REAL Child Chairs Designed for Your Child’s Daily Life
Most adaptive chairs for children are offered in standard sizes and limited configurations, requiring families to select the closest fit. The REAL Child works the other way around. Every armrest, side support, seat cushion, control, and footrest is chosen based on your child’s body, abilities, and daily activities, because no two children have exactly the same needs. The chair should fit into your child’s life—not require your child and family to organize daily life around the chair.
Discover how a REAL Child Mobility Chair can be configured for Your Child
Every chair we sell started with our own daughter
She’s a little person, and between limited balance and fused elbows, she couldn’t get into a chair on her own, or out of one once she was in it. She waited for someone to lift her. By the time she was six, she’d had enough of waiting, and we went looking for something that would give her the decision back. We found plenty of adaptive equipment, but much of it was large, difficult to move, complicated to use, or designed for one activity in one place. Instead of making daily life easier, it often became one more thing the child and family had to work around.
So when you call us about adaptive chairs for children, you’re talking to a family that has sat where you’re sitting. Tell us about your child. There is no obligation, just a conversation about what they’re trying to do and whether this chair can help them do it.
Adaptive Seating Should Make Everyday Life Easier
What families want is a more normal day. When a child has complex needs, ordinary activities can take more time, require more help, and create stress for everyone. Children become frustrated when they have to wait or when someone is constantly lifting, adjusting, or fussing over them.
Many adaptive chairs provide important positioning and support, but they are designed primarily for one activity in one place. They may still limit where the child can participate or require an adult whenever the chair needs to be moved or adjusted.
Families should not have to choose between the support their child needs and a chair that fits naturally into everyday life. The goal is to provide that support in a chair that is easier to use, easier to move, and less likely to become the center of the child’s day.
Kids want to eat, learn, play, and spend time with their friends and family without constantly waiting for help. They want to be kids. The REAL Child is designed to give them more independence, reduce the work placed on caregivers, and help families spend less time managing equipment and more time living their lives.
REAL Child Chairs Are Personalized for Children with Limited Mobility
The right configuration depends on how your child sits, moves, reaches, and uses the chair throughout the day. Two REAL Child chairs may look very different—not just in their colors, but in their controls, supports, armrests, wheels, and footrests—because each is configured for a different child. These components can be selected and positioned to make the chair more comfortable, easier to use, and better suited to your child’s daily activities.
Remote Controls or Switches, Placed for Limited Dexterity
A control your child cannot comfortably reach can become one more reason they need to ask for help. Powered seat height and tilt can support greater independence, but only when the controls are matched to what your child can operate comfortably and reliably.
Different types of controls are available for REAL Chairs, including switches, remote controls, and joysticks. For children with limited dexterity, reduced grip, or a limited range of motion, we help you choose the right control and position it where they can reach and use it comfortably. The goal is to help your child operate the chair as independently as possible—or make it easier for you to operate it when they need assistance.
Backrest Depth, Side Supports, and Flat or Curved Seat Cushions
Comfort and support begin with proper fit. On REAL Chairs, the seat, backrest, cushions and supports are selected to support your child’s body, posture, and activities.
The backrest can be moved forward and backward to fit your child, and seat cushions come in different sizes to fit your child now and as they grow. Flat and curved cushions accommodate different body shapes, postures, and support needs. Cushions and other seating components can also be changed as your child grows or their needs change.
Options configured here include:
- Curved back supports for children who can’t sit upright comfortably
- Side and lumbar supports to provide trunk support and stability
- Flat or curved seat cushions matched to your child’s size, posture, body shape and support requirements
- Headrests, side supports, trunk supports, seat belts and harnesses when your child needs additional head or positioning support
- Longer armrests for additional arm support, or shorter armrests for easier desk access
The armrests can also be moved inward or outward, helping support your child without getting in the way of their activities. Browse the configuration accessories to see the supports, seat cushions, and add-ons available for this positioning chair. This level of fit can make the difference between simply sitting in a chair and feeling comfortable, supported, and ready to participate.
Wheels, Safety Brake, and Stability on Carpet or Hard Floors
REAL Chairs are designed to stay firmly in place when the safety brake is engaged. The safety brake does more than stop the wheels from moving. It lowers two brake legs that lift the chair’s wheels slightly off the ground, so the chair rests securely on the legs. The brake can be operated with a lever or an electric control, holding the chair steady during transfers and activities that require your child to reach or lean forward.
Wheels are selected for the surfaces where your child will use the chair. Four-inch and five-inch wheels give stability on hard floors, while six-inch wheels or double wheels may be more appropriate for carpet. The casters swivel 360 degrees, allowing the chair to turn easily in tight spaces such as bedrooms or between classroom desks.
Configure an Adaptive Chair for Your Child
Tell us about your child, and we’ll show you how a REAL Child chair could be configured for their needs. There’s no obligation, and you’ll speak with a specialist who helps families work through the same decisions.
Safer Transfers and Easier Access for Disabled Children
Chairs for disabled children need to do more than provide support and comfort while seated. The REAL Child includes adjustable armrests, powered seat height, and a safety brake that can help make transfers easier for both the child and caregiver.
Armrests That Move Below the Seat Cushion for Transfers
Three features on REAL Chairs work together during a transfer:
The armrests move below the seat cushion
The safety brake keeps the chair from moving
The seat height can be adjusted to match the bed, wheelchair, or classroom chair next to it
Adjusting the chair’s height makes lateral transfers easier and reduces lifting.
Adjustable Footrest Options for Positioning and Mobility
Footrests can be configured around how your child sits and moves. The footrest can be adjusted to support your child’s feet at the appropriate height or moved out of the way when they need to reach the floor.
For children who move the chair using their feet, a foldable footrest allows them to reach the floor and foot-propel while remaining seated. A removable wheelchair-style footrest is also available when more continuous foot support is needed. The footrest is intended for positioning and mobility and should not be used as a step for getting into the chair.
Adjustable footrest height is also important when configuring REAL Chairs as mobility chairs for little people.
Adaptive Seating for Children at Home, in the Classroom, and in Therapy
Children participate in activities at many different heights throughout the day—from meals and play at home to desks, tables, and therapy activities. The REAL Child can be adjusted for many of these settings, allowing one adaptive chair to support more of your child’s daily life.
Classroom Use: Reaching the Desk and Staying With the Group
Children notice who is sitting with the group and who is positioned off to the side.
Powered seat height lets your child raise the chair themselves for a desk, art table, lab station, or wherever the class is working. Children who can operate the controls independently can adjust their own height, while the safety brake keeps the chair stable. Sitting at the same height as everyone else isn’t a small thing. It’s the difference between watching the group and being in it.
Therapy Settings, Mealtimes, and Play at Home
Powered height and tilt can be adjusted while your child remains seated, reducing the need to repeatedly move them into and out of different chairs. Occupational and physical therapists can set the height and tilt and configure the supports around whatever they’re working on that session.
At home, you adjust the same chair for meals, homework, and play. Forward tilt supports a more active seated position and brings a table or work surface within reach, while the safety brake keeps the chair from moving. Instead of needing different chairs or limiting activities to one place, the REAL Child helps your child participate where they want—at home, in the classroom, or in therapy. Its simple design fits naturally into these settings, so the chair supports daily life without making the equipment the center of it.
A Chair That Adjusts as Your Child Grows
Children grow quickly, so families naturally want to know how long an adaptive chair will continue to meet their needs.
As your child grows, your REAL Child can be adjusted and parts can be replaced or added. Instead of starting over with a new chair, your existing chair can be reconfigured around your child’s growth and support needs.
Request Pricing for a Child Mobility Chair
Each chair is quoted individually, based on the size, features, and options selected for your child. Review the sample configurations and pricing for available supports, controls, footrests, and other options.
Questions Parents Ask About Chairs for Disabled Children
Can children use mobility chairs?
Yes. A mobility chair built for a child can be configured based on the child’s size, abilities, and support needs. Seat depth, backrest depth, cushions, supports, armrests, and footrests can be selected or adjusted to fit the child, while controls can be positioned where the child can operate them comfortably.
How do you choose a comfy chair for a disabled child who cannot sit upright?
Comfort depends on appropriate positioning and support, not simply additional padding. Curved back supports, side supports, and flat or curved seat cushions can be selected based on the child’s body shape, posture, and support needs. Powered tilt allows the seated position to be adjusted throughout the day.
Can a letter of medical necessity help fund adaptive seating for a child?
Often, yes. Funding decisions vary by insurer, state program, and school district. Insurers and public programs may require documentation from a clinician explaining why the chair and its specific configuration are medically necessary. School districts may use a separate evaluation and approval process. We can provide product and configuration information to help your clinician prepare a letter of medical necessity to support the request.
Why Families Choose EMP Living for Adaptive Seating for Children
Choosing an adaptive chair is personal, and the right configuration can make a meaningful difference in your child’s daily life. EMP Living combines firsthand experience as the family of a child with complex needs with decades of adaptive-seating experience from Mercado Medic. We help families select and configure their chairs, make adjustments as needs change, and provide support after delivery.
Steel Construction, Configurable Parts, and Support After the Sale
REAL chairs are built on durable steel frames, and they’re designed to be reconfigured rather than replaced. You can adjust or replace supports, cushions, armrests, and footrests as your child grows or their needs change.
Mercado Medic, our Swedish manufacturer, has been building adaptive seating for children and adults for over 50 years. We handle configuration, fitting, and support in North America, providing families with assistance when selecting the chair and support after it is delivered.
The EMP Guarantee: 30 Days in Your Own Home
You cannot know how a chair will work for your child from a photograph, a video, or even a brief trial in a showroom. You need to use it to see whether it helps your child do what they need to do, where they need to do it.
Use the REAL Child for 30 days at home, at school, and wherever it is part of your child’s day. If it does not help you and your child with what you need it to do, let us know and give us an opportunity to make it right. If we cannot, you can return the chair for a full refund minus shipping. Accessories are covered too, so you are not stuck with a configuration that does not work for your child.
Talk With an Adaptive Seating Specialist About Your Child
Bring your questions and tell us about your child’s needs, daily activities, and where the chair will be used. During a free consultation, an adaptive seating specialist will walk you through the options and help you decide whether the REAL Child is right for your child.
Learn More
A Chair for a Handicapped Child Is Configured Around the Child, Not Selected From a Size Chart
Families may use different words when searching for a chair for a handicapped child, but they are usually looking for the same thing: adaptive seating that fits the individual child. EMP Living configures each REAL Child chair around the child’s size, abilities, and daily activities, with controls positioned where they can reach them, supports placed where their body needs them, and footrests matched to how they sit and move. The words families use may differ. The need for a comfortable, supportive chair does not.