Just recently my sweet little three year old niece had to have her tonsils removed. Any surgery, inpatient or outpatient, is scary for a little one. I wanted to do something to brighten my niece’s day. My kids and I put together a care package and sent it in the mail.
It is one of those things in life that happens to every family. It’s scary and no fun at all. Maybe they aren’t staying in the hospital long, but you still feel like you need to do something. I wanted desperately just to go and give my niece a hug, but taking my 2 and 4 year old for a visit would get her too excited while she was to be resting. Flower’s and balloons are tricky because of allergies, and food is usually restricted but I wanted her to know that we were thinking about her. When her mom told me she was worried about what they were going to do for 14 days quietly I knew just what to do! The kids and I put together activities, toys, movies, and some comforting items that she could open and use when she got home from the hospital. We kept in mind that it needed to fit in a small package, and be something she could use or play with in bed. Here are some ideas for toddlers:
- Look and Find books
- Preschool activity books
- Paperback books with their favorite character
- Colored Bath Tablets
- Stickers
- New markers in a cute case
- Card games
- Little toys or figurines
- A card with a picture of your family in it (in a hug pose would be fun!)
- Cute cozy socks
- Movie or cartoons with their favorite characters
- Paper Dolls (or matchbox cars for boys)
I took everything out of it’s packaging so that it would fit better into the envelope. And was ready to mail it out! Her mom said that she loved everything in it, and was very excited to open something that came in the mail for her. Our package cost less than $5 to ship, and was worth every penny to know that it helped that little lady in her healing process.
The dollar store has great coloring books and activity books and pick up a movie from a replay store. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make a little ones day that has just had a surgery. It will make you feel as good as it makes the little patient feel.