A Day in the Spica Life

**Warning: This is a LENGTHY post!**

It was a few days prior to cast removal (the last time the cast was on) that I decided to write down a list of things Gavin had done while in the cast. I thought about doing that, but I decided to give you a different format this time.

I thought it would be good to document HOW we do all of the things we do...."A Day in the Life" if you will. The reason for this is that when Gavin had his cast put on the first time, we walked out of the hospital with NO instruction AT ALL on how to live with the cast. Where did we get all of our information?? Trial and error, but also by reading online what other parents had done. I figured this would be my contribution to online information about living with spica casts. SO, if you ever know of anyone who has to deal with a spica cast...you can send them this way.

Between 6:00 and 7:00 am - Gavin wakes up. We usually have a diaper change. After the diaper change, I have him potty in the handheld urinal (the first of MANY uses during the day).

*HINT* The diaper in the cast encourages moisture to travel inside the cast...STINKY! Although I do tuck the diaper into the front of the cast, I put just enough to hold it in place and I do not tuck it into the back. I then use a Pull-Up to hold it all in place.

If the wet diaper caused a wet cast, we do the following...

Gavin lays on his beanbag with the wet part of the cast facing up. We soak up as much pee as we can from the cast with paper towels. Then I squeeze the cast with an antibacterial wipe and then soak up that liquid with paper towels (I don't know if the wipes really help anything, but using them makes me feel better). Then we blow dry (on COOL) until it's dry. Yes, this process can take up to 45 minutes. Luckily we didn't have to do it too often this time.

From wake-up to 8:00 am - Gavin usually watches some TV while I finish waking up and then cook breakfast. I let Gavin eat wherever he's comfortable...sometimes it's the wheelchair, sometimes the beanbag, other times it's the couch.

*HINT* A beanbag chair is a HUGE help, especially at the beginning when they are still sore. It is a great way to get them their much-needed belly time. Remember that it's ultra-important to change positions to prevent pressure sores like the one above...Gavin came home from the hospital with one, we believe it was from having to be splinted for so long.

*HINT* Find old adult T-shirts and cut them up the back. We call them "food bibs" but we use them for anything and EVERYTHING that might mess up the cast.

After breakfast we do bath time (if it's bath day).

*HINT* We put a cushy blanket on the counter, cover that with a towel, roll up a towel for under his neck and then lay him on that with his head over the sink.

We give him his hair-washing and sponge bath like that. Then move him to his wheelchair for the rest of his "grooming" (hair brushing, teeth brushing, applying lotion, etc.) (Have you ever used the Firefly toothbrushes with the timer lights? They are awesome!)

*TRANSPORTATION TIP* A wheelchair is a must. Don't be fooled into thinking a child wheelchair will work. It won't! We use a 16" reclining wheelchair. We take off the footrests and headrest so it is not so huge. Then we discovered that a booster seat (with the back and arms removed) works really well in the wheelchair to angle his legs in just a way that it supports his cast and keeps him tilted so he doesn't slide out as easily. We keep the booster secure with bungee cords.

8:00 to 10:00 am - The kids play while I clean up from breakfast, get myself dressed, and work on my one chore for the day. (See my pictures and list of play ideas at the end of this post).
*PARENT SANITY TIP* I have found that the best way for me to cope with the pace of life that comes along with the cast is to give myself ONE goal for the day. Instead of "cleaning the house" in one day, I clean one room each day and if that is all I accomplish I am OK with that. I found that I needed SOME direction in my day by making a goal for myself but I couldn't expect too much.

10:00 to Noon - If we are able to get out of the house before nap time, this is when it happens.

*TRANSPORTATION TIP* Do NOT let them send you home from the casting without first tracking down a car seat that is specifically designed for a child in a spica cast. I can't BELIEVE how comfortable Gavin is in this car seat. Needless to say, we did not have one the first time around.

One of our favorite things to do once we're settled in the car is go to the paved (and ADA accessible) walking path at the river and have a picnic. My mom works at an office building right on the path, so she normally comes out to say hello while we're there. All of this was made possible by our wagon.

*TRANSPORTATION TIP* If you have another child who isn't sure on their feet at the same time your child is in a spica cast, a wagon is an AWESOME option. This has been the ONLY way that I can leave the house by myself with both kids.

This particular wagon has two seats with seatbelts....


But what makes this one awesome is that you can fold all of the seat flaps down and swing one side up and over so that one side of the wagon is open. (It's supposed to be like a bench).

So what we do is keep Gavin's side like a bench but fold Jaynee's side back into the regular seat. After extending the seatbelt for Gavin and adding some cushioning, we are ready to go! The edge of the wagon and added cushioning supports Gavin's broken leg and his half-casted leg lays flat on the other side of the wagon.

Noon to 2:00 pm - Lunch, then NAP TIME! Gavin sleeps in his double bed, along with a PLETHORA of toys. Some days (like in the picture below) are more play than sleep.

2:00 pm to 6:00 pm - I will be perfectly honest: This is, by far, the HARDEST time of the day for us. If we didn't leave the house in the morning, I will try to take the kids for a drive or something. But this is usually when Gavin gets a good chunk of play time in because this is when I am the most free for book reading, pretend play, etc. However, it's also the time that I will let him watch a movie if he wants.

*PARENT SANITY TIP* Give in to the TV! I normally serve as the TV police at our house and I will admit that it is VERY hard for me to see the amount of TV Gavin watches when he is in the cast. Then I remind myself that it's not forever and, having done it once before, I know that he doesn't come out of the experience a TV addict or anything...kids prefer to be running around and playing, especially when they haven't been able to! :)

6:00 pm to 7:00 pm - After Jared gets home from work, we have dinner.

*PARENT SANITY TIP* Accept help when it's offered! When I was asked if we wanted meals brought in occasionally, I almost said no. Because when you think about it, we are sitting around all day and it wouldn't be hard to get dinner going....right??? WRONG! When you spend all day trying to keep a child in a cast entertained, dinner is usually the LAST thing on your mind. Anyway, I will just say that the dinners people brought in to our house were such a blessing and they always seemed to come on the days I needed them most.

7:00 to Bedtime - Jared plays with the kids while I try to have some "me" time (usually doing the dishes...one of my most therapeutic activities...seriously...sad, I know...). Sometimes this is the ONLY time that I have to go to the store other than on Jared's day off, and we usually all go together so that Gavin can get out of the house, too.

*TRANSPORTATION TIP* Get a disabled parking permit! We told them we wanted one at the hospital during the casting and they downloaded the form right there and filled it out for us before we left.

Bedtime - After scriptures/prayer, a few "night-night" books, brushing teeth, one last try for potty, putting on PJ shirt (*HINT* Always keep a shirt on to lessen the temptation to stick stuff down the cast), and checking the baby monitor, we leave Gavin in his room to go to sleep. Jared puts Jaynee to sleep in the other room while I sit in the living room and listen for Gavin to go to sleep (this serves as my main "me" time).

*PARENT SANITY TIP* Make sure you are doing something for yourself while the cast is on. As one of the doctors said, the spica cast is harder on the caregiver than it is for the child. For me, I have been crocheting during the time that I listen for Gavin at night. I have also been trying to teach myself how to knit by watching YouTube videos (not the best way...Mom, I still need you to show me how to purl!)

If you hadn't guessed, keeping Gavin entertained is really the most difficult part of the spica experience. Here are some things that I've learned by going through this process twice.

Anything that can lay on the floor (play mats, board games, etc.) is a must! Keeping Gavin entertained while he's having belly time is very important.

The hip carry is a great way to change perspective. Gavin asks to be held a LOT! I think he just likes being held completely upright.

Books...books....books! Important in and out of the cast! I found that Gavin was patient for books with more text while in the cast (he couldn't get away to go look for a different book!).


Here was my recent find this time. COOKIE SHEETS and CAKE PANS! I was mad for not thinking of it before. We tape his coloring and painting to the sheet, and the edges keep things in place.

He normally has a lot more cutters and things when he plays with his play dough, which was why I used the cake pan.
Gavin really likes to be a helper, I just had to be more creative while he was in the cast. So this picture was when I found something for him to help with in the kitchen - taking the grapes off the stems. As you can see from the puffed cheeks, most of them didn't make it to the other container!

I also learned that spending a few bucks on a new toy is worth the several hours of entertainment that it provides. The new train set that my parents bought for him was a great example....it kept him entertained nearly nonstop for several days (don't get me wrong, he still plays with it a LOT! That was just an example). On a smaller scale, a cheap-o dollar tree toy was good for about two hours of entertainment. Worth every penny!

Really, any age-appropriate activity is fair game with the right accommodations and supervision.

And finally, if Gavin requested something that sounded weird I usually complied because if he was going to the trouble of asking, it was probably going to entertain him for a little while. My block calendar?? Sure, why not?

Cutting Mom's toenails? Umm....sure...go for it! (This one's for you, Darcey!)

And, yeah, I just think the positions he finds comfortable are hilarious....I HAD to post this one.

So there you be...that's how our life has been for the past four weeks. I hope this might help someone out there and, if not, I at least documented it for myself! :)