Would you be comfortable with this?

We are planning a trip early summer. It'll be 9-10 hours on the road, not including "extra" stops for anything extra Charlie might need (we've never done this with Charlie so I have no idea how much time will be added to the trip because of her). She'll obviously ride in her car seat. I'm worried about having her in a sitting position for so long. She's used to lounging around the house much of the day. She sits in her stroller, wheelchair, and car seat sometimes for extended periods of time, but never for more than about 1 1/2 hours (longest we've been on the road). I'm worried it's going to hurt her hips and back after some time. She has a 20 degree curve in her spine and her hips are partially out of the socket, so it's a legitimate worry.

We have an ez-on modified vest, the kind you use for the child to lay down across the back seat. Even though she doesn't have any specific needs at this time that would make it 100% necessary, would you be comfortable using it to give her back and hips a break from the car seat? I think our only other option would be to pull over and let her lounge for a bit in the back seat and if we do that every couple of hours, it'll take 2 days to get there!

Is there a way you can try out keeping her in a sitting position longer before the trip to see if there is an issue?

safeinthecar said:

Is there a way you can try out keeping her in a sitting position longer before the trip to see if there is an issue?

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We will be getting her new wheelchair next week so we can always set aside a day where she spends most of the day in it. I'm more worried about just using the vest as a back-up/last resort thing if for some reason she isn't tolerating it THAT day.

ETA: I would make sure I know how to use it and get it fit just right on her so we wouldn't be fumbling and not know what we were doing in the middle of nowhere at a rest stop. LOL

As long as you are super familiar with how to use it and practice ahead of time, I think it would be a good idea to have with you to use if needed!

We actually do this with Cheyenne on long trips. She gets some time in the car seat and some time in the harness. We do find we have to have some pillows to make her comfortable.
We got ours when she had spica casts- and I see no difference using it on other occasions. It makes it more comfortable for her while allowing us to get there as fast as we need to.

I would, provided you know how to use it, it fits her and your vehicle correctly, and have room for everyone to sit safely when she's using 2-3 seating positions.

She's not able to "wiggle" like the rest of us, so she's more likely to get stiff/sore/tired of sitting in one place.

The idea of building up the amount of time she spends in her w/c or other seating position (rather than "lounging") is a good plan as well.

Where are you going on your adventure this summer?