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Four-year-old Félix Gagné has never been comfortable sitting in a car seat. He was born with a genetic condition called kyphosis, a curvature of the spine from front to back, which his father Marc says led to scoliosis, a curvature of the spine from left to right.
Those conditions mean it is “always hard” trying to seat Félix properly when his family travels to and from Rockland, Ont., according to his mother, Line Lalande.
The discomfort and improper fit led Félix and his family to participate in a specialized CHEO-led car seat clinic in partnership with SEATS for Kids.
The innovative program was made possible thanks to a historic investment of $40.5 million by the Ontario government to CHEO last summer. So far, clinics have been held in December and January with more to be announced soon.
The seating and mobility team supports kiddos from birth up to 18 years old who have complex physical disabilities by providing mobility devices and customized seating, including car seats.
These clinics, held in a spacious bay at Dymon Storage on Walkley Road, see patients by referral only. Occupational therapists and a certified car seat technician work together to help families find a comfortable solution.
“It’s a really nice meeting of the minds, coming together to have this specialized information to share with families,” said Tara Previl, an occupational therapist with CHEO’s mobility and seating service.
Without these clinics, each child requires an individual appointment to assess the proper fit of the car seat, which takes a lot of time to plan and schedule. Previl says that leads to delays in giving children safe options and, sometimes, delays a discharge from hospital.
“A lot of these kids are difficult to seat in regular car seats because they don’t sit naturally,” said occupational therapist Roselle Adler, another member of the mobility and seating team.
“The car seats are ill-fitting and there could be skin issues ... or tolerance, they can’t sit for too long.”
The three-hour group car seat session is an important solution because it can see up to five children who have had to wait longer for help, often having to miss school or visit the emergency department.
The clinics also free up time for clinicians within CHEO’s seating and mobility team to see other children, and Previl says there’s a bonus: clinics can educate occupational therapists about car seat safety.
There is currently a third and final clinic in the works, but Previl says the list of referrals continues to grow and the team hopes these clinics become a regular, ongoing event.
“We’ve known [car seat safety] to be a problem for the last several years. We’re happy that the Kids Come First initiative has come through for us,” said Previl.
If a car seat is expired or ill-fitting for a child, families will leave the clinic with a new one thanks to Ontario government funding. Other families will learn what types of adjustments can help their child have a safe and comfortable ride.