Dealing With An Infant or Toddler
In a Spica Cast Due To Hip Dysplasia
When dealing with a child in a spica cast, you kind of get into your own groove of things. There are a few things that we unfortunately learned the hard way, and would like to share them with you to save you the extra stress! Feel free to contact me with any questions at hipspicamom@gmail.com, or even just to vent.most of all, keep remembering...THIS WILL PASS!!
Eating
The keekaroo high chair is great for a child any age in the cast. the seat is adjustable.With a baby who can't hold her own head up, make a cushion for the back out of foam and material and Velcro it on.
Another great item is a wagon for the child to chill out in- just add a few pillows for comfort.
Sleeping
The best blanket to make sure they are cozy is the wearable blanket sleeper.It comes in light & heavy. Be sure to buy the biggest size avail. to fit the cast. (ex: my daughter was size 12 MOS. her clothing with the cast was 3T)
Roll a bath towel under her legs, side... to make her comfortable. After a few nights, you'll be a pro at it!
If child wakes up at night, take that opportunity to change her. It will make her much more comfortable
Hygiene
This is the most stressful part of dealing with the cast, but once under control, is very manageable
Ask your doctor if it is possible to cut a square in the cast by the mid back area. This will make it much easier to reach and clean the cast.
Change your child every two hours even if you are not sure she urinated. This will help her feel fresh and prevent the cast to have odors
To change: Using baby bath and warm water, give your child a quick sponge bath in the diaper area.
Pat dry with a wash cloth.
Using an electric mattress pump, attach the long nozzle on it(make sure to duct tape it on so it does not fly off) and put it through the cast to dry it.
Using a hair blower on COOL, make sure there is no moister left.
Take 3 small cotton washcloths rolled up and place in cast to prevent leakage. One at the top of the backside, and one on each side by the inner thigh area.
Use two long incontinent surgical pads to line the private area
Tuck a small diaper on top of that in to the cast. make sure to cut the flaps off first.
put a size 7 diaper (or pull up if you need a bigger size) over the cast.
Clothing
Depending on the time of year, the clothing will vary as the cast keeps them very warm.
In the summer time, it's just the cast.I ordered from amazon big kid size onesies to put over the cast.This ensures nothing falling into the cast during meal & playtime.
Below are some links
WOW great info here, thanks a million! I will be defiantly be on the look out for more tips. Blogger is a great help. Thanks for answering my email!
ReplyDeleteglad I was able to help!
Deletegreat info! thanks
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ReplyDeleteThank you for the valuable information!
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