Fitting the Chair to the Child: Measurements

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HealthWiki > Disabled Village Children > Chapter 64: Decisions About Special Seats and Wheelchairs > Fitting the Chair to the Child: Measurements

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In this chapter:

 

In this chapter:

These measurements are for wheelchairs and for special seating without wheels.

SEAT WIDTH

	Measure across hips or thighs— whichever is wider.
MEASURE WIDEST PART	Add 1 cm (½ inch) to both sides for seat width.

Note: Some specialists recommend wider seats. But the child gets a better arm position for pushing the wheels if only 1 cm is added on either side. However, you may want to leave a little more room to allow for the child’s growth.

SEAT DEPTH

CAUTION! When measuring, be sure to allow for cushions or backboards that will be added.

	Note: You may want to add 2 cm or 3 cm to allow for growth and use a backboard or firm cushion to fill in the extra space.
MEASURE FROM BEHIND KNEE TO BACK OF BUTT	Subtract about 1 cm for depth of seat to leave a little space behind the knees.

SEAT HEIGHT

MEASURE THIS DISTANCE

Subtract 1 cm

5 cm

For an ADULT or BIG CHILD, add 5 cm for height above ground.

For a SMALL CHILD, add the height of the caster.

height of caster

Note: Raising the seat of a small child higher lets his feet rest above the casters and therefore directly below the knees. The higher seat also helps for eating at the table with the family. Sideways transfers are also easier. Sometimes seats are placed even higher than shown, but this makes pushing wheels with hands more difficult.

CAUTION! Be sure to include cushion when measuring height for chair seat.

ARMREST HEIGHT

MEASURE FROM BOTTOM OF BUTT TO BEND OF ELBOW.

Before measuring, be sure child is sitting as straight as possible.

Put armrest height a little higher than his elbow so that the elbow will be positioned away from the body.

Note: This measurement is standard, but some children need arm support at a higher level. Experiment.

BACK HEIGHT

MEASURE FROM BOTTOM OF BUTT TO ARMPIT

Note: This measurement is standard, but some children need a higher back, and sometimes head support. Others prefer a back that supports only the hips.

IMPORTANT! Also check how much hips and knees bend, as this may affect position of footrests and casters.

knee contracture

Caster here will not work.

This page was updated:04 Apr 2024