Today, Baby Ike is a healthy, active, curious, inquisitive, social, and happy little boy. This certainly helps me to reflect on the first few weeks with some positivity.
Exactly one year ago, Baby Ike underwent surgery and had approximately 10 centimeters of his bowel removed. It was a terrifying experience trusting doctors with our newborn son, just 5 weeks old at the time.
Although he looked pale and groggy when we met him in recovery, it was such a relief to see him, touch him, kiss him, and know that the surgery had been classed by the surgeons as a best-case scenario.
Two weeks earlier, Baby Ike had been in a newborn intensive care unit, known as the Butterfly Ward at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) in Melbourne. Even during a harrowing time of fear, uncertainty, and heartache, there was something that brought us great joy and emotion.
It was this library bag and book that had both been made by Tahlia, another patient in the hospital. When a handful of library bags were delivered to the ward a week before Christmas, Ike’s nurse specifically chose this one for him as she believed he had the traits of a tortoise; although his progress was incredibly slow she knew he would come out of this life hurdle a winner.
These library bags and books had been created specifically for the babies in the Butterfly Ward by older children in the hospital as part of the learning program offered by the RCH Education Institute. I love that the children were given the opportunity to develop a story, create illustrations and learn how to use technology to publish their own books. These items will forever be treasured by Baby Ike and our family. The library bag is already well-used during our library visits. I truly wish we had been able to thank Tahlia personally.
Although our experience wasn’t all smooth sailing, I am thankful every day for the care provided to my Baby Ike by the doctors and nurses at the RCH. As I reflect on Ike’s surgery, I can’t help but shed many tears for the unfortunate children who must undergo any time in a hospital, whether it is for a day stay or for ongoing treatment. I find it heartbreaking to think of seriously ill children who are confined to a bed when other children their age are active and playing.
I wanted to share the importance of this library bag and book for us, and how powerful items like these can be for a child and their family when in hospital.
I wanted to share some ideas with you for creating a care package for children in the hospital. This list of ideas is not definitive, but each item here can be used when confined to a bed and helps a child to use their imagination while providing them with the opportunity to play and create without exerting too much energy.
How to Create a Hospital Care Package:
1. Start by decorating your own library bag (if you can’t sew your own calico bag, you can find them at craft or haberdashery stores). Try:
Drawing on the bag with fabric markers
Decorating the bag with fabric paints (freehand or stencils)
Decorating the bag with fabrics and fabric glue.
Ironing an image transfer onto the bag
2. Fill your library bag with fun and engaging items. Here are some age-appropriate ideas:
For Babies and Toddlers:
Picture books are suitable for babies or toddlers.
Puppet books
Interactive (e.g. Press Here)
Easy grip or chunky crayons
Sketch pads
Puppets
Nesting dolls
Small building blocks (e.g. Little Golden Book Baby Blocks)
Playdough and cookie cutters ( or make your own playdough gift set to include)
For Pre-schoolers:
Wordless picture books
Visual puzzle books
Joke books
Interactive books
Books about hospital
Non-fiction books on topics of interest
Activity or coloring books
Sketch pads
Crayons or pencils
Children’s magazines
Magnetic or travel games
Homemade games or activities (e.g. story stones or pre-writing practice cards)
Board games that don’t require too much space to play (E.g. Sleepy Princess or Barrel of Monkeys)
For Children in the Early Years of Primary School:
Picture books
Humorous picture books
Interactive or puzzle books
Craft or instructional books including materials (e.g. Fabric, cotton thread, and needle). Owl Know How is shown here.
Activity books
Tongue-twister books
Notepads or sketchbooks
Gel or metallic pens
Small jigsaw puzzles
Word games
Magnetic or travel games
Children’s magazines
Homemade games or activities (e.g. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activity Set)
Magic tricks
For Children in the Middle to Upper Years of Primary School:
Non-fiction books on topics of interest
Short story compilations
Books from series
Activity or interactive books
Books that have been adapted into film
Brain teasers
Notepads or journals
Gel or metallic pens
Magazines
Magnetic or travel games
Board games (e.g. Scrabble or Balderdash)
Postcards or letter-writing sets
Magic tricks
Purchase the books:
Below you will find affiliate links to the books shown in this post. They are all available through Booktopia.
Remember you can also download our bookplates for free, which are perfect for writing personal messages inside the books you give as gifts.
