children and broken bones: how to make a bad situation a little better

Last Updated on March 9, 2023

At the time it felt so monumental. It’s funny, just four months later, I’m straining to remember the details. It’s only when I catch sight of him doing that wonky hobble when he runs sometimes that I remember how recently it was his skinny, little leg was encased in a heavy, completely straight, hip-to-foot cast.

The weight of carrying him around, with his leg pointing out like a Dalek’s exterminator. The challenge of pushing his wheelchair over Prague’s crooked cobblestones. The puzzle of how to get him to eat anything containing a whiff of the required vitamins or minerals to help his broken tibia heal. Happily, all these difficulties have already been replaced by new parenting concerns. Well, except for his avoidance of vegetables – that one seems to run and run.

But, before I let those eight weeks in Autumn 2017 become a hazy reminiscence – a story I tell sometimes – I wanted to recall the reality of it and write something useful. Because in those first few days after my son’s fall –  when we were trying to make him comfortable and work out what this would mean for school, work, holidays and bathroom trips – I could have done with reading the advice of someone a few months further down the line.

So, here’s what I learned about caring for a 6-year-old with a broken leg.

I’m sure it goes without saying that this is based on our untrained, personal experience, and your doctor should always be your first port of call for medical advice. These are just some observations and practical tips and ideas for making life a little easier and enjoyable when your child has an unexpected, but thankfully temporary, disability.

And if you are reading this because your little one has just broken a bone – hopefully in a couple of months’ time, it will already be a hazy memory for you too.

By the way, this post includes lots of links. I hope they are helpful and provide useful examples. Some of them are affiliate links. If you choose to use these, you support the running of my blog (thank you!) at no extra cost to yourself.

The first five days of caring for a child with a broken bone

By far the worst bit was the beginning.

The combination of the pain my little lad was feeling, the sleeplessness (because of the pain), the dawning realisation of what this would mean for our lives over the next months and trying to get our heads around all the practical ramifications, well, it all felt overwhelming and traumatic. Thank goodness this stage didn’t last too long. By the fifth day, the pain had almost gone, and we were beginning to adjust to the new reality.

These were the things that helped my little lad the most during that first difficult week:

• Pain relief – which for us meant following our doctor’s advice and rotating doses of paracetamol and ibuprofen
• Elevating his leg using pillows, with support under his knee
• Using gel ice packs on top of the cast, in constant rotation during the day (being careful that the cast didn’t get damp)
• Distracting him with lots of TV and audiobooks, and a couple of new books and Lego sets
• As he was very immobile during this time, we did some simple, non-strenuous stretching exercises a couple of times a day to his favourite music to make sure he didn’t get too achy and stiff. Check this with a doctor or physio – but we practiced gentle neck and wrist rotations, shoulder rolls and arm stretches.
• Propping him up at night with lots of pillows – as this seems to be more comfortable for him than lying flat on his back.
• A ton of sympathy. Reassuring him that the pain would soon be gone, and he would be able to walk again.

Practical equipment for children with a broken leg

During that first week, we also started getting together some things to make life a little easier:

• We knew that because of his age and the nature of his cast, crutches weren’t going to be an option for him. Instead, we contacted a wheelchair rental company and hired the smallest chair they had (we never found anyone in Prague with children’s wheelchairs) with a full-leg extender.
• A TV tray – which was great for meal times, jigsaws, Lego and schoolwork while sat in bed or on the sofa. After a couple of weeks, he could sit at the dining table again with his leg supported on a chair.
• Urination bottle. Being moved about was initially painful for him and heavy going for me. So, to limit the number of times he had to be carried to the bathroom, this became invaluable.
• A flannel for washing and some dry shampoo. I believe it is possible to have a waterproof cast – but we didn’t have this choice, so baths and showers were out for a while. After some advice from my Occupational Therapist friend – Linsey at Sensory Tots – we washed his hair by lying him straight along the bed, with his head off the end, using a bucket and cup underneath. We also had lots of towels to hand. This was hard work for everyone though, and once a week we also used a little dry shampoo too.
• Linsey also advised us to get a step to support his leg when he was using the toilet. We also installed a small step and a cushion in the back of the car, making it more comfortable for him when travelling.
• A bell. By the end of the second week, I had a great deal of sympathy for harassed maids who were constantly being summoned by their masters by an annoying jingle-jingle. But before my son was mobile, it allowed him to get our attention without screaming. So, a win of sorts.
• It was autumn when the accident happened. Initially, we could get away with him wearing baggy sports shorts that were easy to slip on and off over his cast. Once the temperatures dropped, we bought two pairs of cheap jogging bottoms. We then cut off one of the legs at the hip and sewed a simple hem to stop it from fraying.

Children’s books about broken bones

I always find children’s books such a huge help when going through something new. There wasn’t a great amount of choice. But these are what we found:

Sammy’s Broken Leg (Oh, No!) and the Amazing Cast That Fixed It – by Judith Wolf Mandell

We bought the Kindle edition of this (to save time waiting for delivery) – and my son wanted to read it over and over again. It was particularly helpful for going through all the different stages of recovery – and preparing him for the fact he wouldn’t be able to walk immediately after his cast was taken off. A medically accurate, sweet and reassuring read.

Buy it on Amazon / Buy it at The Book Depository

Charlie is Broken! By Lauren Child

Charlie deals with breaking his arm. As my son used to love the Charlie and Lola TV series, watching a familiar character going through a similar ordeal was helpful. And, of course, Lauren Child’s illustrations are always a cheerful delight.

Buy it at The Book Depository

Peppa Goes to Hospital: My First Storybook

We bought this for our toddler daughter, so she could understand what was happening to her brother. As you would expect with a Peppa Pig book, it is short and simple. Pedro the Pony shows us that hospitals aren’t to be feared and your broken bone will heal.

Buy it on Amazon / Buy it at The Book Depository

The next two weeks

This time was all about trying to gain a little confidence. Slowly my son became more mobile. This was partly due to the pain subsiding and partly because he felt less worried about moving with his cast.

We went on a few simple trips out using the wheelchair – to the hospital for repeat X-rays to see how everything was healing, to a shopping mall to pick out a new Lego set and for a walk in the local park. We were careful to choose places we knew were wheelchair friendly and where we were never too far from a toilet.

Now that the fear of pain was subsiding, he started to come down on the floor and play. Although, this came with the added difficulty of his toddler sister jumping on him …

As he couldn’t return to school yet – we also asked for reading books and some work to be sent home.

Trips and activities for children with broken bones

Once the initial pain and shock subsided – we started to find our rhythm as a family again. And life began to carry on in its own chaotic way. Especially once my son perfected being able to slide along the floor on his bottom. By the end, he could fly along at quite a lick. Of course, there was still a fair amount of TV watching going on – but these were some of the other ways we kept ourselves busy:

At home

1. Paper plane building and flying competitions
2. Races to match socks and throw them, from a distance, into the laundry basket
3. Games of hide and seek (as he slid around on the floor)
4. Lots of reading! Sticker and activity books were useful too. I have written about some of our favourite books here.
5. Junk Modelling. For some inspiration have a look at this post by Activity Village. Although, I must admit my son preferred the stick everything to anything, freestyle approach!
6. I had bought a cute weaving set from Pikle.cz a little while ago, and so we got this out and my son made the most beautiful weaving (with a little help from Granny). If you want something simpler, this post on paper weaving by First Palette may be useful.
7. Art and crafts and activity magazines. Obviously, newsagents have a good choice, although if you want something a little different and creative, Anorak and Dot magazines are well worth a look.
8. Educational Apps. There are lots available, and of course, it all depends on age and ability. Common Sense Media is a good website for ideas and reviews.
9. Lego building. And, if you want to throw in a little spelling practice, this is a fun little activity by Creative Family Fun.
10. Board games
11. Jigsaws
12. Audiobooks. Modern Mrs Darcy provides a good list of ideas.
13. Dominos – both for playing and building domino runs and towers
14. Play dates and family visits
15. Playing keepy-uppy with a balloon
16. His little sister’s train set
17. I was a little nervous about getting paints out – because he wasn’t allowed to get his cast dirty or take a bath afterward. But we did enjoy making some beautiful spin art inspired by Meri Cherry and making a galaxy in a jar. Happily, very little mess involved.
18. Playing catch with a soft ball
19. Building his marble run
20. Plasticine modelling

Outside

We tried to make sure that everywhere we went was accessible for wheelchairs and had a toilet. We largely drove to places, as much of Prague’s public transport isn’t great for wheelchairs (our local metro station has no lift). Due to parking restrictions in the centre, we mainly headed out of town to quieter neighbourhoods.

1. Parks, with flat, even paths. This was made more interesting by doing a nature collection for my son to examine. Giving him a big stick (of course). Bringing some bubbles for him to blow. Playing eye-spy. As well as making a café stop for juice and cake.
2. Art galleries. My little boy especially enjoyed contemporary galleries with striking large-scale artworks and video installations.
3. Interactive museums. We chose places where there would be lots to look at and buttons to press. We were lucky enough to find a couple with weekend craft activities too.
4. The zoo.
5. Restaurants and cafes with play corners we knew wouldn’t be too busy.
6. The theatre and cinema can be a treat and provide a new world to get lost in for a while
7. Shopping malls and the supermarket. Well, sometimes, just getting out of the house was a treat.

Diet

The hospital stressed to us that my son didn’t need to follow a special diet. Just a balanced diet. And therein lay the problem. There was nothing particularly balanced about my son’s refusal to eat most fruits and pretty much all vegetables.

Many articles I read (here’s an example by the Andrews Institute), stressed the importance of calcium-rich leafy greens for bone health. So, I found a few ways to sneak them into his food:

1. Smoothies – this had always been a good tactic, and so I made it part of breakfast. Usually using a handful of spinach whizzed up with some fruit juice. Then blending in a banana, some yoghurt and any other fruit we hand to hand. I would sometimes even sneak in an avocado.
2. I tried these spinach pancakes from a recipe on Yummy Toddler Food
3. We gave spinach muffins from Super Healthy Kids a go

I’d also read about how good pumpkin seeds are for bone health, so I occasionally incorporated these into snack time. Delish.com has a fair few ideas for roasted pumpkin seeds.

The last two weeks of caring for a child with a broken leg

I can’t say we were ecstatic when, six weeks in, the doctors told us the cast would need to stay on for another two weeks. But, by then, another two weeks felt manageable.

By this time, my little boy was also able to go to school for most of the day. His dad worked in the school common room and help him get to and from the toilet during break time. But he was happier back in class and even dressed up as a spider crab (yep, slightly odd choice) for the Halloween disco.

Once the cast was off

Of course, my son didn’t walk right away. In fact, it took him two weeks after the cast came off to walk entirely independently and close to three weeks until he could walk for any distance. But very quickly he was charging around again, climbing and jumping.

During the initial adjustment period, he used crutches. Having a physio show him how to use these properly was really helpful. He attended six physio sessions in total during this time.

Oh, as a slight aside, my son’s cool sweatshirt was given to us by Sas and Yosh to feature on my Instagram account. We love it so much, I just wanted to give them a shout out here too. 

Advice to friends and relatives

Those first few weeks were particularly draining, so we were so grateful to the people who rallied during that time. Here are just a few ideas of ways to help:

• Send a card, letter or email.
• Send a gift – magazines, books and age-appropriate toys and games are all great.
• Ask if and when it would be convenient to visit – my son loved having a change of company.
• Bring around a meal.
• Bring around some new library books.
• Offer to babysit any siblings.
• Offer to sit with the child with the broken leg while the parent runs errands.
• See if they need help with the school run for any siblings.
• After a few days, extend an invitation for lunch or dinner – although be sure to let them know you won’t be offended if they can’t make it.

The positive stuff of caring for a child with a broken bone

So, I can’t honestly say it was the easiest of times. That said, I do think the fact we all had to rely on each other so much brought us closer together as a family. Both my children also adored having Granny come to stay.

Oh, and my son definitely ate more green vegetables – even if he has already got wise to me blending spinach into everything. It was good while it lasted.

If you have ever cared for a child with a broken limb and have some good ideas or advice to share, please do leave a comment.

I hope you never need it, but just in case, you might want to pin it for later.

Linked with other family bloggers at: