OK... here is the Special Tomato Soft Touch Mobile Tilt Wedge feeder seat (say that 5x fast). We are getting this to replace Sam's Tumble Form Feeder Seat. Same basic design, however the Special Tomato seat has smaller increments between sizes which allows us to get a better fit for Sam AND this seat can come off its wedge base and attach to any chair with special straps (can't do this with the tumble form seat). Tumble Forms have been good to us in the past but for now Special Tomato offers better size options for Sam.
This little beauty is the MPS car seat from Special Tomato. Sam is currently in a regular car seat but he is out growing it. We tried him in a booster but he just slides out... it is clear that he still needs a 5 point harness to keep him safe in the car. This special needs car seat can also be strapped onto any seat but come with the LATCH system and has been crash tested as a car seat. AND... drum roll please... not only does it have a 5 year warranty and there is an extended seat option available to grow with Sam... but it holds kids up to 150lbs.... In a 5 point harness no less.
****From the Adaptive Mall Website*****
Story Behind the Brand (SPECIAL TOMATO)
The Adaptivemall.com® was founded by Tim Bergeron and is a family owned and operated business. The Adaptivemall.com® is an Internet Catalog that not only offers quality items, but also provides you, the consumer, with empowering information.
Tim is also the founder and original designer of the Tumble Forms® product line. He has over 25 years of experience designing, building, and selling adaptive positioning equipment. The Adaptivemall.com® is pleased to introduce Tim’s latest product line, Special Tomato™. Tim has coupled his design experience with a new manufacturing process that provides soft durable, impermeable cushions for positioning children with special needs. Featured online here at the Adaptivemall.com® and in the Adaptivemall.com OFFLINE™ Catalog, is the first Special Tomato™ Product: the Multi-Positioning Seat.
Now you may be asking, “What’s so Special about Tomatoes”? Tim is pictured here with his youngest daughter, Carrie, a young adult with Down syndrome. Carrie’s story, “The Special Tomato”, summarizes what Tim believes that most parents feel about their child with special needs. “Every child is special in their own unique way. It’s a parent’s job to find the way to facilitate their child’s growth in a way that includes them equally within the family and community.” For children with physical disabilities, adaptive equipment can play an important role in helping them reach their highest functioning level.
The Special "Tomato" of my Family
My dad and mom had four children. The first three children were healthy and regular people. Then I came along, a baby with a difference, Down Syndrome. I had a hole in my heart, a rip in my heart valve, jaundice, a big tongue and a wobbly head. As I got older I also realized that I am a slow learner.
One day it was bothering me that I was having a hard time doing my school work. I told my dad about this problem and he shared a story about when he was out in his garden picking tomatoes the year I was born. Every year my dad grows a garden and loves to plant tomatoes. At harvest time there were Beefsteak tomatoes on a bush. When he saw a differently shaped tomato it got his attention. It had a large, smooth, bright red enlarged side that made my dad want to pick it up and study the bump because it was so unique and looked appetizing. At supper, that tomato was just as juicy as the others.
Even though I'm different like the tomato as a person with Down Syndrome, my family and friends love me even more and want to help me when I need it. My dad tells me that even though I have more difficulty learning than my brother and sisters, my lovable and outgoing personality and strong character make me just as special as they are. I guess I am the special "tomato" on our family's bush!
Carrie Bergeron, copyright 2001
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You may better recognize Carrie Bergeron as Carrie Bergeron-Desai, she married Sujeet Desai in 2006. Carrie is also a public speaker and as a young adult with Down syndrome she is a self-advocate and amazing young woman.
1 comment:
did you get that seat and how do you like it? we are considering that for our 12 month old.
email me at alison(dot)bynum(at)comcast(dot)net
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