Recently, one of my sweet little friends (age 11) had surgery and had to stay in the hospital for over a month. As a child I was in the hospital for four days, so I knew she would enjoy having some fun things to do while she was in the hospital (it can get a little boring sometimes!).
I got an inexpensive basket at the Dollar Tree and filled it with lots of fun, wrapped goodies. It makes it more fun for the child if everything is wrapped (so they can enjoy opening one or two gifts a day). I put the whole basket in a gift basket bag (2/$1 at DT) and tied it up with some curly ribbon I had on hand.
Here are some ideas for things to put in a gift basket for a sick child (be sure to check with the parents/hospital about any off-limit items, i.e. candy or latex). Most of these items can be purchased at a dollar store.
-socks
-hairbows/headbands
-stickers
-gum/mints
-lip balm/chapstick
-small toys (yo-yo’s, cars, brainteasers, bouncy balls, etc.)
-puzzle books (word searches, mazes, etc.)
-coloring book/colored pencils
-short chapter books (as age-appropriate)
-music CDs (if they have a way to listen to them in their room)
-erasers/pens/pencils
-nail polish
-giant lollipop
-craft supplies (card-making kits, paint by number kits, friendship bracelet kits, etc.)
-origami kit
-magic scratch-off paper
-sign for their room/door hanger
-kid’s magazine (Highlights, American Girl, Ranger Rick, etc.)
-rubber duck
-stuffed animals
-puzzles
-plastic animals/army men/action figures
-LEGO sets
-disposable camera
-stationery (note cards, note pads, etc.)
-homemade baked goods (if okay with parents)
-new pajamas
What else would you include in a gift basket for a child staying in the hospital?
love this!
Love joke/riddle books, word finds or just good story books to read. Depending on the age, the focus needed for
detailed activities like craft and origami might not be there. I was in the hospital as a teen and brought nail polish
along. Turned out the nurses made me remove it because they need to see the fingernails to judge whether there is an issue with oxygen.
Clearly no one thought of that. It was also smelly, both going on and coming off which wasn’t so nice for the woman who shared
a room with me. Maybe the nurse overreacted … on that one. Temporary tattoos or nail gems might be a safer addition to the basket.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the nail polish (I was actually picturing them using it on their toes instead of their fingers)! And I LOVE your idea of the temporary tattoos… those would be so fun!
Such a cute basket!! Girl baskets are my favorite thing to make people! One year for Christmas I made gift baskets for everyone with the theme of Around The World. Each basket had fun items, food, wine ect from different countries! It was a hit
My daughter was in All Children’s Hospital for 28 days when she was 3 weeks old. Some of the volunteers handmade a quilt and other little items. They also gave her little wrist rattles. Another thing that family volunteers did was donate money to the parents to have a free meal at the hospital cafeteria.