The biggest question everyone has when learning about the Spica cast is "HOW DO YOU DO DIAPERS?????"
It's so very simple. Pre-spica, I had been quite anxious about this as well, but truthfully, it's easier to diaper a Spica baby than a wiggly baby. :)
Before going into the hospital for Annabelle's surgery, we didn't buy any diapers, because we weren't sure what we'd need. After learning how to diaper the day after her surgery (after her catheter came out), we determined the supplies we'd need.
Pre-surgery, Annabelle was in size two diapers. She ended up needing size one diapers to go under her cast, and size six diapers to go over it. In the hospital, the size one diapers they had were Pampers Swaddlers, with (insert fanfare) the wetness indicator. I was never happier about the brilliance of this invention. There was a means to be able to know whether or not my daughter's diaper was wet (if it was questionable) - without going through the rigmarole of pulling the diaper out of the cast. Genius. My husband went to the store and got a small package of both Pampers Swaddlers and Huggies Little Snugglers to determine if one was better than the other. My answer = YES! The Pampers were soooooooo much better than the Huggies for our Spica cast. The Pampers were much wider at the bottom in the crotch area, so they were able to be tucked entirely under the cast, unlike the Huggies.
So ... we opted to spent the extra cash to buy the Pampers Swaddlers while Annabelle is in Spica.
For nighttime, I had read on several other blogs to add an incontinence pad for extra absorption. Brilliant. These are what we ended up getting at Target (see below photo), and they worked marvelously. Annabelle often sleeps 10-12 hrs at night (maybe waking just enough to nurse), so she would often go that long without a diaper change - and she would still wake up dry.
Just make sure to get the moderate absorbency, rather than the light!
As with everything else, Annabelle does not fit in our highchair in her Spica cast. I had done some homework about options for a highchair, given that Annabelle is eating solid food now. I debated getting one ahead of time, but James suggested we wait until we got home from the hospital. We lasted about two days, until Annabelle batted my hand away and I was covered in pureed peas. Bleh.
When I was pregnant with our first daughter, Charlotte, I did a lot of research on baby products. I wanted to make sure what we were investing our money in was the safest for our child. I had initially registered for a Baby Bjorn carrier. After reading many reviews, however, I learned that that style of carrier may not be the best for a baby's hip development. I don't know what stuck with me, but after that I didn't feel like that was the best option for us. I ended up purchasing a Ergo carrier for Charlotte and that investment has proven to be invaluable for us given that we have embarked on a journey with hip dysplasia.
The International Hip Dysplasia Institute suggests that carriers that allow the baby to sit in the carrier rather than dangle promote a healthier position that does not cause excessive force on the hip joint.
Back in June when we had the planned closed reduction and the plan to be in Spica for 12 weeks, I had stocked up on t-shirts and dresses to go over the cast.
For starters, the diaper that goes over the cast is 100% visible, and I think it just looks bad. Even with a huge cloth diaper cover over it to mask the hideousness. Secondly, I've discovered many a toy inside her cast since the t-shirt makes the top of the cast fair game.
