Traveling with a Child in a Spica Cast

When Natalie had her surgery we did not really go anywhere for about 10 days. She really did not feel up to going any where. It can be difficult for them to get comfortable while in the cast. You also have to reposition them every two hours. This is recommended so that they do not get sores on the pressure points caused by the cast. This can make it hard to travel for long periods of time. I would not recommend going more than thirty minutes to one hour from home because the ride can be tough on the child. The special car seats that are designed for the spica casts try to make them the most comfortable, but too much bumping around can still make them very unhappy. This was sometimes the case for Natalie.

It can be difficult to travel with a child in a cast especially if you plan on staying for a short trip at a family member’s home, church, or a hotel. This is because you pretty much have to bring your entire home with you. That is what it seemed like to me any ways. You have to pack plenty of diapers because you have to change them so often. I always brought a bean bag for Natalie to sit in so that she did not have to be held most of the time. We also brought extra pillows that I made for her. She had three pillows that we took every where. You never know when might need to give her more support. The bean bag would fit around her to support her cast so that she could sit up almost on her own and play. The bean bag worked well at my parent’s house and at church. I know it sounds like a lot to bring for one place, but she liked to be able to sit up with out being held all the time.

The first cast she was in was really too big for her to fit any where. We had to bring her stroller for her to sit in at restaurants because she no longer fit in the high chairs. She did not fit in any high chair or any normal sized chair for that matter. We carried her stroller with some special pillows that I made to support her and the cast every where that we went. The pillows that I made fit under her legs and behind her back to give her some extra support when she wanted to sit up.

We read some suggestions of using rolled up blankets, but they always came unrolled during the move. I ended up placing rubber bands around the ends to keep them from unrolling. The rubber bands helped save a lot of time.