What kinds of toys can a child with Leukemia have?
A family just recently found out their 4 year old little girl has the worst kind of leukemia, they have to tear up all the carpet in their house before they can come home. My College class and I are going to get her some Christmas presents and send to her. We have been told that she won't be able to get out of bed for 8 weeks, she can't have any kind of stuffed animals and whatever we do get has to be easily washed. I'm not sure what I could get her, any help is greatly appreciated
Thank you.
- vincent D
Try calling your local hospital and ask them that question.
They should, and would love to help you.
Hope this helps.
- april
Nowhere does it state that carpet has to be removed from home, unless it's so filthy it can't be cleaned...
•The patient will be in a weakened state after the bone marrow transplant and her immune system will be down. It is very critical that the patient stays in a room and a house that is free from dust, and things that can harbor germs and bacteria.
•Clean your whole house from top to bottom. Replace curtains and vacuum the carpet and all the furniture. Clean and store plush toys that are dust gatherers. Run the vacuum on bookshelves and beds to remove dust and dust mites.
Nobody has to stay in bed for 8 weeks...they need to stay in a room where they can do most of what they do on a daily basis...
•In most cases the patient who is recuperating from bone marrow transplant need to stay inside a bedroom where most of the daily activities and personal hygiene can be done. Check with the doctor is an ionizer and/or humidifier is advisable to be used inside the patient's room or where the patient stays for most of the time.
I would say anything that's entertaining and can be cleaned.
- TrueSnapdragon
I work with children with cancer. Toys should be packaged, not open. Markers are more easily cleaned than crayons, but a fresh package of crayons is usually okay. A drawing pad that comes wrapped in plastic would be good, or a pack of construction paper wrapped in plastic. Crayola Color Wonder would be fabulous- comes packaged, markers are easily cleaned, and great for a four year old.
Plastic is the easiest thing to clean when it comes to toys. However, if something is given to the child unopened and not used by other children, it's usually not a problem. Are these restrictions coming from the doctor or the parents? What kind of treatment is she receiving? Will she be having a transplant?
For easily washable plastic toys- baby doll (Tiny Love makes an all-plastic bath doll), medical play kid (Fisher-Price one has cloth on one side of the stethescope)- this is great for her to be able to gain mastery over what's happening to her and become comfortable with medical instruments. Legos/Duplos (they even come in pink and purple if she prefers), musical instruments, Polly Pocket, Zoobles (newer toy, very popular), Squinkies.
You should avoid clay. Play-Doh is okay if it's unopened and only used by her, but it's impossible to clean, so the parents might not be comfortable with it. Board games are often difficult to clean due to paper and/or cardboard, but something like Zingo might be okay. A dry erase board with low-smell markers is always fun for drawing, and very easy to clean.
Not sure how much you and your class are looking to spend, but if you are thinking of any more expensive items, video games can be cleaned. The Wii has many games a four-year-old could play, even in bed. But the most popular thing with my patients is the iPad (very expensive, I know.) I clean it with rubbing alcohol or our disinfectant wipes and the kids of all ages love it.
Leukemia — Comprehensive overview covers symptoms, causes, risk factors, treatment of this blood-related cancer.
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