• Home
  • Work with me / About me
  • Disclosure
  • Terms/Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Website Terms & Conditions
  • Contact

Northern Mum

Crossfitting, pancreas acting, single mum to three

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • mail

DDH: What you will need when your child goes into a spica cast

BB has been cast free now for almost four months and I still remember the terrifying feeling when she was diagnosed with DDH and the overwhelming worry about how we would cope and what we would need to cope.

For anyone who is facing a future with a child with DDH here is an idea of what you will need.

  • First and foremost a rear facing car seat, once in a spica cast your child won’t be able to fit in a ‘normal’ seat as the cast will make their body too wide.  The rear facing seats are often flat and are actually up to five times safer for your child.

 

  •  A wide cot or toddler bed.  Owing to the weight of the cast trying to bend to life your child from their cot can prove backbreaking for you and you are no use to a spica child with a bad back.  We moved BB to a bed safe in the knowledge that she wouldn’t fall out and following removal of the spica cast she has stayed in it and still doesn’t climb out independently.

 

  • A camera (at all times) your baby/toddler is going to amaze you with what she can do in spica and you don’t want to miss it.

 

  • Nappies: lots of them and varying sizes.  If you have a open reduction your child will be swollen in spica immediately afterwards and newborn nappies are the best to insert inside the cast and then a size bigger to go over the cast.  As the swelling reduces you can normally insert a normal sized nappy inside the cast and a size bigger over.  My friend Emma managed to put a normal nappy inside the cast and fasten it up!

 

  • A beanbag, comfiest seat in town for spica kids.

 

  • A relaxed approach to television: Mr Tumble and Baby Jake were my best friends when BB was in cast, as soon as he came out and started moving she was far too busy to worry about watching CBeebies.

 

 

  • A wide high chair or totseat.  Spica children tend not to fit in regular seats because of the width of the cast.  Totseat are fantastic as they adapt to any seat so you can pack them and take them anywhere, cushions and pillows can be used to make the child more comfortable.

 

  • A sense of humour: how else will you cope when you have your first cast poo explosion?

 

  • Lots of sleek tape (available from hospital) it attaches around the cast edges and around the nappy area which helps keep the cast stain free and dry.

 

  • A spica table – you can buy specially adapted chairs or attempt to make your own if you are handy with a hammer; the Steps website has hints on this, also ex – spica parents are always happy to lend and support.  If not improvise…

 

  • Lots of dresses for the girls, BB wasn’t that wide following a Pemberton osteomony and I didnt need to change sizes, but this was uncommon, normally parents advise to go up one size in clothes but like most things you can wait until post op to go shopping.

 

  • Leg warmers – cute as can be, dress up that spica!

 

  • Bibs and wipes – the longer the cast stays clean the better.

 

  • And finally, painkillers for baby and gin for you and a gentle reminder that it will all be ok in the end!

 

Any other hints and tips from past and present spica parents please add in comments and will edit into the post.

 

Comments

  1. Jazzygal says

    September 14, 2012 at 3:45 pm

    So glad to hear that your little beauty has been cast-free for 4 months. Very helpful post for mums with a similar situation with their children. Especially the sense of humour bit. You left out one piece of advice though…. wine! it’s the universal help for all mums in all situations 😉

    xx Jazzy

    Reply
    • northernmum says

      September 16, 2012 at 8:47 pm

      I mentioned gin! x

      Reply
  2. The Mummy Blogger says

    September 15, 2012 at 8:04 am

    I have never heard of this condition before and didn’t know your little girl had suffered with it. Your daughter looks a cutie now and I am sure other parents will find this post really useful if they find themselves in the same situation as you x

    Reply
    • northernmum says

      September 16, 2012 at 8:45 pm

      I really do hope so x

      Reply
  3. Mum Down South says

    September 18, 2012 at 11:24 am

    I hadn’t heard of this before so thanks for bring it to my attention. Sounds like you have been through quite a time of it – am sure your advice will be so useful to others in the same situation. It is so important to talk about things like this isn’t it so people know they are not alone?

    Reply
    • northernmum says

      September 18, 2012 at 9:15 pm

      It is very important, knowing about DDH can mean you can take steps to avoid it!

      Reply
  4. Emma says

    September 20, 2012 at 8:45 pm

    Thanks for linking my lovely – was also great to get some perspective and talk to other mums in same position! Do you remember our first phone call! Hi I’m Jane – y’know Northern mum lol! Many a text, call, email been sharedinbetween!! xxx

    Reply
    • northernmum says

      September 25, 2012 at 8:27 pm

      forever friends!

      Reply
  5. Free Fifa Coins says

    November 6, 2013 at 11:31 am

    Terrific post but I was wondering if you could write a litte more
    on this topic? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate
    a little bit further. Bless you!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Jane is a working Mum of three and has great hair. One of these things may not be true.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 10,117 other subscribers

Categories

  • All Posts
  • BB's journey with DDH
  • Breastfeeding
  • mummyblog
  • Paleo / Crossfitting
  • Reviews / Featured Content
  • Travel / Out and About
  • Twin Girl and Type 1 Diabetes
  • Uncategorized

Tots 100

TOTS100 - UK Parent Blogs
TOTS100

Search

Follow on Bloglovin

Follow on Bloglovin

Previously on northernmum….

Awards!

Tots100 MAD Blog Awards

Looking to Save Money?

Check out my thrify blog, full of ideas to eat and play well  – for less money!

www.fromspendingtosaving.co.uk

Northern Mum

Copyright © 2019 Northern Mum Crossfitting, pancreas acting, single mum to three
Site design with help from DigitalJen

Copyright © 2021 · Slush Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT