2 Year Old with Broken Leg

Updated on July 19, 2011
K.B. asks from New Braunfels, TX
11 answers

Ok mama's I need some other ideas on how to keep my little guy entertained for the next four weeks. Poor guy has broke his leg last week and will be in a cast for four weeks. He is normally a VERY active two year old so he is having to adjust but is doing ok. The problem is that he gets board easily as most toddlers do. I have moved some of his toys back to the living room so that he can play in there and I can watch him. We color, read books, play cars and legos, games. I also will put on some of his favorite movies but I can tell that he is getting restless. The other issue is that I am 8 weeks pregnant with our second and have really bad morning sickness that lasts pretty much all day and am also restricted as to how much I can lift. That being said I don't plan on getting out of the house as much since I cant lift him in and out of the car too many times. What are some of your suggestions for other activites that I can do with him or that he can do to help him release the pent up energy.
Thanks ladies.

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So What Happened?

Thanks for all the great ideas. He figured out how to crawl and scoot around a few days after the cast was put on. He will stand and try to dance so I imagine walking on it is not far behind. I like the I Spy idea and we have tons of art supplies so I imagine my fridge will be covered in a few days. He does have a waterproof cast but it is so hot here that it's is difficult to get out. He and our dog Hailey have also figured out a little game of "keep away", he throws her ball, she gets it and he crawls after her trying to get it so at least he is moving around quite a bit with that.
Alao thanks for all the suggestions about the morning sickness. I did not have to deal with this with my son so this is new territory for me. I usually can handle not feeling well but this is the pits.
Thanks again

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G.G.

answers from Austin on

Ugh! Poor you. Well, just remember, this will not last forever! :) What I find that works, even though my kids are a bit older, is to box up some of their toys that they never use and then pull the box out when they are acting restless. There is something about moving toys to a different location that sparks their interest again. I often put toys in a plastic bin and store them. A month later, I pull it out and they are like new toys again (you don't have a month but do this for a week). When toys sit in the same place for a long time, they become less appealing to children. Sounds weird but try it!

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D.P.

answers from Seattle on

i'm so sorry for the both of you - that sucks. Do you have a grade-school girl in the neighborhood that could come play with him for an hour or two a day (you could pay $2-$3 an hour if that works for you and the other child's parent).
-Finger paint with water colors.
-Put white paper on a cookie sheet and get it damp, just enough so the paper is saturated but not swimming. Dip a paintbrush, finger, or q-tip into watercolors and then touch them to the paper (the colors explode like fireworks.) "Bake" your project in the oven at 225 degrees until dry. Then you can hang them in the windows - they turn out a little bit like stained glass.
-Playdoh "factory".
-Get out your older pots and pans and make a drum set on the kitchen floor. For your own sanity give him a pair of wooden chopsticks rather than your cooking utensils for playing them - MUCH quieter than a spatula!
-Get a big bag of birdseed and pour it into a large, flat tupperware with a lid. Add measuring cups, a funnel, plastic/wooden animals, whatever - put it out in the grass and let him use it as a sensory tray. I recommend birdseed w/o sunflower seeds unless the spout on the funnel is very large! Pop the lid on what he's done and birds will do any needed clean-up for you.
-Shaving cream in the (dry?) bathtub, if you can find some that is unscented or with a scent that doesn't make you more nauseated than you already are. Citrus-scented shave-foam worked OK for me. Let him finger-paint the tub and then hose it (and him) down.
-Try playing classical music (or some other relatively mellow music) at low volume for background noise. I've found that my 3-year-old plays better and longer if there's low music on in the background.

Good luck! I'll be thinking of both of you.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Can he crawl???
Can you scoot him around in an umbrella stroller in the house?
I did when my daughter had a cast when she was a Toddler.

Can he use some kind of crutches?

Or, get someone to come over and help you.
Really.
You need it.

For morning sickness... I had BAD morning sickness AND migraines with both my kids. The ONLY thing that helped, and was per my OB/GYN's suggestion, was Acupuncture.
Just 1 half hour session, was all it took.
Then it was GONE.
It is very relaxing and does not hurt.

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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

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3 moms found this helpful
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S.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

you have been given some awesome suggestions already, I would put him in a stroller and walk around a park or mall. Try to get your nausea under control, I'm a true believer in the home remedies, they worked wonders for me. Ginger, Ginger, Ginger; cookies, ginger-beer (not gingerale), a shaving from the root. Also I would take a couple of spoonfuls of vinegar (my OB/GYN knew this and was OK) don't take your vitamins on an empty stomach and don't drink while you're eating. Don't lie down too soon after eating. Eat saltines when you wake up and before you get up. I can go on and on, but good luck with keeping your son entertained.

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

if you have a yard can he sit in the sand box? play dough is a sitting activity. there are those little jars or bags of eye spy. (usually rice and little toys mixed in and he has to find the different things inside the sealed container) good luck.

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T.J.

answers from Seattle on

He should be able to walk normally in his cast within a few days. My daughter did this last year too! :(

Definitely art, games, books, tv, and movies. We also played educational games on my iPhone and on her big sister's leapster, and tger are some good online preschool games, like on nickjr.com, sproutonline.com, and some others. Strollers are a good idea during this time, my daughter also used a doll sized umbrella stroller, a skateboard, and a three wheeled scooter and her good leg to get around when she was in a splint and the few first days in a cast.

But within two days my daughter was running, walking, and dancing in her cast! If the doctor says it's okay encourage him to move around! And orange juice and acupuncture helped my morning sickness.

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E.W.

answers from Houston on

My 6 yr old is currently in a cast as well!! Ugh,right? He is able to walk on his cast. The orth's office also gave him a "boot" to wear specifically for that purpose - we were told to USE the leg- your situation may be different. Also, we requested a waterproof cast and all of our friends who have seen him have all commented on how the cast has not slowed him down one bit. Good luck to you and your little guy!!

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E.B.

answers from Houston on

Poor him, poor you. I had a ten year in a leg cast a few years ago during the summer-we were both miserable.
Puzzles. Maybe an easy model to put together?
We cooked but that might be hard with your morning sickness.
Have a friend over? Maybe an older cousin? Let them entertain him for a bit.
Go to the first movie of the day-usually lots of little kids at that one.
He will get himself mobile pretty quickly, I imagine. He'll either learn to crawl or hop to get around and he'll be able to help you get himself in the car, I bet.
Good luck and all my sympathies!!

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J.D.

answers from San Angelo on

The good thing is they bounce back sooo fast. My son was 2 when he was in a cast also, and it took him three days to learn to walk with it, and of course you have to watch him going outside and things (unless you have a boot to put it in) because of the cast harding on his feet.
I had lots of new crayon stuff for him to do along with different craft ideas for his age and a little older. When he starts walking around, if he doesn't let the cast bother him, he will be back to his old self, and you will have to remind him that he has to slow down some. There was a point where I had to make my son sit down, because I was afraid that he was going to injure himself even more. From running and jumping and kicking the soccer ball. Kids are crazy, and so resilient that it really didn't keep him down.

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K.K.

answers from Austin on

playdates, playdates, playdates. you need a mom friend who's willing to cover for you when you need to chill (read: "barf"), who's willing to do a little extra mama duty when you're crappy, and whose kid will run your kid ragged (even in a cast, he can burn energy and will do so quite well if someone is interacting nicely with him). your best bet is someone really helpful who has like a 4 year old who is good with little kids. another 2 year old isn't really that helpful b/c they won't necessarily play that well together (unless you have someone in mind with a kid who's great with yours). but a slightly older kid, old enough to have Big Kid status (so your kid can give the appropriate level of adoration...) but who's just kinda a "good kid" (gentle, inclusive, good with others) who has a mom who's willing to help out a bit..... priceless.
seriously, reach out to the neighborhood, mom's groups, whatever you can find, and get yourself another mama in the boat with you. you can do playdates at least twice a week. make sure you provide snacks, meals, whatever to make it slightly worth her while. and then pay it forward the first chance you get. this is how we make it. :)

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