broken bones in summer?

[funziemommy]

Hello ladies. I'm new here, and this is my first post. I've been reading this site for quite a while, and I thought I should finally join!!!! Well, My name is Jamie, and I have 3 girls. Gabrielle is 6, Sariah is 4 and Savannah is 16months.

So here's the part I need help on.
Long story short, Gabrielle has 3 fractures in her leg. We found this out a few days ago and its been very tough on us. As of right now she is in a full leg and hip cast. The hip part is just for stability of the leg and is scheduled to come off as soon as she is in a stable recovering process. Well, being 6 years old and stuck home all day is no fun!! I can sense her getting bored and antsy. I was wondering if any of you ladies had any ideas on how to keep her occupied?? We have a wheelchair so we can go places. And when the hip piece is removed, she will learn to move around on crutches and later a walker. We have a follow up appointment tomorrow to learn how long recovery will take!
Well, I look forward to hearing your ideas!!!
Thanks so much

[KayLady]

That's really rough. How about a computer or science camp? Our community college has one that the kids that age love. If that's not feasible, you could get her into learning how to knit or sew. Those keep you occupied for a while and knitting is fairly inexpensive.

[Kerisweetpea]

does she like to color? i know i used to color ALL the time! (and still do) and they have those kits at wal-mart that she can learn how to cross stitch. i find that fun and make the time go by very fast!

[H.Starr]

Any sort of arts and crafts is always fun.
You could go to the zoo, since she has a wheelchair.
There is this wild animal safari near us too, where you drive through and the giraffes and buffalos and zebras etc come right up to your car and eat out of your hand. Its a really fun thing, and she'd be in the car. I know they have them in other areas, maybe one near you?

[nkrumpfer]

That is really tough. When I was 12 I broke my arm really bad and was stuck in a cast for 3 months and then I was stuck in a sling for another 3 after that. Not as bad as the leg though but my mom signed me up for all the things I would normally do. I still did cheerleading so that gave me things to do during the week and on saturdays and we went to alot of places like the zoo, aquarium, museums, etc.

You'll be surprised how quickly she learns to get about and acts like a normal kid again. She might get some jealousy issues watching her sisters do things like swim so make sure you give her a day here and there to do what she really wants to do. If you plan it in advanced you can probably get a full week of excitement out of her

[funziemommy]

Thanks so much! She is actually doing so much better than expected!! We are expecting to have a cast change tomorrow and the new cast will go from right above her toes to right below her hip. (as opposed to around her hip and up the sternum for support) We have been doing outdoor activities as much as possible, but she gets very tired. I have a wagon so we put her in that and we go on walks. We also figured out how to get her onto those 2 person swings. She's pretty excited to walk with crutches tomorrow. At least she has some independence that way!!! The only thing I'm worried about is her endurance being up and moving that long, so we will keep the wheelchair or a stroller near by at all times.

ok sorry for going on about this!! BUT we do have bad news x ray set #2 has been evaluated and she is expected to be in this next type of cast about 12 weeks, after that a boot, then a brace. poor baby. She is starting physical therapy soon though! Man i feel so bad! the whole summer ruined for her!!

[Kerisweetpea]

im glad she will be out of the big cast and into the smaller one but that really sucks that she will have to be in the next one for 12weeks! hopefully it will go fast for her!