Problem solved! My friend Stacy works as an early interventionist locally. She read my post about needing something similar to our Christmas tree box that would help Madi with walking and standing. She knew of someone local that made a product called the First Toddle system. It is a 5-in-1 system designed to work for babies on up to preschool age children (and even beyond that I'm told). I e-mailed the company and the owner got back to me quickly. We talked quite a bit and I decided to use Madi's amazon associates money and give it a try. It works perfect!! Today was the first day using it, but Madi really loves it! In fact, she threw a huge two-year-old fit when it was time to get out. The nice thing about this system is that it has 3 different height adjustments so it can grow with your child. Madi fits perfectly right now on the lowest height setting. I had been contemplating making one for Madi out of PVC pipe, but I loved that this one was pre-made and would grow with her. I'm all about simple these days ;). It is a tad shorter (length-wise) than I was wanting, but that's an easy fix. Early in January, they are going to be adding an extension kit you can buy for a little over $20 that will make it longer. The owner wasn't sure if using two extension kids would make the product to weak or not, so I think I will try extending it out by 1 first and seeing how that goes, then possibly trying 2 extension sets to see if it is durable enough. Madi is barely over 20 pounds so she really does not apply too much weight to it. The one improvement I would make to it would be the width. The width fits madi perfectly right now and it also fits Conner, but at some point, she will outgrow it It would be awesome if the width was adjustable just like the height is. Overall, I'm really happy with it and I'm so glad Madi is too! I haven't set up the hockey net yet, but Madi is loving the basketball hoop. I love that it has a little table you can velcro right on top It's really neat to be able to have Madi up standing and being able to do activities at the little table. Even though it's small it is still big enough for playdough or coloring, snacks, etc.... I haven't tried the mat that comes with the set yet either, as I have been using a cushioned mat we got at a local consignment store, Hissyfits (LOVE their stuff!!)., but I'll give it a try tomorrow so I have feedback on that part of it too.Oh, and did I mention it is lead and BPA free? Here is a link to the website (right now they have a 10% off promotion with free shipping):
http://www.firsttoddle.com/
And, yes, you can purchase it on Amazon.com. Just make sure that you pick which color accessories you want, as you can get pink, blue, or a mixture.
I took a picture of Madi playing in it tonight but I used my camera on my phone which takes pretty crummy pictures. I'll try to get a few better pictures tomorrow so that it's easier to see how it works. I love that she once again loves standing and walking!! Another big "thank you" also for everyone who uses Madi's link when they shop at Amazon.com. The money we get from there allows us to get things for Madi that would normally be out-of-pocket expenses for us and those really add up fast! We try to spend the money wisely and use it for things that help improve her quality of life. It is such a blessing to have it there to spend when we find something special for our special little angel! THANK YOU!
