drink, spare clothes etc.
But if you have to take other stuff with you – like multiple changes of clothes, or just in case things which you might not need but you can’t risk not taking – it’s worth having a second bag.
The second bag can keep all those other things in and stay in the car.
It saves hauling everything with you on your day out, and it also means that it’s easier to find those essentials when you need them.
Think about the journey
Planning ahead with your journey is going to help keep things going smoothly.
Have a bag of sensory toys or bits for keeping everyone occupied in the car.
Have a playlist or even find an audio book to listen to in the car if that is more your child’s thing.
You could also use screens in the car – either an ipad or an in-car dvd player.
Although I am not sure if people use dvds much anymore!
Check google maps
Another thing that is worth doing the morning that you are leaving, is to check the google map directions.
Google will tell you if there is any road works or car accidents or anything like that on the route and it will help you plan ahead and go a different direction if car journeys are a bit tricky.
It will also keep updating as you go, so it’s worth putting it on even if you know the way.
Have a list of places to go
I have a database on my notion where I store all the different places that we can go.
If I see someone talking about somewhere on instagram as being accessible I add it on.
I can write notes to it, such as is there a changing places there, is it accessible etc
It can be hard work thinking of somewhere to go because we can be a bit limited on accessible places, so having a list that you can just choose somewhere from does help.
Use Social stories
Anest likes to have an exact plan of what to expect, and I haven’t really used social stories much it’s more me just telling her.
But social stories are a good way of helping your child to plan out what their day will be like and what to expect.
Some places have social stories so it’s worth having a google to find out if you can find one.
The most important part of going for a day out…
Go to places that you enjoy as a family, not because it’s somewhere you think that you should be doing or because everyone else is.
It’s very hard to enjoy a day out when it’s just completely stressful for you all.
Do what works for your family – that is all that matters.
I hope this helps make days out as a family a bit easier!
If you have any hacks that make leaving the house easier for you, let me know in the comments!
Beth x
