# Broken Leg Activities for 2.5 yo?



## MacroMama (Mar 9, 2007)

Hi. My niece just had her leg broken (yep, CPS is involved) and can't run around like usual for the next 4 weeks. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how to entertain her. She'll obviously be able to read books, see movies and draw, but after that?

Thanks for any suggestions.


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## Polliwog (Oct 29, 2006)

My two-year-old has just fallen in love with Magna-Tiles. They are pricey but so worth it. She can build for long periods of time and they're great for all ages.


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

You can get covers for the cast so they can still swim. They work incredibly well.


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## spmamma (Sep 2, 2007)

What about a portable play kitchen - you could always repurpose a breakfast tray if she's confined to sitting or even pull a tiny chair up to a larger play kitchen.

Doll play is another good activity.


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## redpajama (Jan 22, 2007)

Does her activity *have* to be restricted (to purposefully keep her off the leg), or can she go at her own pace? My 2.5-year-old just got a long-leg cast off a few days ago (she spent 4 weeks in it for a fractured tibia), and I was shocked by how quickly she was up-and-running with the cast on. When she first got it on, she wouldn't even try to walk, just sort of dragged herself around in an "army crawl." Within two or three days, she'd gone from that to crawling, to "cruising" along furniture, to walking. After a week or two, she was running, jumping, and doing everything she did before she got the cast on. Her cast wasn't a "walking cast," per se--but the doctor told me that, while "avoiding weight-bearing" was the typical protocol, 2-year-olds are (a) really hard to keep down and (b) pretty good about doing what they are able to do, so not to worry about it when she started moving around again. Anyway, unless it's a particularly bad break that requires that she absolutely stay off it, you might be surprised by how quickly she resumes normal activity.

In the event that she *can't*, though...my 2.5-year-old just discovered Playmobil sets. They have a million tiny pieces, so I wouldn't recommend them if your niece still has any propensity to put things in her mouth (or other orifices, I suppose--I watched my sister extract a small rock from my nieces *nose* last week), but my daughter will sit for literally more than an hour at a time playing with them. They also make something called "Playmobil 1-2-3," which lacks the tiny pieces and are safer for younger children (but the detail of the tiny pieces are part of what my daughter enjoys, I think).

Or how about a "sensory table" (by which I really just mean a large, shallow rubbermaid-type bin) which could be filled with water, sand, rice, beans, et cetera?

Duplo blocks?

Stickers?

My kids love to glue things to paper or cardboard, such as dyed pasta, bark/small stones/grass/feathers/other things we find outside, rice...

Oh, another thing: I bought a big 24-or-so pack of permanent markers in every color, and let my daughter choose how she wanted me to decorate her cast for her (she chose Yo Gabba Gabba characters). I was shocked by how still and attentive she was for HOURS as I colored every last square inch of her cast in bright colors. We spent nearly a whole day doing it. But she also took a lot of pride in it and enjoyed showing it off to people. Right before she got the cast off, a doctor walked by her and said, "Wow, what a cool cast!" And when he walked away, she just beamed and said, "Mom, that doctor LOVES my cast!" She was really proud to take it home with her after it was removed, too--so maybe do something like that, if you can. It entertained us for a day, and it made her feel really special, I think. (Here and here are links to photos of her finished cast!)

Good luck!!


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## MacroMama (Mar 9, 2007)

Thanks for all the ideas. My niece definitely can't walk on her cast. Apparently two bones were broken and her circulation system was compromised. If it had been any worse, she would have lost her leg.









We got her a Radio Flyer Pathfinder wagon last night so her dad can pull her around and keep her leg propped up.

I'll run the ideas by her dad and see what he thinks. Thanks again!


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## granolalight (Nov 1, 2006)

My 2.5 year old likes cars and aciton figures.


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## LaughingHyena (May 4, 2004)

DS loves his ball pool, we use a small inflatable kiddie pool with a couple of bags of balls.

Also musical instruments and some CDs to sing along too. We do LOTS of action songs on wet days, it seems to fulfill some of DSs need to move. It sound like a good time to make some shakers.

He has also just started being able to thread things. Cherios or similiar O cereal are good, pretty easy to thread and he likes eating the results.


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## Famatigia (Jun 14, 2005)

My son has a tibia fracture currently and as the above poster said, he has NO restrictions. He gets up and runs on the cast, too. Our doctor said the exact same thing. It's hard to keep a 2 year old down.

I found a bean bag is FANTASTIC for broken legs on little ones. It props them nicely, with lots of comfort.

Good luck to her.


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