Hip Dysplaysia Support Group

thats a bugger, make sure you get the answers you want especially about why he was taken out so early. Hugs to you and good luck

Melissa

mis_tree - sorry to hear this...i hope the harness works.. my friend's daughter was in the harness but it wasnt working well for her. so they had to go for surgery, i think at this stage she's recovering quite well!

Mis_tree - so sorry to hear someone has made an error. Our specialist said it was virtually impossible for anything to go wrong once it is corrected and if something was to go wrong it would take years for it to show up on x-ray so that is why we don't need to go back to specialist until DD is 5yrs. Is your specialist an Orthadpedic Surgeon ours also was a paediatric specialist? My understanding is they are the Dr's that specialise in this condition and therefore are they most trained to know when kids are ready to come out of the brace.

I really hope you get some answers.

WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and he calls himself a specialist!!

Hi mis_tree, I've just read all your posts from the last couple of weeks. (For some reason I don't get email notification of new posts???). You must feel so frustrated and upset about the whole situation. You said you had to go to Syndey for your next step. Are you going to Westmead Children's Hospital? That is where we go with Scarlett and they are excellent there. At least you should get things sorted out once an for all. We also started out with an orthopaedic surgeon and he wasn't that much help either. He ended up referring us on to the hospital as tey are the experts. I don't know why we didn't go there in the first place.

Anyway, good luck and hopefully things will be sorted out soon.

Nicole

Mis-tree you must be so frustrated but the Children's will certainly sort it out. I've been told it takes a specialist ultrasound person to be able to know what they are looking for. In Melbourne I was told there are only a couple of ultrasound places that do the hip ultrasounds on babies and are able to properly pick it up. So if this is true the Children's will be properly trained coz they will be doing them regularly. So you will have a specialist that specialises in paediatrics, which again this issue is largely only diagnosed in children so again you will get the proper answers. Just trying to look for the positives in this for you.

i know I am very grateful for being able to use the Children's hospital (in Melbourne) rather than rely of specialists in the country (I'm orginally a country girl). Good luck!

Hi Mis-tree,
so sorry to hear you are having problems. Must be very frustrating and upsetting.
I haven't been in this thread for ages but get the updates through my email and saw you were going to see Dr Bellemore. He is a brilliant doctor. We had him for Hailey who was diagnosed at 6 months. She went into a hip spica (plaster) for 3 months and had an abduction brace on for 22hrs a day for 9 months after that. She has just been for a check-up again with him in May and we now don't have to see him for 2 years as everything is coming along nicely.

He is a very calming doctor and you can ask him anything and he'll explain even your simplest questions. He is also the head of orthopedics at Westmead so you're getting the best of the best as far as I'm concerned. He also has his own website so just google him. Are you seeing him privately or through the public system? I initially went through the public system at Westmead but found it very hard to have to make our follow-up appointments when they were required to be close together (i.e. every 2 months) so in the end just went with him privately.

If you have any questions at all just PM me. I'm not sure if it's still there but he was using an ultrasound place right next door to his offices at Westmead. They told us straight away that Hailey's hip was fully dislocated. Luckily I had another mother in my mother's group at the time that was going through the same thing at the same time, so I hope you have some good support around you. You will get through it. Hailey learnt to crawl in the plaster and WALK in the brace!!! She didn't fall back on any development other than being a little wobbly on her feet and around the jungle gyms for a little while.

I hope you have a positive outcome with Dr Bellemore.

mis_tree

I just looked up Dr Belmore's website - it's great. He even has patient handouts to download. We actually see Dr Little at Westmead who runs a 'Hip Clinic' every Tuesday. You will get the best care there. The people doing the ultrasounds and xrays are great. You will also meet plenty of other parents going throught he same thing in the waiting room!

Good luck. When is your appointment?

Nicole

Hi Everyone
Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on activities for an 18mth old in a hip spica? Also any clothing suggestions.

Hi my daughter is two at the end of this month. She was diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia at 6 months. She went in for a closed reduction at 8 months and put in to a spica. After 4 weeks she went in for cast change and to try put her right hip in a better place it was found that her hips were to unstable and she was referred for an open reduction in melbourne. At eighteen months after a phone call to the hospital it was found that the referrel was not sent. So we first met the doctor in melbourne in july this year she had her open reduction in September. She came out of the operation not real well and was not real good all weekend on Sunday it was found her right hip was not in postion. So she went back in to sugery on monday and this time both hips are in place and she came out real well hardly needing any pain killers. We went home on tuesday. She has now been in her spica for nearly three weeks and doing well has no trouble entertaining her self. She goes back over to melbourne on her birthday of all things for cast change and ther is talk that her right hip may require more surgery cross fingers.

Hi Ell
I was just wondering if your daughter has learnt to crawl while in the hip spica? I was told by the doctors liv would probably learn to crawl but hasn't yet, it's been 2 weeks.What kinds off things does your daughter do to entertain herself. My daughter has bilaterl hip dysplacia also, but wasn't diagnosed till about 2 mths ago. Anyway hope everything goes well for you and your daughter.
Lucy

Hi Mis_tree
Olivia is adjusting well. She is back to her normal self. She does pretty much the same things she did before tht spica but does them sitting on a chair at a table. We bought her a bean bag as it is the most comfortable for her to watch her tv shows in. She off cause has her moments when she gets a little frustrated but all in all pretty good.
Glad to see everything has worked out well for you and your baby.

The first time when she was in spica she did learn to pull herself around quite well. But this time she has no interest in being on her belly. Though she is a lot heavier this time and has the stabilizing bar across her legs which makes it a bit difficult. Sierra entertains herself with drawing and playing with playdoh her tea set watching dvds. We have made a table for her to sit at and she loves she sits there for ages and just plays. really with anything that will fit on the table that she doesn't have to move much to play with.

Hi all

Scarlett is only in her brace at night, so she doesn't get much practice, but I've noticed that she can crawl around in her brace now if she's on the floor. She has also mastered rolling over in it and can even stand up in bed sometimes!

At 14 months she is almost walking! She takes a few steps and then falls on her bum or grabs onto something. I am quite excited that she will soon be able to keep up with all the other kids at playgroup!

Nicole

Hi Moss-tree, am glad that you got some good news.

Well we went to the MCHN yesterday for dds 18 month check up and shes not happy with the way dd rolls her hips when she walks and wants me to get in to the orthopaed earlier than next May. GGgrrr. So will call and see if I can make an appointment.

Minimatron - can I ask what dd is doing when she walks, did you notice anything yourself?

DD has only been walking for a month but I think she sort of funny (hard to describe) but sort of turned to one side. But it just be her still learning to walk.

Hi all,

Sorry havent been on for so long, life has been hectic the past weeks (as I am sure it has for everyone)I hope everyone and their babies are doing well.

I hate to dive straight in for advice, but am a bit worried and could do with some reassurance or reality check. Harrison is coming up to hist 1st birthday on 24th Oct, his next meeting with our Orth consultant is 17th Oct. For now Harry is in the Rhino brace (at night only) and the consultant was extremely hopeful that the operation & spica would not be necessary after our last meeting in August (but wouldnt commit or give any guarantee). But my husband has noticed a consistent clicking in Harry's hip every time he holds him, I cant feel it but he swears it is there. Has anyone else noticed this in their little ones?

I promise I will follow the thread and catch-up with everyone, sorry for the flying visit and hope everyone is doing well.

Laura

hey laura, i think cluncks are just the ligaments....

Bridee- since Olivia started walking at 12 months, her feet turned in, so we have been to physio and have orthotics in her shoes. It hasnt really worked, but the mchn said that she seems to be rolling her hips when she walks. I dont know what she really means but I do know she walks funny. I thought initially it was her learning to walk, but its been 6 months now. Am waiting to hear back from the clinc on Friday with an earlier appointment. Hope they can do it before I have this next one. Maybe if your worried go and get a review. I am hoping that all is good though, think I would be devistated if she needed to go under the knife.

Will let you know what happens though

Hey hope everything goes well with harrison. My daughter used to walk swinging her legs around in front of each other with a real arch in her back i also found she could not run like other kids tends to fall over a lot Compare her to other kids her age see if there is a huge difference in how they walk that might give an idea if she is walking completely different. Sierra is supposed to go into spica shorts next time i was wondering what anyone done for pants. While there child was in this spica. It bit cold in Tasmania at moment to go just dresses.

Hey mis tree, I asked at our 20 week u/s and the lady said that you have to wait til birth to see if she has the same thing.....my biggest fear is that the new one will have to go into a harness and Olivia will have to have more treatment. Fingers crossed.

We got our appointment for Thursday November 6th. Better than waiting til MAy next year. Am so nervous. Hope it comes around quickly with good results.

Hi all,

A quick update on my dear Scarlett. She is now a confident walker and has even attempted the odd run when she gets excited. I can't keep up with her anymore. It's like now that she can walk she won't sit still - ever! I must say she is sleeping well at night though!

I hope everyone is going well. Not long until your appointment now Melissa. Hope it goes well.

Nicole

Everything went well with Sierra her right hip looks good and for the moment she won't need further surgury. She in spica for further 7 weeks and then into a brace.

Thats great news ell.

I also have great news:) The specialist was happy with Olivias hips and they are considered 'normal'. In regards to her feet turning in, he said its coz kids with hip dysplasia are more flexable and and as they get older and taller, they will correct themselves.....phew. Now i can have my baby without having to worry about Olivias hips. Oh he did say there was a slightly higher chance the next one may have problems and to reques an u/s within six weeks of birth. Ok, good luck everyone....

melissa

Melissa - that is great news about Olivia. You must be so relieved. It is good to be aware of the possibility of the next one having a higher chance of having DDH (especially being a girl) and at least you will be prepared.

Ell - glad to hear about Sierra too. Good luck over the coming weeks.

Nicole

Hi guys,

Just found this site and have been reading your messages. I am a first time mum with a beautiful little girl - Eleni. We found out she had a dislocated hip when she was 4 1/2 months old. She is now almost 8 months old. We have had 2 hip spicas, and both were unsuccessful. We were then told Eleni would have to have an open reduction on her hip 2 weeks ago. Broke my heart. Ended up the doc in Sydney (who was a different doc to what we had previously seen) was able to put it in rather easy, no operation!! We are a little worried though as this is what we were told the first 2 times!!!! This doc seems to think it will work this time though. Eleni has her spica on once again. We have opted to have a CT scan tomorrow just to give ourselves piece of mind that the hip is still in. Fingers crossed!!!! I can honestly say this has been the most traumatic time of my life. Here I was thinking that you just have a baby and everything will be ok. Eleni was 6 weeks early, so the fun started there. She spent 2 weeks in hospital as she was not able to feed so was fed by a tube. I have a very loving husband and family who I am just so grateful for. I know that everything will be ok and she will get there, but I am just feeling like she is missing out. Stuck in plasters all the time cant be much fun. I am having a hard time getting past that!!!! I think I am feeling a lot worse than what she is to tell you the truth. She is such a brave little girl. How do you guys do it!!!!!????

Thanks for your reply mis_tree,

We had our scan today but of course will not find out the results until tomorrow. So I will be crossing everything I have in hope that it will come back ok!!!

The doc said Eleni will be in this spica for 6 weeks, then back up to Syd 11 Dec for a spica change. That one will be on for another 6 weeks and then if all goes well Eleni will be in a brace for 9 months. So all up 12 months before she is in the clear (cross fingers).

I have read some previous messages and noticed that you seen Dr Bellemore at Westmead. That is who we are seeing and from reading your opinion on him and some of the other mums, I feel we are in good hands!!! He is obviously the guru at this kind of thing. We live in regional NSW, so we have to travel also. We were seeing a doctor here like I said for the first 2 spicas, and were kind of let down both times. We were told that everything looked good. But it obviously was not. I am really worried we will be told the same thing again this time.

So your little boy is doing well? And his first Christmas - how exciting!!! Elenis also.

Summer time with the spica on is going to be interesting. If anyone has any hints on how to keep it clean on the inside, that would be great. I am finding it almost impossible to keep the little dribbles from going up the back!!! I am double nappying. Also, any ideas on different activities I can do with Eleni. I am so cautious with her back, maybe a little too much!!!

Reading this forum you guys sound like you have it all under control. Isn't it amazing how much these little bundles of joy mean to you. I think that is what makes this so heart breaking.

Hi Tammo

I am sure you will find this forum a saviour as we all have. It breaks my heart to read the stories of new members each time as I recall how hard it was in the early days with Scarlett. I too have been lucky that Scarlett has not been in a cast - ony a pavlik harness and now a dennis brown brace (at night only). I hope your scan comes back with positive results. The waiting is the worst part.

I'm sure you know that kids who go through this are so resilient. I feel it has made Scarlett a very patient and accepting child. Of course she has her tantrums like most toddlers but having gone through what these kids go through I'm sure in the long run it has a positive impact. As long as you look at the bigger picture it makes thing easier.

I don't have any ideas for activities either I'm sorry. Scarlett spend a lot of time on her back while in the harness but she was so young then (under 6 months) so she didn't mind so much. I'm sure you will get some ideas from the other.

Take care

Nicole

Hey guys:D,

Thanks for the replies. No news yet on the CT scan. Doc was in surgery today so will not find out until tomorrow :pray: It is like an emotional roller coaster isn't it.

Just went shopping and purchased a Jolly Jumper for Eleni. I am not going to have it so her feet touch the ground but I think it will be good for her, even if I use it just to feed her in. What do you think??? We did get her a bean bag as suggested, but I find it is not all that comfortable for her. I just want to try to get her in different positions rather than her back. She fits perfectly on my hip, but because of the plaster she gets heavy real quick and I have the bruises to show it!! Ha ha ha.

I am guessing that the pavlik harness gives the little ones a little more freedom? And definately would not be so hot? I am counting down the days until we get into that. One day at a time though.

Nicole, I read that your little Scarlett is walking!!! How exciting!!! You must have been so stoked. How long was she in the harness for all up? And what is the dennis brown brace?

I guess I have to keep remembering that she is going to get better. And like you guys said, look at the big picture. Like my husband says, in a life span of maybe 100 years (we like to think so anyway!), what is 12 months? And she will never remember this - we are the ones who will!!!! Ha ha ha. I find it really tuff sometimes though.

I feel better talking to you guys. And mis_tree I am so glad that we are in the best of hands with Dr Bellemore. He rocks!!!

Hope all is well with your little bundles of joy - and I will let you know the results of our scan.

Take care, and thanks heaps.

Tammo - hope you have found out some news from CT scan. Just reading your other post, you mentioned you can't wait until she gets into the Pavlik Harness, I'm no expert (DD was only ever in a Pavlik Harness) but not sure if a Pavlik Harness is used after a spica could be a different brace. Pavlik Harness is generally only used on younger babies. DD was 5 mths when she came out of it and they were even talking at that age if she needed to stay in it any longer she may have needed a different brace.

If you goggle hip kids you will find websites that have photos of the different braces used.

Hi Tammo - Scarlett was only in the pavlik harness for about 2 months as she went into it quite late (after 3 months old). Our first orthopeadic surgeoun put her in the pavlik but when we went to Westmead Children's hospital they told us the pavlik was too small for her and that is when she went into the dennis brown brace. I can't post links on here but if you go to the link in my signature and then click on the 'froggy' and 'air jordan' links you can see what Scarlett's harness and brace look like. I hope you get some news about Eleni's scan soon.

Scarlett only has 3 months left in the brace at night and I'm counting the days. She really doesn't like wearing it at night as she likes to sleep on her side. Most nights I hear a thud as she rolls over and hits her leg on the side of the cot. Then she sleeps with one leg up in the air. I thought at first it must be uncomfortable but I guess she wouldn't sleep if it was!

I am also a bit worried about Scarlett's walking. She walks on her toes alot and really 'toddles'. I guess most babies still getting the hang of walking do this, but I'm still a bit worried.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Nicole

I am new to this forum and would like some help. Isabella is almost 6 months old and has previously been in a DB brace for 10 weeks, this didn't work so she has just had a closed reduction and is in a Hip Spica for 8 weeks. Really tough time for us but she is wonderful and her happy self again after only 3 days. Really would love some suggestions and help about suitable prams. We have a Phil & Teds Vibe but can't seem to fit her in or work out how to. Can anyone suggest a pram that will fit her in a Hip Spica. I realise every baby will be different but would love to hear how everyone else worked out the pram situation.

Hi Isabella's mum. I hope you are coping as well as Isabella is - it is much harder on us parents! My daughter Scarlett hasn't been in a spica (yet) but we had trouble fitting her in the pram and car seat in her pavlik harness. We ended up folding up towels and putting them under her bum so she was lifted up out of the pram. She was effectively sittining on top of the pram instead of in it! As long as you can reach the straps of the safety harness arounf it it should be OK. I'm sure others on here will be ab;e to give you some better advice about this.

So when was Isabella diagnosed? Just after 3 months? That is the age my daughter was diagnosed and she went into a pavlik harness before going into a DB brace. Both have done the job of forming her hip socket (she never had dislocation), but our doc is still concerend that the angle that her hip sits in the socket is not right. 3 more months until we see him again so we don't know what is happening until then, but we've been told she will probably need surgery before she goes to school.

Nicole

Hi Nicole,

Thanks for your response. Just had a look at your pics of Scarletts harness and brace. It looks like she coped really well, and might I add she is just the cutest thing ever!!! I have been onto some other sites also and had a look some pics. Looks like there are so many different ones!!! I guess we will wait until we have our next appointment in Syd on 11 Dec and I will ask then.

We still have not heard anything on the scan results. I think the doc here is waiting to talk to Dr Bellemore in Syd maybe, as we tried to call him and he was overseas at a conference. Still crossing my fingers!!!! Will let all you guys know when we know.

Hi Isabellas mum,

I too have a little girl in a spica. What a nightmare!!! We have a Valco three wheeler pram and we found that the easiest thing to do was to semi lay it down with a pillow underneath her and a roll under her ankles, so like Nicole said, she is basically sitting on top of it. This seems to be the most comfortable for her. And because of the weight of the plaster, she does not move all that much. Hope you are coping ok, as I know I am still adjusting emotionally, and this is Elenis third one!!!!

Hi,

I am new here and have been reading through a few of the posts and it is good to see there is some support.

I have a beautiful 6 month old daughter Charlotte. She was born with a foot deformity (which is fine now) so was automatically booked for a hip ultrasound at 6 weeks, the hip U/S was abnormal but being so young they wanted to give her time to see if she would heal by herself. We went for another U/S about 6 weeks later and it showed improvement so they did not treat her. Then we were booked for an x-ray which we went to just this monday and they say that she has DDH and both her sockets are shallow and she has to go into a DB brace for at least 3 months. As you can imagine both my husband and i were really shocked because she seemed fine was just on the verge of crawling and movement were all good...

Anyway, she seems to be ok with the brace but is not sleeping well, is waking several times at night when previously she sleeps 12 hours... I dont know how to make her more comfortable at night??

Also i am really concerned about her development now, she was doing so well was rolling all over the place and was just starting to hold herself up into a crawling position... now i feel like she is not going to be able to do anything and when i give her time on her tummy with the brace she gets really frustrated because she can't move much now. I guess i was wondering if anyone else's babies have managed to be mobile at all in the brace?

Also i am worried about the next appointment, they said 3 months but reading on here it seems that not many babies are better after 3 months and end up taking alot longer, i am so upset about this, it is horrible to see her so frustrated and she is soooo tired because she is not sleeping properly.

This is still all very new to me and i am still struggling with the basics like nappy changes and clothing, (most of her clothes dont fit over the brace)...

Anyway i know nobody can tell me how long it will be and reading on here she is definitely not the worst affected baby so i guess i can count myself lucky on that but i guess that makes no difference really, still a bit fresh for me so still finding it really upsetting...

Emma.

Hi Emma,

I thought I would give you my expereince with the db brace. My second dd was not diagnosed with double hip dysplasia till she was 6 months old, I had to travel to Sydnet to get it checked properly as no one in Canberra would deal with her, (no private cover). At the time she was put in it she was rolling and doing the rock thing that babies tend to do before they crawl. She was checked after 4weeks to make sure it was in the right size for her and all. Then checked again at the 3 month stage her dr said it was looking promising and to come back in a month, I could not get an appoinment for 6 weeks, when I did it was all better and the brace game off then and there. She is now a happy 5yr old.

In terms of movement by the time she came out of it she was rolling in it, sitting up and even tried to stand. Within a month of being out of it she was crawling and cruising furniture. On the sleep front i used to put rolled nappies under her legs to help support the weight of the harnes this helped her sleep, though i still had to get up to her every 3 hours to move her a bit eg tilt to side slightly etc.

Hope this helps.

thanks for that message... it is good to know that it is not always ongoing for months and months, i am still vey raw about the whole thing and support is great...

i will try the rolled up nappy to help her sleep and hopefully she will be more comfy...

thats great that it didnt impede her development too much and she was up and about so fast, i hope charlotte can achieve the same...

thanks again...

Hi everyone,
I just found this great forum as I am keen to learn all i can about hip dysplasia. My 18mth old daughter Sienna was diagonosed just after 12 mths with a dislocated hip. We have been waiting every since for her operation. Today it was confirmed for Dec 8th. She is having the dye put in and her hip put back in the socket then plaster for 3mths. I have read heaps about nappies - thanks for your suggestions and comments. I was however wondering how you bath/shower them???? I am assumming with plastic around them in the shower. Can anyone offer any advice. I am dreading her plaster through the summer as I have been told it smells and there is not much you can do with them with the warm weather. I am also worried she will get frustrated as she currently walks (runs) everywhere and loves her swimming - which she will miss for a while. We have bought her an Elmo beanbag - as she loves Elmo, so that will be a nice surprise for her when she comes home from hospital. I have also been looking at high chair(harness type things) options - any suggestions would be most welcome.
I am also 6.5mths pregnant and am dreading the weight issue with the plaster. Believe it or not I found out I was pregnant the week we found out about Sienna's hip. At the time I thought it would all be over by the 2nd bub, but with RCH(Melb) waiting lists it looks like she will still be in plaster or brace when 2nd bub arrives. Thankfully I have a great husband who does alot and just adores our little girl.
I look forward to reading and sharing with you all. This forum will be a great comfort for me.
Take care all
Paula

Hi Everyone,
My name is Monica and about 3 weeks ago our 4 month old baby daughter was diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia in her right hip. She was placed in a hip spica on Tuesday and we were told she would be in that for a min of 3 months, then a brace full time (except for baths) for 4 weeks and then the brace only at night for another 4 weeks.
I have been reading some of the previous posts and it seems that in most cases the spicas and braces are on for a lot longer then that.
My husband is handling it quite well but I am having a really hard time dealing with it. Please tell me it gets easier! It came as such a shock because when it was first detected by our clinic nurse she said it might just need a bit of physio, then after the initial x-ray our GP said she will probably have to wear a brace for a few months, and then when we saw the surgeon it went froma brace to a cast so it just seemed to get worse and worse. Thankfully she didn't need surgery as he was able to place it back manually. She lost a bit of her spark for the first few days but thankfully is starting to become her old self, however she has gone from being an excellent sleeper to becoming very distressed when we put her down at night and waking up almost every hour throughout the night. Did anyone else experience this during the night and any tips on what to do. Strangely enough her day sleeps have not been affected.
Also I am really worried about her getting sores from not moving around. Prior to having the spica put on she was rolling onto her tummy and lifting her head really well but since seems to have digressed. When I put her on her tummy she cries and hardly even attempts to lift her head. Any suggestions?
We were told by the cast technician to use a sanitary pad as well as the nappy to soak up as much urine as possible but twice now it has gone down the back of the spica. Does anyone have any other ideas on how to prevent this from happening?
We have our follow up appointment on 9th of Dec to make sure everything is going ok and I can't wait until the six week change because at least we are half way there. 3 months feels like an eternity at the moment.
I hope this makes sense as my head has been swimmimg for the last few weeks and I'm hoping for some sense of normality to return soon.
Thanks for any help and/or advice it will all be appreciated!
Monica

Hi All,

It has been sometime since I've written on this forum and I have been reading all your posts. It makes me sad remembering how our journey was but we are now at the otherside, and everyting is fine with Hailey; almost like a distant memory.
Hailey was not diagnosed until she was 8 months old, I knew something was wrong but no body would take it seriously. She went into a pavlik harness for 2 weeks- causing femoral nerve palsy as she was too old/big for the harness, then into a dennis broiwn bar for two weeks, then she had a closed reduction on her right hip and an open reduction on her left hip. A spica for 8 weeks, a rhino cast 24/7 for 6 weeks, the her L leg wasn't movong so well so rhino cast at night only for 6 weeks, the another review and the surgeon said leave it off. VERY long story short!! After this she quickly started moving "normally" she walked on the inside of her ankle to start with but now walks and runs pretty normally. She is 18 months old.
I will tell you some of the things that i found helped with having plaster on; also over summer.
Hailey wore size 3 or 4 dresses that fitted over the top of the plaster to hide it a bit. The outside of the plaster got filthy but it was ok. The other things that were good were the bonds coveralls, in a large size.
We used huggies newborn nappies and the Aldi newborns (which I found MUCH better), i used scissors and cut all the exta banding off the top at the back, tucked into the plaster and plenty tucked into the back. we actually found it easier to clean while she was laying on her back and then turn her over and tuck the nappy in the back. This also ment that we could make sure the nappy was flat and far enough up to stop the plaster getting wet. We then turned her over onto her back again and put a huggies walker over the top of the whole cast. I only neede to change this nappy once, sometimes twice a day as it never got wet. We had two leaks early on but it was ok after that.
We were not allowed to bath or shower her. We then wrapped the plaster in a towel and tipped her upside down a bit to was her hair and as much skin as we could reach!!
Not sure if the still sell them but a "dinky Diner" on ebay was the best way to secure Hailey to a chair and feed her.
Activity wise we tried to alternate her position as often as possible, sitting up, laying back, flat on her back or front. Lots of reading, bean bags were great.
She fitted over the 3 wheeled stroller, just careful of her ankles, people tend to walk way to close to prams.
Sleeping: the first week or so was ordinary. We then put eggshell foam over the whole cot matress and an extra layer up the top so her back layed on this and made it a bit higher than the plaster hence supporting it, (Does that make sense??) This actually seemed to help a bit. She then settled back into being a good sleeper.We also had a wedge that we put under one leg at bed time, then changed it when we went to bed then would take it out ealy hours of the morning. Just to distribute weight a bit over the night.
On her tummy i would put a bit of something, folded up hand towel, to lift her up, being mindful not to put pressure on her ankles as we found when she tried to lift her head it put a fair bit of pressure on her back on the cast.

I hope this gives you some tips.