Hellobee

Let me be honest here. This is one post I wish I never had to write. But, now that we are coming to the end of this adventure, I’d like to share some tips and encouragement in case there are other parents going through something similar.

Approximately 6 weeks ago, our younger daughter, who weighs about 30 pounds, was jumping on a backyard trampoline with some older children. The trampoline has a net, and she has jumped on it before, but this time, she somehow ended up landing on her leg just as the force of the trampoline from the jumping of the older children was going upwards. Apparently, this is a common injury, called a “trampoline fracture,” and frequently occurs in children two to five year olds.

Unfortunately, we did not even realize that our poor girl had broken her leg until the next day. Count this as one of the worst parenting moments of my life when I realized what had happened. She actually fell asleep the night of the injury with just Motrin, and it was not until she told us in the morning that her leg hurt and that she couldn’t put any weight on it that we realized something was seriously wrong.

To make a long story short, she ended up getting x-rays and was diagnosed with a transverse tibia fracture, requiring a long leg cast from the top of her thigh all the way down to her toes.

Here is our little trooper on the day she got the cast:

Notice she doesn’t look too upset at all. Which brings me to my first tip…

1. Try to stay positive

Yes, she broke her leg just at the start of summer. Yes, she missed a birthday party and her first dance recital, which was scheduled for that very day. But, as with so many other things I’ve realized, it could have been much worse, and Lila was looking at me to see how I would react to see how she should react. That part was hard. Especially when the doctor told me this was the second largest bone in the body and was a major injury. Believe me, I was fighting back tears. But the good news was that the fracture was not displaced, meaning it would heal well and not require surgery. Thank the Lord.

2. Adjust your plans and activities

Lila’s plans for summer were gymnastics, ballet, swimming, and summer camp. I was on the phone pretty much all the time that first week canceling classes and rearranging plans. Obviously we had to scratch the gymnastics and ballet, and also the swimming (although since our ordeal I’ve learned that you can ask for a waterproof cast which I did not realize at the time). Fortunately, her summer camp still encouraged Lila to participate, and they were really a godsend at being flexible and willing to accommodate her even with the cast.

Which brings me to the next point:

3. Try to get outdoors as much as possible

You can only contain a three year old for so long. Despite all the books, games, stickers, TV, gifts, and visitors, after a few days, Lila was pretty restless. We got a lot of use out of our BOB jogging stroller these past few weeks. After the initial shock wore off, I realized Lila’s broken leg didn’t mean that she had to have a terrible summer. Here she is doing her best to enjoy the beach, the aquarium, and the farm.

Also riding a tricycle, although I’m pretty sure this is not a recommended activity! Come to think of it, the beach with all the sand was probably not the best idea, but she did have fun and forgot about having her cast for awhile.

4. Find a way for your child to move around independently

The doctor told us that she would start scooting around on her own as soon as she felt comfortable and that we should encourage it. Although it honestly was a little disheartening to see our once active three year old scooting around on the floor, I realized it made things a lot easier when she could move around by herself. It was less frustrating for her and for us who had to lift and carry her around those first few days! It made me remember how hard it is to tote your baby everywhere before they know how to walk. And this time, I had a 30 plus pound baby with a big heavy cast to add to the fun!

The doctor told us they do not give crutches for three year olds, because it’s just too difficult for them to use. However, our babysitter reminded me that some little kids have successfully used walkers to get around. So after a few questions to the doctor’s office and calling around to our insurance and medical supply stores, we were able to locate this pediatric walker. She was pretty happy with it and was moving around pretty easily after a few days.

5. Make things easier for yourself and your child

When another mom who had a son with a foot injury told me you could get a temporary handicap tag for your car, I was uncertain at first whether we would really need it. But in the past few weeks I’ve realized it really does make things easier, especially when you have errands to run or summer camp drop off and you are carrying your child and a walker, or pushing a stroller and carrying the walker.

That said, I tried to stay away from doing most errands until the babysitter or my husband could stay home with Lila. Early on I tried a trip to Target with HJ, Lila, and the cast, and it just wasn’t worth it. Seriously, the cast felt like another person you had to account for!

6. Make sleeping adjustments

Although Lila eventually learned to just roll around in her sleep with the cast, she had a hard time sleeping at first. We had to move her to our king size bed temporarily so she could be more comfortable. The twin bed was just too narrow for her to sleep comfortably. We decided to risk the possible sleep regression so that she could actually get a good night’s rest and not be too crabby the next day. The good news is now that the cast has come off, she is back in her own bed!

6. Keep cool and avoid the heat

One of things that I worried about the most was the itchiness that I had heard about having a cast. I imagined Lila wanting us to stick a coat hanger down her cast, which of course the doctor said was not the right thing to do. He said the itchiness is mostly caused by sweat and heat, so we tried our best to keep her cool whenever possible. The doctor suggested using a hairdryer on the cool setting to blow air into her cast. When that wasn’t cool enough, my husband thought to take a bicycle air pump and pump some cool air into her cast. Surprisingly, that seemed to help!

7. Tips for bathing

Whatever you do, do NOT get the cast wet. I had heard horror stories about people having to get a new cast because they got water on it and that was the last thing I wanted. For bathing, we had to resort to mostly sponge baths, with a combination of using the baby bath tub. She barely fit in there, but it helped us to shampoo her hair without getting her leg wet. Also, Glad Press and Seal worked really well to keep the moisture out, as well as wrapping a garbage bag around the cast. They do sell waterproof cast covers at Walgreens and other places, but I was not able to find one that was the right size for Lila’s leg. Everything was either too small when it was child-size because her cast covered her entire leg, or too big when it was for an adult. We made do ok with these other methods, but again, I would ask about a waterproof cast if possible!

8. Carry Sharpies with you at all times

This one is kind of minor, but everyone everywhere wanted to sign Lila’s cast, and I never had the right markers with me! Regular pens and markers didn’t work, so eventually we just started bringing a bunch of colorful sharpies in a little bag and putting it in Lila’s stroller. She really did enjoy having people draw on her cast and sign their names and write little words of encouragement. When she finally got her cast off at four weeks, the doctor even asked if we wanted to keep it. Um, no thank you. I was ready to throw that thing out the window by the time we were done with it!

9. Enjoy every moment after the cast comes off

Lila just got her walking boot off this past Monday. So a total four weeks with a long leg cast, two weeks with a walking boot on except when sleeping or bathing, and now she is walking free again, albeit with a limp… Now we are just waiting for the final approval from the doctor that she can swim and do gymnastics again. It’s been a long journey but in the end, not as bad as I had envisioned.

Has your child ever broken a bone and had to get a cast? Would love to hear your stories!