Guest guest Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 I know some people do wash the shirt. I have always been too afraid to do it. We clean it with wipes when we need to. It does get prfetty gross - mommy to Timmy 3 years old in waiting for 4th cast in Milwuakee From: hockeymominpa2 <hockeymominpa2@...>Subject: 1st cast - Lukeinfantile scoliosis treatment Date: Monday, February 28, 2011, 3:01 AM Thanks everyone for the helpful tips on how to diaper baby Luke in his first cast. I have another question for the group. Luke is wearing a t-shirt underneath the cast. Has anyone taken the t-shirt off to wash and tried to put it back on while child is still in the cast? I would so love to wash that t-shirt off of the baby. It's been 6 days and I am so ready to get that t-shirt washed. Any suggestions are appreciated:) Luke's mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 Hi, I asked the same question not that long ago because we are going through our 1st cast as well. I am pasting the info I got from Heidi (Bexon's mom). Our son's shirt has the " hole " in the front and back. Because it is the 1st one, I do not want to deal with the tapping and un-taping, maybe we'll try it with later casts. Tania - Sebas' mom - 1st cast Cast T-shirt removal/washing: This is just one family’s personal experience, hope it helps some other families! There is a video up on YouTube showing this under Infantile Scoliosis Cast, it sounds harder than it is once you get the hang of it. The good news: this has made cast life easier for us, but it is not for everyone. It is a personal parent choice, with the approval of your doctor first, always. Our son is casted at Shriners in Salt Lake City, and our doctor has said he is fine with it. Our son’s cast is the VERY stretchy, mock turtleneck medical t-shirt made by Knit-rite. It is impregnated with silver to help keep microbes and bacteria out. Big caveats: I am not sure if we could do this at all, if there was not a large front cut-out and a back cut out, as well. I don’t think it could be done if the t-shirt is taped down, is not very, very stretchy, or cannot be moved freely back and forth, or “flossedâ€. Some casts have padding that should not be removed or tampered with, again, ask your doctor first. We didn’t invent this move, and to be honest, we were very scared the first time we did it! We were concerned about skin breakdown, if we couldn’t get the T properly back on and smoothed out well. Severe skin breakdown or cast sores that become infected can halt casting for the period the skin needs to heal. We don’t want any kids to get hurt, so please be very careful. Never put sharp objects or any objects down the cast. I cut my nails very short and only use my fingers. We find that doing the washing is easier when the cast has loosened up a little at the bottom as the child grows, about 3 weeks after the cast is applied. We do it about 5-6 times in a three month period, around every 2-3 weeks, when there is a pee leak on the bottom of the T or, heaven forbid, number 2 or puke on it! : ) You can also just wash out the bottom of the t-shirt and not remove it, being careful not to wet the cast. We didn’t try this with our first few casts. That said, I have heard from a parent with a baby younger than 2 who is a bit chubby or chunky, who said that it works great for them. I had thought a very tight cast on a chubby baby might make it harder or impossible, I could be wrong. It does really help with odor. We also find that (if you get a “cast off†day), 2 baths and a lot of gentle cream slathered over the entire area where the cast was applied really helps with itching and skin condition. Many parents like the Aveeno oatmeal bath. Any very tiny scratches or cuts can be helped with an anti-bacterial ointment like Polysporin. We also cut our child’s nails short before each trip, he scratches where the cast was tightest, at the “rib hump†area. One other tip: If you can pull the t-shirt up through the tummy cut-out with no problem, we find it’s extremely helpful to do it once a day and look for dirt or sediment that has fallen inside the T. An unscented baby wipe can remove it. We check the belly button, because it can get irritated if any grit falls down and settles there. We gently clean it out with a wipe and put a small dab of Polysporin there, if it looks red or irritated. We lay our child on the bed and stand him up when needed, for this technique to work best: 1: Gently tug at the stomach of the t-shirt and pull it up though the bottom of the front of the cast. 2. Gently work it up, then pull it out bit by bit through one armhole. 3. Very gently stretch it over one elbow. Be careful not to wrench their delicate arm and shoulder, of course! 4. Slowly work that free side under the same shoulder strap, it will bunch up at the neck. 5. Very carefully stretch the neck opening over the child’s head (sideways). 6. Pull out through the other shoulder strap and free the T over the second arm and elbow. 7. Wash and dry the t-shirt normally. We don’t let our child go outside without the T on, but enjoy the skin to skin contact and hugs! You can use an unscented baby wipe to gently clear off dry skin. 8. Put the T back on the same way, in reverse, obviously after it cools from the dryer. One arm, then over the head, then second arm, then reach up with your fingers and thread it under the top to the belly cut out. 9. Gently work the front of the T down through the big belly cut out. 10. On the back side, pull the edge of the t-shirt through to the back cut out, doing the same thing. 11. The hardest part: Getting the bottom edge of the T through the bottom front of the cast. You have to gently thread the edge through the top and reach up and pull it out with your fingers. I would probably suggest not doing it on a full belly of food or milk. 12. Once you have the front edge pulled out, pull it down and gently tug on the sides all around, it should begin to work out of the back bottom edge. It takes some patience. Note: Our son cried when we first tried this (it was new and new things are scary, especially to young kids!), but now he’s used to it and he doesn’t mind it at all. He likes to look at his belly in the mirror when the t-shirt is off! So, this is obviously at your own risk- it is definitely not a requirement for casted kids. We hope this helps some kiddos, until they invent a removable cast! : ) †" Heidi and Nick and Bexon Heidi, Bexon's Mommy, (3.5 years old, in 9th cast from Salt Lake City Shriners, currently down from 63 degrees to 14.6 in cast. You can read Bexon's Story on www.GirltoMom.com) > > Thanks everyone for the helpful tips on how to diaper baby Luke in his first cast. I have another question for the group. Luke is wearing a t-shirt underneath the cast. Has anyone taken the t-shirt off to wash and tried to put it back on while child is still in the cast? I would so love to wash that t-shirt off of the baby. It's been 6 days and I am so ready to get that t-shirt washed. Any suggestions are appreciated:) Luke's mom > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2011 Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 It really depends how your shirt is on Ours have always been attached to the cast and we could NOT take them off to wash. Jenn Mommy to Cole & Max > > Thanks everyone for the helpful tips on how to diaper baby Luke in his first cast. I have another question for the group. Luke is wearing a t-shirt underneath the cast. Has anyone taken the t-shirt off to wash and tried to put it back on while child is still in the cast? I would so love to wash that t-shirt off of the baby. It's been 6 days and I am so ready to get that t-shirt washed. Any suggestions are appreciated:) Luke's mom > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 You have to ask your doctor first on whether you can remove the shirt or not. I go to Rochester and we are not able to remove the shirts. I've gone 4 months in a cast and never been able to remove a shirt and there was never a problem. My daughter never had an odor either and she is very active. Patty, mom of Isabella, 3 years old, in 8th scoli cast (Rochester) & mom to (9) & Evan(6)From: hockeymominpa2 <hockeymominpa2@...>infantile scoliosis treatment Sent: Sun, February 27, 2011 10:01:38 PMSubject: 1st cast - Luke Thanks everyone for the helpful tips on how to diaper baby Luke in his first cast. I have another question for the group. Luke is wearing a t-shirt underneath the cast. Has anyone taken the t-shirt off to wash and tried to put it back on while child is still in the cast? I would so love to wash that t-shirt off of the baby. It's been 6 days and I am so ready to get that t-shirt washed. Any suggestions are appreciated:) Luke's mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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