Caring for kids with a broken arm?

[appletree]

Df who is currently a sahd broke his arm at soccer yesterday. He is having surgery this morning and I am wondering how he is going to go looking after our 4yo dd and our 1yo ds? Is there anything he won't be able to do? Will he get used to doing things with the cast on? This is the absolute worst time as I have next to no leave yet, my colleague has just gone on holidays so I can't afford to take time off even if I had it, and my boss is completely stressing out with all of the work we have on at the moment.

Any tips or advice for how I can help him? I am going to go to work really early so I can get home to make dinner, or else chop everything up in the morning so he can throw it all in when ready. I think his mum may come to help him the first few days, but I can't guarantee it as they are the type to offer lots of help but never follow through when we actually need it.

[AmandaJ]

He's most probably not going to be able to lift your DS up or carry him for a while if he's only having surgery this morning. He'll find it hard to open certain containers/lids ect.

I know when my DS broke his elbow he didn't have surgery but he couldn't do much with that arm for at least two weeks when the bone had started to knit back together, then he would use it more after that first two weeks. HTH a bit.

[HotI]

Strapping the kids in their car seats could be difficult, you usually need 2 hands.

Depending on how high up his arm the plaster is, and the position that his arm will be in he may be able to lift using his shoulder more than his lower arm. Can you younger son walk or stand up to help out?

Within a couple of weeks he should be able to work out most things, it's just the initial time that will be most difficult.

[appletree]

Thanks guys, dd is a pro at strapping herself in so I guess she can strap ds in for him, he won't be able to drive though as the car is manual...

He has already been picking ds up one handed so I guess that's solved as well. He has also worked out how to open a beer, but for some reason he is too injured to then take the empty bottle to the recycling.... Lol. Patience is wearing thin already!

I think he is just going to have to manage, he decided against surgery this morning so he could go through private health insurance so I am going to have to take a few days of unpaid leave I guess to take him there and look after the kids. He can sort himself out after that. Am I being mean? If your dh did that to you as a sahm would you think it was unreasonable?

[luna moth]

Don't know if you remember - I had a broken hand when your DD was born. Just after she was born, actually, but I remember going through the pain to give her a cuddle, totally worth it!

It's hard, definitely hard work. I don't think he should be driving. Manual or not, you just don't have the motor skills you might need in an emegency, like being able to grip the wheel properly. Prepping food and wiping my bum were the hardest things, and at work I transferred out of working with under threes. For food I got a mate in to help me with big batch cooking, he chopped, I cooked, I let him take half. So maybe call in some favours food wise.

He didn't break his arm on purpose... I can see where you might be frustrated, but it won't help things to get mad.