20 month old with fractured leg

Re: 20 month old with fractured leg

• desdemona39

  July 2012

  I think you should be fine. Write down your questions in advance and get a # or email you can contact the doctor at if you have additional questions.

  

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• cmwither

  July 2012

  My nephew had one at about 15 months. He's super active, refuses to sit still for anything, but did great with it. Care wasn't too bad- it was hard to keep him off it at first, but after a few weeks he was able to walk on it. The only major issue was bathing. His mom would just wrap it in a trash bag or give him sponge baths.
  

  

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• nosoup4u member

  July 2012

  My son cried during the X-ray, but I was able to stay in the room to hold him still. He wasn't sad about getting the cast on - but he did cry when they used the saw to cut it off, bc that thing is loud! All in all, it was very doable, write down questions you have, like a OP said, take snacks ans toys if you have a long wait. My son was in a cast for three weeks, and he wasn't walking yet, so it didn't affect his mobility as much. They are little and get used to it quickly! The biggest thing is that they can't bathe, but you could ask about a waterproof cast if that's a problem. Hope she feels better fast!

  DS1 - Feb 2008

  DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)

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• smm5

  July 2012

  I am a pediatric orthopaedic nurse, so let me see if I can help at all.  First off, make sure you are going to a pediatric orthopaedic doctor.  There is a big difference between those and adult doctors.  The staff there will be trained to put a cast on a 20 month old.  Take anything that can work as a distraction for your child.  The more calm and distracted your child is, the easier it is to put on a cast.  Snacks, books, singing, iphones, what ever works.  Remember, the more calm you are, the more calm your child is too  The casting only takes about 10 minutes.  Depending on the fracture and the type of cast, some times you can get a Gortex or waterproof cast that is able to go in baths or the pool.  Toddlers fractures are a fairly common injury in our practice and your child will be just fine and luckily be back to normal in 3-4 weeks with no long term effects!  Good luck!

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• AimeeL85 member

  July 2012

  My DS broke his leg at 14 months, it wasn't fun.

  You should be ok to take her yourself, but it wouldn't hurt to bring someone.  As far as care goes, there really weren't any special instructions for it, other than to keep it dry (sponge baths).

  DS did ok during the casting; it probably took about 15-20 minutes. Our hospital had some kind of team that could come in and entertain your LO during the process; they weren't available when his was done, but maybe your hospital has something similar. They let DS play with all the spare casting supplies while it was being done; they had me hold him in my lap.

  X-rays were not fun since they have to be held down and held still, but luckily over with pretty quickly. I wasn't in the room because we were TTC, so only DH was in there with him (if by any chance you're pregnant, definitely bring someone else with you since you won't want to be in the x-ray room).

  Hopefully she heals up quickly!  Everyone told me "they adapt so fast" and I didn't believe it. I didn't see how DS, who was used to running around all day, could get used to being floor-bound and unable to walk again, but man, they were right.  By his second week in it, he actually learned to walk in it, despite his leg being completely bend and his toes pointing down at the floor. They really do adapt fast!

  Good luck!
  

  DS (7 years old) from FET in 2010
  DD (5 years old) from IUI in 2012
  TTC 3rd and final!: IUI #1 in progress!

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• crissybride

  July 2012

  My daughter (21 months) broke her tibia last week. This has been her first week in a cast. It's true, they do adapt but I also think mine is frustrated. I think nighttime is the worse. I would love to hear if anyone has tips on making them sleep better at night... I thought of giving her a sponge bath using a little lavender oil.

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• ILuvMyPilot

  July 2012

  This is day 3 of the cast, she did great putting it on.  She has the crawling thing down, but she does get frusterated also.  Monday night she slept great, but last night she got up at midnight just crying and took about 30 mins to get her to go back to sleep.  I hope tonight she sleeps well.  I think the lavender is a good idea, we also use a sound machine.

  

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