Fabulous Find Friday: TFH Special Needs Toys

Today’s Fabulous Find Friday is TFH Special Needs Toys which is a great resource if you are looking for sensory toys for your children or patients. TFH Special Needs Toys has a wide variety of sensory toys that support children’s development through play. Some children struggle with sensory issues and other children need extra support when learning life skills, TFH Special Needs Toys provides the support that those children need. Their products range from sensory walls and bubble tubes to smaller items like fidget cubes and feelings cards.

Check out their full range of products at specialneedstoys.com.

Fabulous Find Friday: Chewelry

Today’s Fabulous Find is Chewelry! Chewelry is exactly what it sounds like, jewelry that you can chew. Many kiddos in the hospital have sensory issues, especially if they have been chronically hospitalized. There are also many developmental delays associated with chronic hospitalization but it’s often hard to find a developmentally appropriate toy when the child is typical physically. Chewelry is designed for kids and adults which means it’s helpful regardless of the person’s age. It’s also designed to be stylish so it’s not as obvious that it’s meant to be chewed. But nonetheless, it can be a soothing chew when needed.

  

Fabulous Find Friday: Flipeez Hats

If you haven’t seen these hats, then you are missing out. The Flipeez hats are children’s hats that are monsters and also popular characters, like Paw Patrol and Elsa. But the best part is that they move. The ears on the Paw Patrol puppies move and Olaf’s arms open wide for warm hugs.

I know that you’re probably wondering why I’m sharing children’s apparel instead of tools and Child Life finds but these hats could actually make an awesome Child Life find. The character hats, like Paw Patrol and Frozen, fit adults! As a ski instructor in the 3-6 year old program, I love using these hats as distraction to help the kids cope with the new environment and stress and uncertainty of doing a sport they haven’t done before. When you’re talking to a child and the ears on your hat suddenly move, they pause and kinda watch in shock. As you continue to wiggle your ears, the kids become more engaged and eventually demonstrate their comfort level by asking to try the hat themselves.

Fabulous Find Friday: Worry Eaters

Today’s Fabulous Find is Worry Eaters! These fun little monsters can eat a child’s worries away. Their mouth unzips so that children can place their worries in a safe place and their friend will eat it up so they don’t have to worry about it anymore. Visit their site to learn more about these little super heros; http://sorgenfresser.com/en/howto/

Fabulous Find: Gabe’s Chemo Duck

Cancer treatment can be scary for kids. As Child Life Specialists, we know the importance of preparation. Chemo Duck is a great tool to help prepare kids for a port, central line, or really any procedures they may encounter during their treatment. Chemo Duck comes with a port or a central line and he can be a child’s companion throughout treatment or just during medical play sessions.

 

Visit their website to learn more;  http://chemoduck.org/for-kids/meet-chemo-duck/

 

 

 

Fabulous Find Friday: Playopolis Toys

Today’s Fabulous Find Friday is Playopolis Toys!

If you are already working in the field, you probably already know about Playopolis. If you’re not, great! I’m glad I can share this toy company with you.

If the name sounds familiar, Playopolis makes the ever popular light spinners that are so great at distraction. If you’re not looking to buy toys right now, you might be wondering how this fabulous find can help you. Even if you’re not in the hospital right now, checking out the toys on this site gives you great insight into what kinds of toys are out there. Think about what the toy might be used for and what population you could give it to. Then when you do enter the hospital, you will be somewhat familiar with the toys.

Fabulous Find Friday: Little Patient

A friend recently suggested the Little Patient for Fabulous Find Fridays and I think it is one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen!

When she told me about the Little Patient, her exact words were “You can get a boy, a girl, or both, and they are dressed in little hospital gowns. Their tummies unzip to reveal many organs that are velcroed into place, so they are easy to take out, play with, and replace.” It was her favorite Christmas gift this year!

As you can probably see from the image above, the Little Patient comes with all the major organs. It would be a great teaching tool for children to learn about what’s inside our bodies. It is a plush toy, so it might be hard to incorporate into Child Life Practice at the hospital. But, the Little Patient would be great to give as a gift to help a child or in a setting that doesn’t have as strict infection control rules.

The Little Patient is available online here

Fabulous Find Friday: Plush Organs

Welcome to our first Fabulous Find Friday! My plan is to share with you some Child Life related items and opportunities that I think might interest other passionate Child Life Individuals!

Today I want to share with you PLUSH ORGANS!!! Many of you might have seen them on Pinterest, but I have finally found where you can buy them online. I Heart Guts doesn’t only sell plush organs, but also T-shirts, socks and keychains. I’m not kidding when I say that Plush Organs are now at the top of my Christmas wishlist.

Unfortunately, they are only available in plush form which could make it hard to utilize these in the hospital setting. But I’m sure there are other ways that they could be used to educated children about their bodies. How would you use Plush Organs to educate and prepare children?