hi shanda...
about the clothing, if Jaden's wearing 18-24 months then I would get size 6 t-shirts (they shrink anyway when you first wash 'em).... he won't need larger shorts. He will wear the shirts over the splint. (and wear 'em again when he's older!)
If he has very sensitive skin and gets skin breakdown underneath the splint then you need to have some tight undershirts available. I hate to say this but I think that girl undershirts work better than boy undershirts... the boy undershirts have the ribs or the sewing around the neck that is really thick and this may cause a problem under the splint - the girly kind (yes you can get plain white! lol) are quite thin and smooth, would work better. Also get some stockinette from your therapist - undershirts will probably be short sleeve, so the stockinette will protect the rest of his arm.
What to take to the hospital? well you don't need pajamas. They will give you diapers there. How about some slippers with a grip bottom (floors are slippery). Don't forget a stuffed toy buddy (who will get splinted) and a couple of his favorite videos / books, etc. Bring the favorite video to the splinting room (don't forget!!)
For home, I always washed maia on the dining room table on a quilt/sheepskin - so I would say, have everything prepared in a container that you will need so you have it in one place - can't move around finding things when a child is on a table.
So here's a list of the kinds of things we keep in our box:
Incision Care:
gauze pads
paper tape (micropore)
neosporin
tylenol
Washing stuff:
body gel, shampoo, washcloths
toothbrush, toothpaste
Body Care:
nail clipper/file
eucerin cream, desitin
diaper or two
stockinette (from OT to cover the arm if it has skin breakdown)
and some toys I can pull out if she got rammy
you get the idea....
I'd also keep a stack of towels, changes of clothing on the table and a basin to put warm water in. And the bag containing the extra straps/foam, etc.
I do have a lot of info on Maia's site
Look at the mod quad section at
http://www.injurednewborn.com/maia/homepage.html
Look at the What to Expect on the Day of Surgery
http://www.injurednewborn.com/maia/dayofsurg.html
and from the homepage also look at the TCH area - there are good pictures...
and keep on asking questions... anything you can do to prepare yourself physically and emotionally will help you stay less stressed thus you'll be able to be more present for your child.
Also - if Jaden has extreme pain after the mod quad (not meaning to scare you - most kids don't, some kids do) you can ask your doc to call on "pain service" - they have resources to help your child through it (i.e. pca pump) And one last thing.... if an IV falls out and you are worried about him getting the IV put in, you can always request EMLA (numbing cream)...the only thing about it is that it takes a couple of hours (it has to be ordered, pharmacy has to bring it and then you have to wait one hour for it to work). It was completely worth it for us - Maia gets so traumatized by these kinds of things - but some parents don't feel it's necessary.
Hope this helps,
francine