PODD book extras

For any other Rett parents who might read my blog and also use the PODD, I wanted to share a few little extra things I have done to make the everyday carrying-around of the book more convenient. First, I kept forgetting the yes and no buttons downstairs when I went upstairs so I made a little pouch (out of one of Lucy's old shirts) and I have tied it to the long piece of PVC so her buttons are always with the book and I don't have to remember them or use up another hand to carry them, and since I only have two hands, this has proven to be very helpful!

After trying out several scarves, all of which kept getting torn by sliding through the PVC, I remembered a messenger bag I had that I never use and so I took the strap off of that and used a shoelace to attach it to the book. I threaded the shoelace through the PVC and then looped it and tied it to the metal part of the long strap. This made a much more durable, and adjustable strap and I love it!

Just to pretty it up a bit, we also covered the PVC with colorful duct tape, since it is water-repellant it should be ok. I think that one of the most important things about carrying the book is finding what works best for you, and none of the things I have done might work for anyone else, but I think to ensure our willingness to always be carrying it, it is important to feel comfortable in it. Chad is also working on a picture for the back cover of the binder. I found with that particular binder, stickers WOULD NOT stick to it and so I glued them on, and they still have mostly fallen off at this point. I also want it to be pretty for Lu to look at and so she feels proud of it, since it is her book, and her voice.

Those couple things have been so helpful to us, and I just wanted to share in case they might be helpful to anyone else!