Sitting is believing.
Added on Wednesday 27 November 24
Good tools are magic. They enable me to live the life I want and to build the future of my dreams.
The special tomato soft sitter is a magic tool.
I’ll share my detailed thoughts down below, but the short version is that it’s worked brilliantly and it’s the cornerstone of my ability to thrive.
Seating has been a massive challenge since my injury back in 2021.
The damage to the nerves in my tailbone makes it exceptionally sensitive to movement and pressure.
Once the nerves get annoyed, they cause spasms which then squeeze the nerves down into my legs causing pain and wobblyness.
It’s got easier over time (yay for meds), but seating remains a constant challenge. For the first year of my injury the only useful seating in my life was the buggy. It worked but it didn’t work great. Especially when using a desk or table.
After a bad experience experimenting with a beanbag, we decided to find something better.
In a nutshell… we chose the soft sitter because it fits, it’s flexible and it’s fun.
Getting the fit right was a bit of a gamble.
The super helpful people at Freedom For Kids gave us heaps of advice on the sizing. I fall between a size 4 and a size 5, but I’m heavy so we decided to go for the larger size.
We ordered the soft sitter entirely blind based on the advice of Delyth and her team… as always thier advice was spot on.
The angles of the soft sitter are pretty much perfect for me.
When using the harness to hold me in place, the 25° recline and the angled seat base are comfortable and work nicely under a desk.
I can sit this way for hours getting things done on my MacBook or playing games on the computer.
The fit around my butt, hips and side is perfect. It’s supportive without ever feeling tight or restrictive. Unlike the buggy I have free movement of my arms and elbows. Super useful.
The soft sitter is also flexible and adaptable. The full system is made up of the big blue seat and curved wooden base.
For tasks which don’t need a table, I’ll sometimes take the seat off the wooden base and lean it against the wall at a 28-30° angle. It works well for using a laptop or reading a book etc.
The separate base is also helpful when we’re traveling and don’t have space for the full seat and base combo. I’ve spent many an evening sat in a hotel room writing slides comfortably harnessed into my seat.
The seat worked so well we brought a second seat for my friends house. It sits on a custom electric mount by their kitchen table so I can visit for dinner. My friend made the mount from an old car seat and it lets me adjust the angle based on what I’m doing. Sitting me more upright for eating and more reclined when just sitting around chatting.
Flexibility has been key. Being able to split the seat and the base opens up so many opportunities.
It’s bright blue. I can’t overstate how much i love the fact it’s bright blue.
Many adaptive things are drab and boring, but the soft sitter is bright and fun. It’s interesting, beautifully made and joyful to use.
Wobblyness aside, it’s a wonderfully cosy and safe feeling place to sit. Many of my autistic friends love sitting in it, purely for the sensory joy of the snug feeling harness and a semi enclosed space.
Overall, the soft sitter has been a life changer. It gives me a safe comfortable place to sit and reduces stress on my body. Less stress sitting gives me more capacity for moving and doing.
It’s not cheap at ~£1000 for the chair and ~£500 for the base… but it’s been exceptionally good value. It’s already paid back fifty times the cost by enabling me to keep my job and get things done at my desk.
If you have seating needs like mine I couldn’t recommend the special tomato soft sitter more highly. Hell, if you’re autistic and find normal chairs tricky, it’s also well worth a look.
The soft sitter is one of the magic tools in my life. It enables me to thrive and enjoy my life in a way we once considered to be impossible. I can’t say better than that!
