Experience with leg cast?? Suggestions??

Re: Experience with leg cast?? Suggestions??

• twohniyt

  September 2012

  No experience with a walking toddler in a leg cast, but my daughter had surgery when she was 4 months old and had a leg cast on.  I know she was much younger, but she did adjust well.  Changing her diapers were really hard and I would only imagine it would be that much worse with a wiggling toddler.  I got poop on her cast the first diaper change I did.  Kendall's cast kept getting hard edges and would cut her other leg.  I tried to keep her other leg covered to protect it when I could.  I also kept a nail file around to file the rough places down.  Good luck with your little one!  Hope his surgery goes well!

  

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• AimeeL85 member

  September 2012

  That is so rough, I'm sorry!!  My DS broke his leg when he was 14 months old.  He only had to be in the cast for 3 weeks, so we were lucky, but I will say it was truly harder on us than it was on him.  I didn't believe anyone who told me he would adapt to it - but he really did, and rather quickly.

  The first few days he was very frustrated that he couldn't get off the floor (he had been walking for about 6 weeks so his favorite thing to do was run around).  It took a lot of patience and time on our part to forget about everything else for most of the time and just sit and play with him.  If we were playing with him, he was ok. 

  DS was able to crawl with his cast right away, although a little awkwardly.  Did they say whether he would be allowed to do that or do you need to keep him mostly immobile?  As you can see in the picture I'm posting, DS' leg was bent in his cast and his foot was pointed toward the floor....yet after 1.5 weeks, he learned to walk in it! We were all completely amazed.  However, with your DS' situation, I'm not sure if they are telling you it's not allowed or just that he won't be able to. We never imagined our DS would be able to, given the position of his leg.

  We did sponge baths only during that time.  I went to the drugstore and bought an adult arm cast cover. We saw him on the sink on a towel, put the cover over his leg, and sponge bathed him and then did his hair in the sink.  I wouldn't bother washing him more than twice a week during this time.

  I wish there was more advice I could give other than to say that even if he can't do what he would normally do or wants to do in the cast, you will be surprised at the ways he does adapt.  By the 3rd day, my DS went about his business as if he had always had it on.

  I hope the surgery goes well and the 3 months flies by!

   

  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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• MrsSewall member

  September 2012

  Not with my son but with my half brother I do.  He was about 18 months when he fell down a hill and broke his leg.  He had a full leg cast and we were concerned about his frustration but he did great.  I think he was in it for 2 months.  He learned to walk around on it.  It was near Christmas so he became our own Tiny Tim.  1 great thing was we could always hear where he was in the house!  They are so young, they adapt quicker than us!  Good luck!
  

  

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