6 year old with leg in plaster - how to cope at school?

[geekgrrl]

Hi all,

Dd1 fell off the slide of the climbing frame yesterday (didn't I always tell her not to climb up the slide?!sigh) and broke two bones in her foot.
It's plastered up to the knee and she's on crutches (which she really struggles with, bless her :( ).
I'd like her to go back to school tomorrow - she'll have the cast on until the end of term anyway, not much point keeping her off any longer. I'm just wondering how she'll cope at school - she's supposed to keep her leg elevated when sitting etc?!
Do you have experience of this? How did other your little ones cope?

She'll be fine- dd(4) broke her foot a couple of months ago. Have they said she can walk on the cast when the pain settles? If so, it will be a few days and then she'll be as mobile as she can be in a plaster.

As for elevation- it's "general" advice. If she isn't too swollen, it isn't compulsory. Got to go now, will check back later!

thanks! We've only been to A&E so far and they said that she must not put any weight on it at all, however, we're off to the fractures clinic today so hopefully we'll be told the same as you.
Thankfully she's not in any pain (strange! This is the child who usually cries and demands a plaster for the tiniest scratch).
Which bones did your dd break? Mine has broken 2 metatarsals. Did your dd manage to use crutches?

Your poor dd
I had both legs in plaster up to the knee when I was 5 and still went to school. Mum used to take me in my brother's pushchair and when I was there help get me comfortable in the classroom. As far as I can remember, the teacher would lift me anywhere else I needed to be (they are probably not allowed to do that these days...this is a zillion years ago)
I couldn't walk with the crutches at all - I was only allowed to put weight on one of my legs so they strapped a kind of rubber doorstop to it and I was to walk on that. I have such a clear memory of my Mum standing on the other side of the room with a bar of chocolate to try and get me to walk on the crutches - I just couldn't do it - it takes an awful lot of arm strength and co-ordination, very hard for a 5 or 6 year old (my brother was an absolute whizz on the crutches but then he didn't have both legs in plaster...)

I'd just talk to the school, geekrrl - see what they can come up with and offer to go in and help get her settled in the mornings etc.

I missed your 'g' out, sorry = geekgrrl

Gg - your poor dd.

My dd wasn't allowed in school on crutches - for Health & Safety issues apparently. Although this was secondary. We negotiated in the end that she went in to the library as it was very close to the entrance hall/toilets etc and she could manage to hobble that far. Couln't have done with her at home for 6 weeks!

My dd broke 2 metatarsals as well, and bad mummy didn't take her to casualty for 2 days!

She was never given crutches(thank God!)but once she had her walking plaster on she was fine- could walk perfectly well. We got a cast cover thingy for bathing (fracture clinic will probably have leaflets- if you get a choice I recommend Limbo)sent out overnight, IIRC.
Cast was removed 2 weeks later. If they use a fibreglass cast, they will need to use a SAW to remove it- be warned it is NOISY and a bit scary- I made a point of telling dd how noisy it would be, and that it would TICKLE, and I brought along a bag of Jelly Tots for distraction- it was no problem, in the end!

oh, am much relieved to hear about walking casts! I've had these visions of having lug my 28kg dd about everywhere for 6 weeks.
And thank you very much tissy for pointing me in the direction of waterproof covers (I didn't even know they existed!) - I've found a super-duper one that will still let her go in the splasher pool (apparently you can even surf with it on - why would anyone want to surf with a plaster cast?).