Summer is the time for kids to get outside and do fun activities they normally wouldn’t have time to do during the school year. It’s not unusual for kids to fill their days off with endless bike rides, playground play dates, youth sports or summer camps. Skinned knees and bumps and bruises are a common occurrence with kids being so active, but unfortunately, serious injuries like broken bones or deep cuts can occur as well. Parents can be proactive in their child’s recovery process if they do suffer an injury this summer utilizing some simple tips.
Create a game plan and stick with it. When you leave the hospital or doctor’s office, you will likely be given discharge papers for your child. The doctor may require your child to take medicine, change out their bandages, schedule follow up appointments, attend physical therapy classes and even do certain exercises/stretches at home on a regular basis. To ensure a safe and quick recovery process, make sure to follow doctor’s orders closely. Creating a written schedule on a white board can help remind you and your child of the tasks that need to get done or what medicine to take and when.
Make your home a comfort fortress. Keeping kids comfortable during the recovery process is key. Set up a comfortable and safe place for kids to rest and make sure hazardous items are out of their way so they don’t reinjure themselves. You don’t want your child tripping over the toy box that sits by their bed with their crutches or struggling to reach the bedside lamp with their bad arm.
Zip through injuries with the right gear. Your child’s normal attire may not be practical while they are rehabbing their injury. Instead of turning to sweatpants or pajama pants that can be hard for your child or you to put on if they suffer a lower body injury, they can use adaptive pants like zipOns. The pants unzip and open completely on both sides of the legs with zippers that span from waist to hem. This means they can easily be put on from a standing, sitting, or laying down position without having to pull them up over the legs. zipOns can also be unzipped at the bottom to accommodate casts, braces, and other medical equipment.
Stay positive and take it slow. It’s not going to be easy for your child to be sidelined while all their friends get to enjoy their summer activities. Make sure to keep a positive attitude around your child and share encouraging words during their recovery process. It’s also important to not cut corners during the recovery process and even when your child gets the green light to resume full activity, remind them to take it slow and don’t rush back into doing too much too soon or they run the risk of reinjuring themselves.
Fun has a new meaning. An injury shouldn’t stop kids from having fun this summer, it just might not be how they pictured it. Take in a baseball game, hit up the local museums or invite your child’s friends over for a movie night. It’s also the perfect time for kids to explore new activities or hobbies. Have kids make a list of three activities they are able to do with their injury and would like to try out this summer. Spread the activities out over your child’s recovery period so they have a week or two of doing the activities and can really find out if it’s something they want to continue doing after recovering from their injury.
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