Medical Play Care Package from Shriner's Hospital (May 2015)

 

 A few days ago I talked with someone (basically a child development/psychologist.. Not sure her exact title) at Shriners who gave me some recommendations on how to best help Sydney cope with everything that is coming.
She also said that she would be sending us a little "medical play" package. When I opened it up, I was shocked at how many awesome things she had sent us!

There was a little doll that had a medical gown on and she had even put a pink cast on her right leg just like Sydney will have. It also had some gloves, band aids, thermometer, face mask, medicine cups, syringe, doc mastiff ins coloring book, a Franklin Goes to the Hospital book and a board book about hospitals... Etc! She had even included a list of other resources and children's books that talk about hospitals. Seriously amazing! I wish I had gotten Sydney's reaction on tape when she woke up from her nap and saw the large box if fun new toys. I feel like she learned so much about hospitals and how the day of her surgery will go in just a half hour of playing with these things. 

She was in heaven and I was so grateful that she is getting exposure to these things before her surgery. My husband had surgery on his ears when he was little and he said he still remembers crying himself to sleep because he was afraid of the mask they put on him to put him to sleep. He said it was watermelon scented and that he hated watermelon flavored things for years after that. How sad. Hopefully all the things we have been doing to prepare her ahead of time will help to prevent at least a few of those kinds of experiences for her by having a lot of it all be familiar to her.

I caught a couple videos of her playing with it all:

 

This second one she had asked me to take off the cast because she wanted to see the doll's "cute little stump!"

Is that not just the best? In this next picture she is reading to her doll about hospitals.

I love it! She then had to test it all out on her poor little brother. He was a good sport though.:)

Giving him a shot in his cheek that was "red" and therefore sick according to Sydney. She then had to wrap his arm with a cast.. things went well until her little brother decided he wanted to eat his hand.

 

 It was a struggle.
I love these kids! So cute! Well, long story short, we love Shriner's hospital for children!