Child Life Essentials

Belt Bag: It’s super helpful for me to have something to carry my essentials around the hospital so I’m not constantly running back to the office or playroom!

Covered Water Bottle: We want to keep away the gross hospital air and I LOVE my Owala!

Buzzy for Pain Relief: Buzzy is a game changer! It’s a small vibrating device that is placed next to the site of a poke to help “trick your brain” into feeling Buzzy instead of the poke.

Nurture Smart Crib Mobile: These are literally made for the hospital and it shows. They’re wipeable, safely latch onto the hospital cribs, and are easily adjusted for staff and parents needing to access the baby. They’re only for babies under 6 months though, so for older babies I’d recommend essential #6!

Seek and Find/iSpy Books: These are a great distraction! They are engaging and super fun for kids during a stressful procedure.

Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother: We call these “turtle TVs” at my hospital. They are also wipeable and clip onto the hospital beds easily. They play lullabies and white noise, as well as serve as a nightlight. Babies love watching the little sea creatures move around!

Mini Bubble Tubes: Bubbles are a must, and while this is an obvious recommendation, I wanted to specify these small tubes from Oriental Trading. They fit into my belt bag and actually make great bubbles!

Fidgets: Any kind of fidget is great for distracting kids and channeling nervous energy. We get most of our fidgets from Amazon. I love fidget spinners, pop-its, and tangles!

Light Spinner: The light spinner is our most requested item from nurses because younger kids are OBSESSED. The spinning lights are captivating and therefore a perfect distraction for quick procedures and even taking vitals. We keep a few in triage for this reason!

Stress Balls: The stress balls pictured are slow-rise stress balls from Amazon, but any stress balls are good! Like other fidgets, they’re great for channeling nervous energy or squeezing during a painful procedure.

Glitter tubes: Glitter tubes are a recent addition to my toolkit and I love them so much! They are so calming to watch and remind me of my own childhood!

Canva Membership: I literally couldn’t do my job without Canva. Like I couldn’t even imagine it. We use Canva to make decorations, sticker charts, schedules, holiday posters, birthday signs, educational flyers for staff, and so much more.

Mess-Free Ink Pads: These are great because like the name suggests, they make NO mess and almost always produce a near-perfect print! I love doing handprints with babies for milestones and turning them into little pictures. They also are very useful for bereavements.

Baby Shusher: Shushers are great for babies who are fussy and respond well to white noise/shushing. I use them sometimes for procedures or as a replacement for a white noise machine in patient rooms.

Feeding Friends Tape: For patients that need feeding tubes, I love having an option to make it cuter! You can allow the patient to pick their favorite shape or animal (depending on what pack you have) to help stick the tube to their cheek, and it provides a fun aspect to something that’s very not fun.

Stuffed Animals: Stuffed animals have so many uses! We use them for comfort, brighten up a room, and teaching. Stuffed animals are great for medical play to allow kids to practice medical scenarios on their animal before (or after) it happens to them.