Funky Town

What... is... that... SMELL?

The first waft of a malodorous cast is unforgettable.  I liken it to over ripened fruit which has been sitting in the sun just long enough to reach that point.  The best word I can use to describe it is "funk"- and not in a "play that funky music" kind of way.  Hip Chick's battered cast finally tripped that line this week. How did this happen?

Whereas our little hippie barely managed to move independently for the first half of her first cast, she has been a very busy girl from her first afternoon in this second cast.  She also was not in daycare for her first 2.5 weeks in her first cast, but returned after two days in the second one.  A busy girl in a spica cast is a sweaty girl, as she has to pull herself across the ground to move independently.

What I suspect to be part of the problem is her cast lining.  Over a month of dragging herself wherever her heart desires and the interior chest lining finally tore, just beneath the duct tape barrier I had created.  As mentioned in my post that week, the lining at her chest and ankles began to rip just the second day in this second cast and butterfly patterned duct tape was my resourceful mom solution of the moment.  The odor seemed to stem from this ripped opening.  I stuck my hand into her cast at several different opportunities to ensure she had not smuggled a sweaty cheese home from daycare- nothing would surprise me at this point.

I was both relieved and slightly disappointed that the problem wasn't spurned from an episode of string cheese kleptomania and opted for a two-pronged solution.  First, I pulled out Hip Chick's remaining butterfly duct tape and retaped that ripped liner as tight as a drum.  If the cast interior itself had aborbed sweat, spilled milk, or any host of smelly toddler interests, I wanted the stench contained and metaphorically smothered to death.  Next, I followed my hubby's suggestion in revisiting my lavender baby soap methodology from our singular diaper leak.

It's too early to gauge how effective my remedy is, but I will say a silent prayer as she leaves for daycare in the morning.  That initial whiff triggered my first "I can't wait for this cast to go" reaction.  We have just under three weeks until the next cast change and all eyes are focused on reaching that milestone.