Has anyone had an older baby/toddler with a broken limb?

[brokenmummy]

Hi mumsnet!

My DS is 11mo and has a broken leg. It is in a full leg cast up to his nappy. And he is a grumpy, miserable little boy!

He can't sleep, I think more because he can't get comfortable rather than pain, and also he has got very used to being in my arms the last week or so. He has gone from self settling angel to cuddled and fed to sleep little monkey. Not that his night time sleep was ever any good, but now it is hideous.

Anyway, I just wondered if anyone had any tips for dealing with a baby in a cast! He is chronically overtired - awake most of the night crying and very naps - and he has started having tantrums! He's throwing food, not really interested in eating (although that might be teething), whining all day long, pushing me away, and just generally being a grumpy so and so. I don't blame him, it must be horrible carrying around such a heavy cast, but we are utterly sleep deprived and I am struggling to be a nice mummy at the moment!

I have bought a limbo but I'm not sure if the seal is tight enough, we managed a 2 minute bath but I panicked and took him out as I'm terrified of it getting wet!

Any suggestions of how to make him more comfortable/sleep better!?

Oh poor you.

If it makes you feel any better, my DS had a spiral fracture of his thigh-bone when he was 18 months and had both legs in plaster, from his ankle to his chest, with a metal bar keeping his legs the required distance apart and a hole in the middle for nappy changing! It was also summer time so we had the problem with heat & discomfort too. He's now a teenager and has suffered no long-term effects and is very sporty.

Hopefully, he'll only be in the cast for a few weeks? I think DS was in his for six weeks. So just do whatever you need to do to get you/him through this period - it won't be forever. I used to prop DS up with one of those V-shaped cushions behind his back (the type people use for breastfeeding) with an array of soft toys around him and let him watch Thomas the Tank Engine videos for hours on end, because it made him happy. I also used it at night to wedge him into a comfortable position. I let him eat whatever he fancied (healthy eating went out of the window for a bit) and I bought him lots of new books & colouring books because he was so immobile. Keep the painkillers topped up, certainly for the first couple of weeks and maybe get a fan for his bedroom so that he's not too hot.

I also took him out on trips to new places, so we weren't cooped up all the time. It wasn't easy wedging him into a specially wide pushchair (and I used to get looks of horror from other people wherever we went) but it definitely helped being out in the sunshine.

We didn't do baths at all during the six weeks and coped with flannel washes on the bits of his body that were accessible.

Be prepared that when his cast comes off, his leg muscles will likely have wasted away. It can look dreadful, but of course is only a short-term thing until the muscles are used again.

Final suggestion: glass of wine and a box of chocolates in the evening (for you!)

In this sticky weather it might be nice to get him a fan, (dyson is safest if you can afford one)

did they offer a waterproof cast? our local hospital do now,

It's really horrible being in plaster, it does make you grumpy, ask your doctor/consultant about keeping up pain relief,

lots of little distractions and let him be clingy, he will be so pleased when it all over he will be jumping at independence.

Thanks you both. zxcv123 that sounds awful! your poor DS. I can't imagine how hard that would be!

The limbo thing seems to be working, we have had a couple of baths now. I have been alternating ibuprofen and calpol regularly, asked the consultant for something stronger and he said no.

I am letting him be clingy and try to enjoy it, but sometimes the incessant whining really gets to me. Getting him to eat is tricky too, as he finds the highchair uncomfortable but otherwise I can't get him to stay still long enough to eat!

If you can't get him in the highchair to eat, then let him graze for the next few weeks. Carrot sticks, raisins, sticks of cheese, yoghurt in tubes he can eat on the hoof? It really won't matter long-term. Anything really which helps you both through it.

If you think he might be teething as well, have you got any teething granules? Also I recommend Bach's Rescue Remedy (homeopathic) as a way of calming children who have had a shock or are under stress.

And keep saying to yourself "This too will pass..."!

Poor you and dc. Sorry I have nothing to offer but a hug.