# Anyone ever have/have a toddler with broken leg? Activity ideas?



## MayBaby2007 (Feb 22, 2007)

I took her down a slide (she was on my lap) and on a turn, her feet smacked against the side. She fractured her tib fib (?). I feel like a horrible rotten mother....because I took her on the slide. Sigh.....

She can't walk. She's starting to scoot/army-crawl which warms my heart. Our LO's can teach us so much about life, can't they?....

I need activity ideas. Movies, puzzles, books, coloring/crafts, play-doh is as far as my current mind will work. Help me out, mama's, please?


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## 1growingsprout (Nov 14, 2005)

How long is she out of commission for? It sounds like DD is starting to get mobile....

Do you have a stroller or wagon for outtings?? A wagon would probably be better....

Right now there are tons of deals on back to school sales on art supplies. Lots of trips to the library for movies and books. Invite ONE friend over at a time for short play dates....

Get her a little tray table for her lap so her can work easy either on the couch or floor....

She would probably like going to story time at the library (in her totally cool wagon)


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

A toddler boy down the street did the same thing this spring. A friend's hubby who is an ER doc told me he has seen a number of broken legs from slides, who know!

Certainly hit up the back to school sales right now. Markers, crayons, new coloring book. Go to the library and maybe get a craft book depending on how old your child is. Maybe cover her lower half with a trash bag, put her in a high chair if she fits comfortably and let her paint. My toddlers always loved doing potato stamps with half a potato. DD2 broke her clavicle this spring, we did lots of simple things, baking cookies, she could help with one hand. Maybe yours can help sitting down. The boy down the street was 1.5 year old and he quickly just started scooting/crawling all over the place. I would see him at the children's museum still chasing around his older brother, just a little slower now.


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## Ofwait (Feb 16, 2008)

Well my son was 3 when he jumped off the couch and broke his foot, he had a cast for 6 weeks and a walking "boot" for another 2. We did lots of coloring and painting, playdoh, and movies







:
It was really rather amazing to me how fast he went on with life, just a little bit slower than before.


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## NYCVeg (Jan 31, 2005)

Dd broke her leg this spring. It was a BAD break, too (cast for 9 weeks; walking boot for another 3). For the first couple of weeks, we did lots of coloring, stickers, play dough, a million puzzles, and so on. We sat her on a blanket in the park/yard and blew bubbles or played catch. We got her different kinds of art supplies that she hadn't used before: rubber stamps with ink pads, Crayola Color Wonder markers, age appropriate invisible ink books, like these:
http://www.leemagicpen.com/catalog/d...gv614mcjdahhc3

We have two lap desks, which made it easier for her to sit in bed or on the couch and do puzzles or draw:
http://www.amazon.com/Alex-Toys-Desk...0643255&sr=8-2
HTTP://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATE...2-3|pageid=614

We checked out tons of library books. We had lots of visitors. We also got her her first (very tame) DVDs.









Oh, and we took her to Disney World--10 days after the break.







But that was planned before she broke her leg, of course. She did great there, though--all the characters signed her cast and she got to skip all the lines. You don't have to go there, of course, but don't be afraid to take her places--she'll love a change of scenery.

They do adapt really, really quickly. In a couple of weeks, she was scooting around everywhere, and when she got her first, clunky replaced with a more streamlined one, she was walking on it the minute we got home.


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## noobmom (Jan 19, 2008)

So sorry to hear about your LO. I had no idea that you could break your leg on a slide without falling off the side or something like that.

My DS really enjoys the Kumon "Let's..." Color, Cut Paper, Sticker and Paste, and Fold Paper series. The "Let's Cut Paper" one is particularly good and really helped my now 3 yo learn to use scissors. He can now cut curvy lines and follow outlines. Sticker and Paste was popular, too.

DS really enjoys playing "I spy" with me. I usually do all the "I spy" part and he just guesses. To help him with his letter sounds I start with, "I spy something that begins with a <insert appropriate letter or letter sound here>".

If you have a laptop or can set her up a computer, starfall.com is a great website for learning letters/how to read.

What about doing some cooking together? You could make something that requires repetition, like making dumplings or pierogis. Either she can put the fillings on each dough square and you can pinch them shut or if you do the opposite, just double check her work so that they don't leak their fillings in the pot. Cookies that require cutting or shaping (like gingerbread men) would be fun too.


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## guest9955 (Dec 23, 2008)

i was a toddler with a broken leg (dancing on the sidewalk, 8 weeks in a cast ) at 2.5 years old...

mom has said i liked
putting the tent up in the yard and reading inside "camping"
a kiddie pool filled with pillows and toys "swimming"
bubbles
they got me a puppy (not sure if thats an option for you but could you spend sometime with a friends mellow pooch or cat?)
hammock time?
get a stroller / wheelchair / wagon and visit a farm or petting zoo?


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## niamuma (Nov 29, 2013)

This was so helpful my Dd age 22 m has fractured her tib and fib and nurse made me feel like the worse parent in the world which as a parent you already feel horrible when your child is injured really helped me to see she wasnt the only toddler


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## nsmomtobe (Aug 22, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Peony*
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> 
> 
> ...


This is actually a very common injury, especially when toddlers are riding on a parent's lap: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/23/a-surprising-risk-for-toddlers-at-playground-slides/?_r=0

But I don't want to derail this thread, especially now that I see it is years old.

niamuma, I'm glad you found the suggestions helpful. I hope your DD is feeling better!


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## DTmama1 (Jan 17, 2006)

MaryAnn Kohl has great activity ideas in this book http://www.amazon.com/First-Art-Toddlers-Twos-Experiences-ebook/dp/B00B0SAAHY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387202551&sr=1-1&keywords=toddler+art as well as a lot of others.

Lisa Murphy's Ooey Gooey book was one of my favorites when running a daycare.

Simple things can be the most fun= cornstarch and water form ooblick, shaving cream is also fun. Food coloring stains hands, but liquid watercolors (I always bought at www.discountschoolsupply.com) are a cheap alternative that washes off easier.


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