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If you were going to be spending several days in the hospital at the side of your sick toddler, what could someone bring you that would make things easier?
My friend Emily's husband decided to cancel his business trip, so she's at least going to have someone consistent to help, and give her breaks. But she's going to be the one spending nights at the hospital and so forth. Zoe's still very sick - they've given up on the idea that she'll be able to go home before Thursday or Friday at the earliest.
I'm going by to visit tonight. I'm planning to bring coloring books, crayons, and stickers for Zoe, and my electric kettle filled with herbal tea and cocoa packets for Emily. (I suspect that all they'll have on the unit is a coffee pot, and Emily is an observant Mormon.) I'm also going to bring by a light and frivolous novel.
Any other suggestions?
My friend Emily's husband decided to cancel his business trip, so she's at least going to have someone consistent to help, and give her breaks. But she's going to be the one spending nights at the hospital and so forth. Zoe's still very sick - they've given up on the idea that she'll be able to go home before Thursday or Friday at the earliest.
I'm going by to visit tonight. I'm planning to bring coloring books, crayons, and stickers for Zoe, and my electric kettle filled with herbal tea and cocoa packets for Emily. (I suspect that all they'll have on the unit is a coffee pot, and Emily is an observant Mormon.) I'm also going to bring by a light and frivolous novel.
Any other suggestions?
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On the off chance that she doesn't have a cell phone, one of those paid-up long-distance calling cards might be useful.
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Suggestions from a nonparent
(Anonymous) 2007-11-13 07:45 pm (UTC)(link)Would a baby monitor make sense? Something so that she could go take a bathroom or food break and still know if Zoe's woken up?
-Sumana
Re: Suggestions from a nonparent
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The hospital I work for suggests lip balm.
Maybe some healthy and tasty snacks, as well as the cocoa? There may not be a quick and easy way to get snacks on the unit, and, well, hospital food is often no fun. Chocolate, almonds, baby carrots, mini tomatoes, grapes, apples, cheese sticks, crackers, granola bars?
Does Emily have a change of clothes, comfy slippers, etc? Does she have all the toiletries and things she needs from home? I assume the hospital is all fixed for hand sanitizer. Does she do any crafting?
That's all I can think of offhand.
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- entertainment for Eddie (so I brought my laptop and a bunch of DVDs)
- to know what was going on medically (I had a misunderstanding when a nurse woke Eddie up to weigh him, which he didn't need to do)
- a break (David and I went out to dinner while the nurses watched Eddie)
I think some way to write down questions and answers would be helpful - I found I'd forget questions during the one time a day that the doctor would visit.
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K.
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Some DVDs to watch, both with my toddler (if toddler is TV-watching sort) or grown-up movies for when child is asleep, if the hospital is DVD (or VHS) equipped.
Some medium-small garbage pails, baskets, or other bins, because I feel better when I can organize things and there may be insufficient bin- or drawer-space in the hospital room for everything in its place. (That's a pretty weird one, but if Emily is Type A too...)
An air mattress or cot, if the sleeping arrangements in the hospital room leave something to be desired. (And an electric air pump for the mattress.)
A fan or small radio that can be used as a white noise machine, to drown out some of the hospital noise.
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I think the novel idea is perfect. Maybe also a snack of some sort to go with the tea/cocoa? (Chips, nuts, granola bars, whatever.... or something more substantial.) So if she gets the munchies in between meals she isn't totally dependent on vending machines and also doesn't have to leave the room.
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1) A decent pillow for lumbar support (although much depends on the quality of the chairs on that floor)
2) I second healthy/tasty snacks. Hospital food is EXPENSIVE.
3) In my case, my grandmother was pretty low-interaction and only became more so. Audiobooks or something to amuse Emily without disturbing Zoe might be very helpful.
4) If she crafts, this could be a lifeline. I completed most of my Moebius scarf sitting in the hospital. Or perhaps quick lessons in a simple and easy craft to occupy her mind.
To my mind, a lot is going to depend on how much interaction Zoe is demanding.
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Lots. And. Lots.
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Clean socks and any other needfuls.
Stationery and stamps and a pen.
Maybe magazines she can read and then leave behind for others when she's done? (Sometimes a person doesn't want to take stuff home, either because they've finished it or because they don't want too much kipple that reminds them of the hospital and the waiting and stuff.)
I also agree with the suggestion of a container or bin or zippered bag or something, empty, to accomodate stuff that accumulates during this sort of stay.
A notebook to keep track of calls, of doctor/nurse/medtech visits and advice, and to make notes on things to do later. Keep the notebook small enough to be tucked into a pocket or purse, and attach a pencil on a string if possible.
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Baby Moleskine cahiers (http://www.moleskine.com/eng/_interni/catalogo/Cat_int/catalogo_cahiers.htm) are excellent for this, if you feel like splurging. ;)
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2) Notepad, pen, envelopes, stamps?
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If she's a reader, *light* novels or even magazines - it seems to be hard to concentrate when in hospitals, even if you're just waiting/the person you are with is asleep. So flip-through-able is nice.
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Those slipper socks with the traction gripper dots, because the floors are often cold and slippery.
Tissues with lotion. The hospital will have tissues, but they're often thin and rather industrial-quality. Wet wipes, the ones for hands (the hospital may provide these, some ped wards do, but they're a godsend to adults as well).
When I was sitting in hopsital with Laura, some kind soul brought me a large envelope with takeout menus from the places nearby that would deliver.
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My nephew's best friend was hospitalized for a week when they were barely two. I visited the day he got home, and I could see that all the preschoolers on the street were anxious about the scary event, not sure what to make of sluggish post-surgical Braden. Not-too-verbal nibling kept retelling the story "Braden hospital, home?" at every slightly-relevant prompt. Alex's language and conceptual skills should help you comfort her.
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If she's awake when I leave tonight (or on subsequent nights), I'll tell her that I need to go help Miss Emily with something. She's unlikely to ask why we aren't seeing Zoe for our normal weekly playdate, but if she does I will just explain that Zoe is sick and needs to rest.
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If my younger kid were in the hospital, I'd want a small CD player plus a stack of CDs that she would enjoy listening to, a mix of music (she has diverse tastes) and children's stories.
I think the preferred hand lotion and feminine necessities are excellent ideas. Also snacks -- if this were me, I would want something that didn't urgently require refrigeration but that also was not dry like a granola bar as I have trouble eating while under stress, and dry food is particularly difficult to get down. There are these pop-top cans of canned fruit and peel-top children's lunch packages of mandarin oranges that would be exactly what I needed.
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Speaking from distant memories of being stuck in a hospital myself as a child, a cuddly, somewhat interactive soft toy is good.
I love your idea for teas and cocoa. I stocked the hospital/nursing unit rooms with things like dried fruit, nuts, a little good chocolate, and just sucked it up and paid for anything other than water. If we ever have to go through that again, I'm bring the tea kit with me.
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Also with other suggestions on the magazines: there are times one's attention span is only a few pages long.
Something small, amusing, and that would cheer her up. (Doesn't need to be - and shouldn't be - expensive. But a something that she can look at briefly, smile, and know people are thinking of her, etc. A decorative box or bowl to hold stuff. A small stuffed animal if she's that kind of person. Flowers. A card.)
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Here's all I have to contribute (what a rotten name to rhyme, though at least it isn't as bad as Z, who rhymes out very quickly!):
There once was a toddler called Zoe
Whose breathing went wheezily whoa-ee. (woe-ee)
In a hospital bed,
Tucked up with her ted,
She'll quickly get better you know-ee.
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I had pneumonia a lot as a kid, and it hurts, so something like massage oil with mint or eucalyptus for rubbing Zoe's back (vicks vaporub was our thing), if not contra-indicated, might be nice and give Emily something to do for her child - which is something I would want in her place. Chapstick like products can really help with the dry lips that sometimes come from the fever and tent and stuff.
I don't know what your budget is but if Zoe's at all into fantasy play a magic wand or wizard's hat or anything that can be used to play out wishes go a long way in making hospitals less scary.
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Because hospital TP is not soft enough, dammit.
You think they'd know better.
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Someone should ask if the hospital can bring in a tv with a dvd player - and friends can loan dvds. The 5 inch LCD screened dvd porto-players are at target for about 50 bucks these days, too, if nobody has one to lend. If someone in your circle can lend a video ipod, you can stock it with things like Dora, Little Einsteins and Ruff Ruffman from itunes - and if someone has the cable ot link it to a tv it's even better.
If not, an ipod with kid-friendly songs and audiobooks is great.
A booklight so Emily can read without turning many lights on is good, and it's also useful for walking around the room in the evenings. If there is an on-floor microwave, then popcorn is good too - and those nifty new "brownie in a bowl" things for one that you just add water too.
There are also those little "computers" with 3 inch b&w screens with alphabet/shape/matching games that are easy to play in bed. My daughter loves her Star Wars one, and we have Barbie and Spider Man ones too. And there's a similar thing that's Diego with lots of info about animals.
Make sure she has her phone charger, too.
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She's probably got all the practical things she actually needs already, unless this is her first day there.
If my own experience is any guide, what she'll really want most is company. You'll be providing that.
chocolate
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They really appreciated the evening I showed up with take-out fried chicken, a couple of cold cokes, and a stack of silly movies. I stayed until midnight watching DVDs with Sean and helping him eat the chicken. He got to get his mind off being worried, while he was still able to comfort his baby son when he fussed and ask the appropriate questions of the nursing staff.
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