HELP! 2 yr old broke his arm and we leave for Disney in 2 weeks!

[Christy93]

Hi, we've had a long day today. Youngest ds broke his arm today and we're to leave for Disney Sept. 23 for a week. Have any of you been to disney with a broken arm? Should we postphone or still go? We've been looking forward to this but we will do what is best for him. I asked the orthopedic dr. and he said GO, but I wanted to ask others who may have been in the same situation.

Thanks so much.

 

[MMPC123]

sorry to hear that your poor son got hurt. My DD 18 months broke her arm on Friday before Mother's day weekend! Boy did I feel like a loser!

She's a tough little one and the cast never slowed her down the whole 4 weeks that she wore it. While I have not taken her to Disney yet (3 weeks to go for us) I can understand your concern and I feel for you very much.

I did find it a little difficult to fit long sleeves over the cast, and tub time was a bigger challenge, trying to keep the cast dry. My biggest problem was dealing with comments from strangers and the guilt it caused me.

I predict your son may take a day or so to get used to his cast, but will be acting normal (for a 2 yr old) real quick! Go and have a ton of fun!

 

[mom23boys]

I am sorry this happened.

I have three boys and have never had a broken anything (knock on wood), so I do not have advise there for you. But I say go and have fun. I have seen sleeves for casts at our swim club, so he could possibly still swim.

I hope he feels better soon.

 

[Laura22]

I don't know anything about broken arms, but I'm sure your little one will still have fun at Disney even with the cast! Hopefully no one will make any nasty comments or anything. I wouldn't cancel the trip over it.

 

[goingquackers]

Same thing happened with our daughter. Exactly one week before our Disney vacation our then 2 year old daughter broke her arm. She had a cast twice her size on her left arm.

We had a great time. It didn’t get in the way of much for her. It was very humid and the cast started to get wet with sweat. Other than that and not being able to swim all went well.

The cast members were especially nice. My daughter got at least 3 special pins from caring cast members.

 

[Vickie46]

I think the characters would love to sign the cast too!!!!!!!!!!

 

[seashoreCM]

Let him ride in a stroller with a sun shade so he doesn't get so worked up and sweaty. Cut through air conditioned stores and buildings.

Put his arm, cast and all, in a plastic bag at bath time. Don't get soap too close to the cast. Don't worry if you miss a few spots when soaping, just be sure to rinse thoroughly.

If his fingers protrude through the other end of the cast, wipe the fingers with alcohol every now and then and before meals. Rubbing alcohol also makes you feel cooler and in fact it has been used copiously for that purpose, particularly on stage actors, before air conditioning was invented.

I don't recommend swimming. If the plastic bag over the cast springs a leak, you lose all the character signatures. You may consider making as a condition of allocating an afternoon or two to any waterparks, expecting each family member to take a turn entertaining the land bound youngster. YOu may want to forego waterparks (except for kids old enough to go without parents) if you think the youngster will have a melt down for being land bound.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Giddy Kipper]

I think the characters would love to sign the cast too!!!!!!!!!!

My youngest broke her right arm when she was 18 months old....It didnt seem to bother her except for not being able to feed herself ( the spoon wouldn`t reach when she used her arm with the pot on)...Cool idea to get the characters to sign her pot...you will be able to save it when he has it taken off...As for comments from other people, we only recieved positive ones...I`ts surprising how many little ones do brake a bone at some stage of their life...
Go and have fun

 

[fireman17]

Check with your doctor and see if they can give him a fiberglass cast. They have all kinds of colors for them. It allows for your son to go swimming.
I work in emergency services and I know that these cast are out there, when I was 19 (which was a long time ago) I had a fiberglass cast during the summer.
All you need to do after it gets wet is to use a blow dryer to dry it off.
Good luck

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

I had a broken elbow when I went with my high school band many years ago (1982ish). No fiberglass, so I could not swim. There were some rides that recomended not riding them if you had a broken bone, but none were for small children. Other than the Goofy roller coaster I can't thank of anything a little one would like that a cast would cause problems. If the Dr. says it is fine, I would go for it. Have a ball
Janell

 

[Christy93]

Thanks for all of your kind responses. He slept all night last night (13 hours) and seems to be fine this morning. Right now, he's eating a popcicle so all is well.

I'll ask this week at the doctor's office about the waterproof cast b/c he will be said not to go swimming. We wern't going to a waterpark this trip so that won't be a problem.

Only 12 more days!!!

 

[kizmac]

Hi, we've had a long day today. Youngest ds broke his arm today and we're to leave for Disney Sept. 23 for a week. Have any of you been to disney with a broken arm? Should we postphone or still go? We've been looking forward to this but we will do what is best for him. I asked the orthopedic dr. and he said GO, but I wanted to ask others who may have been in the same situation.

Thanks so much.

My son broke his arm on Father's Day this year and just recently got his cast off. I say go and have fun! Other than the bummer of not being able to swim, you won't have any problems. You will be surprised how kids adjust and a cast doesn't bother them a bit. My son's cast was up to his arm pit, heavy and huge. I thought for sure he'd be miserable lugging that heavy thing around for 6 weeks. No complaints at all. He didn't even have a nice fiberglass one like my other son had because they had to set it at the ER and used the plaster stuff.

Enjoy your trip! Your son will still have a wonderful time.

 

[littleprissboutique]

I say go...... The whole signing the cast comment was cool!!!! How cool to come home with Mickey's name on your cast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only thing I can think of is he wont get to ride ride's??? I know that even with kiddie rides here where I live (Dollywood) they will not let you ride if you have heart problems, Broken body parts, or are to small.

Does anyone know if there are any rides the little one can ride with a broke arm at Disney?

Hope this helps you guys out!!! Hugs to the little one

 

[TerriBelle]

My daughter broke her arm a week before we were to go to Hilton Head a few years ago. The main activity was swimming! We were able to get her a waterproof cast and it was wonderful!! We had to pay a little more for it because most insurance will only cover a standard cast but it was worth it. I was told that they are harder to put on, so the staff doesn't really like them. We had gone through a regular cast with my younger son and the difference was huge! My daughter could swim and take showers. They did tell us to stay away from the sand because you can't really rinse it out and then it will itch.

 

[melk]

My dd broke her wrist right before a Disney trip (she was 5). It really didn't hinder her at all (she still went down Splash Mountain!!)

There is something you can get so you can go in the pool. I wish I could remember the name but if you go to a medical/surgical supply store or a good pharmacy, they will have it. It is blue and there's a little air pump in it. You put it on, pump it up and it sucks out all the air, giving it a tight fit over the arm. It worked unbelievably well and my dd was in the pool there every day, never got a drop of water on it. If I think of the name, I will post again, because I remember too they had a website you could order from.

Good luck and have fun!

p.s. the characters do make a big deal of the cast, it made my dd feel really special!

FOUND IT!!! I searched my old posts to see what it was called--I had posted on this board and someone sent me to www.xerosox.com. I ended up finding it at a local pharmacy though so I didn't have to order it.

 

[disneydaveb]

My DD was 7 when she broke her leg 18 days before our trip. We went and still had a great time.
She had a full leg cast and needed a wheelchair. Many of the characters signed her cast. Also, we were often asked if we wanted to stay on a ride for another run!
I guess the only downfall was that my back was killing me for a couple of weeks after the trip because of the strain of lifting my daughter in out out of the rides and attractions.

 

[Cruz Family]

My DS 6 had a small break in his ankle four days before we were to leave. They set it in a walking cast and we went through with the trip. He got a lot of extra attention the CM's and the characters. The only problem we found was he could not go swimming. Just go I am sure everything will be fine. If he is in a cast you can have the characters sign it. Good luck and have a magical trip. Melissa

 

[Cinderella2004]

My DD broke her elbow, complete with a 3 hour surgery and 3 pins placed, 2 weeks prior to our vacation in June. We still went. She was able to go on any ride she wanted to. We wrapped her arm in a Disney bag for pool time. It worked well, but be aware if you choose this route, those colors run!!!

Good luck, and pixie dust to your little pumpkin for a speedy recovery!

 

[debster812]

I'd like to throw my .02c in for the waterproof cast if it's available. DS broke his arm a week and a half ago (the Thursday leading into Labor Day weekend). Our Ortho asked if I wanted the waterproof cast, I said yes in a heartbeat. It has a breathable, plastic-y type liner, and a fiberglass shell. It's a cool bright blue too. DS spent 7 hours swimming on Sunday, showers are no issue at all either.

The really good news is that kids heal REALLY fast.

I hope you all enjoy your trip.

 

[mickeyclark]

A week before we left for Disney World, my son broke a bone in his foot in a freak accident. I wondered/fretted over whether we should go, and I am glad we did! He was 3 1/2 at the time. He had a great time! And the characters made a fuss over his cast. It's good to be the center of attention