My 7 year old son has suspected ligament damage in his foot. after visiting the er we were told to get him a moon boot. does he need to sleep with the moon boot. he is scheduled to see an orthopedic surgeon in 3 days time?

Moon boot: The boot will help to stabilize his foot. I would advise you to have your son sleep with the boot because it will be for only 3 days until he see the orthopod. When you see the orthopod, you can check if your son still needs to continue sleeping with the boot or not.

Call ER.: Experience tells me that it is almost impossible for a 7 y.o. to effectively wear a "moon" boot in bed. Generally, a serious ankle injury would require a different treatment protocol. Not knowing the exact nature and extent of the injury makes advising difficult. Applying an ace bandage could probably offer the same degree of support while sleeping. To remove all doubt check with the ER physician.

Most likely: The thought process with the moon boot would be to protect him from further injury until he is seen by a specialist. When you are sleep you typically would not have the protective mechanisms that you have when you are awake. So yes, I would think it would be wise to wear the moon boot until evaluation by the specialist.