When my daughter was 4 years old, she was eager to help. We wanted to find a way that would enable her help set and clear the table for meals. However, at the time she needed her walker or crutches to move around, meaning she couldn’t carry anything in her hands.

We tried having her push an old microwave cart we had on hand, but it was clunky and difficult to push. The idea was good, but the device wasn’t right.

Cue a family trip to IKEA! Side note: I love IKEA. Have you heard about all the great things they are doing to make their furniture more accessible to people with disabilities? 

We scoured the upstairs IKEA showroom for every cart on wheels we could find. Most of them were too wobbly, but this one was perfect (the IKEA Raskog Cart – Specs here on Amazon). It was filled with glassware, and she was still able to push it easily. The four wheels and three tiers also gave it a nice, firm, stable feeling.

This cart is now one of my favorite helper hacks!

Who is this hack good for?

• Kids who can walk with a walker or crutches
• Kids who can walk, but wear AFOs and/or are not stable enough to walk and carry items at the same time
• Kids for whom walking is very tiring – in one trip, can carry multiple different things (rather than having to walk back and forth to take multiple trips)

What tasks can this cart help kids with?

• Setting and clearing the table
• Transporting toys and books: bringing them out / putting them away
• Bringing folded clothes back to bedroom to put away

Bring on the independence! And … even better … having kids help also gives them a nice boost to their self esteem. Woot!

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