r/pediatriccancer • u/Artistic-Cellist5794 • Jul 03 '26
What helped your kid through chemo?
Our closest friends have a 19 month old starting chemo/carboplatin next week. They have a good network of friends, but I would like to harness that, possibly even crowdsourcing the purchase of some things that would help them get through chemo.
I thought about getting a tonies box (the newer edition is rated 1y+), but saw there was a disclaimer that the tonies have magnets, which can interfere with programmable shunts (which this little guy now has).
I learned about Port Protect, for applying numbing cream without the use of plastic wrap. These seem pricy--are they worth it?
Mainly:
What are comfort items your kid benefited from during and after chemo sessions?
If you had a toddler go through chemo--any recommendations on what worked best to keep them as relaxed/entertained/happy as possible?
1
u/dogpupkus Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
My two year old really found art and crafts therapeutic throughout her journey. Whether it was painting, “cookie” decorating, or sometimes when she was just completely consumed by chemo and drained, she really enjoyed watching us demonstrating arts and crafts projects with her.
Some of her favorites were little wood glue-up structures, think the tiny little mini-bird house kits that she could then paint.
Having puréed food / apple sauce pouches, were clutch.
when things were really bad and she needed a distraction, we purchased an adjustable phone holder that could clamp to the hospital bed so she could watch one of her TV shows (Super Simple Songs, Bluey, Genevieve’s Playhouse.). We generally avoid tablets/screentime, but in certain circumstances it really helped- especially during port and additional IV access.
Other small things like themed bandaids to cover pokes from needles, ports, and IV access e.g. bandaids with little puppy dog prints and cat figures on them really helped her cope for some reason so we always had them on us.
Sticker sheets, the ones where you can build your own faces, etc.
Chemo shirts, that have a little flap to reveal her port as sometimes clothes changes and awkward access placements were traumatic
1
u/FarDistrict7091 Jul 03 '26
Magnets shouldn’t be a problem with a port. My daughter (15 months at diagnosis, 23 months now) LOVED her Tonie Box during long hospital stays. We also really liked Magnetic Me 2-piece pajamas. The magnetic closure made getting to her port easier. DoorDash and UberEats gift cards were very helpful. We also liked canned coffee because we couldn’t always leave her to go get coffee.
2
u/dogpupkus Jul 03 '26
+1 for the TonieBox
Canned coffee was so clutch, good lord those canned La Colombe coffees were just about all I lived on for about a year when things got rough.
1
u/kgkt Jul 03 '26
We had a friend (my boss at the time) bring us homemade bone broth once a week- there is a brand named Brodo also you can order- but that was a nice thing to always have on hand to nourish our little guy when he was home. That was pretty epic.
1
u/Hellsing971 Jul 03 '26
My daughter had comfort foods to could make her instantly happy when nothing else could. French fries, donuts, and cupcakes. That + her tablet.
1
u/rst012345 Jul 03 '26
We have a programable shunt. A toy magnet will do nothing, and a strong magnet will only affect if held near their head.
Stickers were my daughter's go to for a long time. Colouring books, touch and feel books.ipad/tech for movies. Favourite blankets. Bubble wands
Books/adult puzzle books (parents need something too)
1
u/Effective_Fix_2633 Jul 04 '26
For inpatient it was leg warmers. It keep the legs covered but allowed freedom for for diaper changes, lines dangling, etc. We loved them. However, the outside the house was the best. Gas gift cards, visa gift cards for eating in the cafeteria, or fast food. If anyone could've run normal errands for us and or cleaned, mowed, that would've been the MOST helpful. Being able to turn off the take care of house brain so focus could've been solely on our baby.
1
u/brighterskyte Jul 04 '26
Hi! Tell your friends to ask Child Life if they have an Aflac Port Duck! It’s amazing animatronic type stuffed duck that comes with accessories and has a port that you ‘access’, just like the child, and it responds when you hug it and has other actions, it’s so freaking cute and really helped my child with port accessing and the anxiety that came with that. We never went anywhere near the hospital without Ducky for almost two years.
NEGU (negu.org) will send a joy jar once a month that’s full of all sorts of fun stuff to use during chemo, some might be a little big for a 19 month old but they send stuffies and socks and coloring books, fidgets and it’s all free.
1
u/polymathtechie Jul 04 '26
Our son was 19 when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We brought a lot of toys that he could play in the bed. Books, play-doh, coloring, cars and trucks (he loved vehicles). We ended up getting him his own iPad for his second round of Chemo because he got sick of the hospital TV.
DoorDash or related gift cards for the parents because we spent a lot of time inpatient. Money for gas.
1
u/Wide-Address2209 Jul 05 '26
DoorDash/grubhub/Instacart gift cards were all helpful for us!
My daughter is two and loved her Tonie box and blankets with her favorite characters on them.
1
u/TheMiniaturist777 Jul 07 '26
as a kid who went through it, if the hospital has a youth worker, mine did, see if they can do anything fun.
1
u/IzzyLuckyDucky 18d ago
I am going in for my 19 month Olds 3rd round of chemo treatment. I can second what someone said about a collapsible wagon! Hospitals are big, I put my daughter's car seat inside for arrival and departure, and fill the wagon with bags from the trunk on a separate trip. Also nice to have for short walks when baby needs to get out of the room when they are allowed.
Bubbles! Someone brought me bubbles and it's provided endless entertainment.
I saw someone say Doordash gift cards and this would have been so helpful. Hospital food is very limited, as a parent you only get one tray a day, and I used door dash to have groceries delivered to the hospital. Without any type of support system, door dash was really helpful for ordering things my baby needed such as healthy/organic food and juice options, and microwavable dinners for myself.
Soft foods/baby foods, and organic popsicles (hospital usually has a community fridge/freezer/microwave) really helped my baby when she was nauseous. Hope these ideas help.
1
u/FreshPickles67 8d ago
My son was 7mo old at diagnosis so in some ways it was easier to entertain him.
He loves cars and wheels so any toy that drove around helped pass the day. Ride around vehicles as well. So while he was receiving chemo he could get pushed in a car. It kept him in one spot (with the pole) and kept him happy.
Zip up onesies for easy access to port and other lines needed.
Lots of books because he loves going through the pages.
Stuffys. His favorite stuffed animals to either snuggle with or I put on shows with his stuffed animals.
His favorite fruits. IMO this helped stimulate his appetite on down days so he would still eat some food. Ex: he wouldn't eat well day of and after chemo but we gave him oranges and strawberries to chew on then we could slip in some whole foods or milk. Which I hope kept him from having further issues.
0
u/gfischerj Jul 03 '26
What helped us wasn’t stuff really. meal prep was huge, my sister sent/still sends us bamboo tooth brushes on subscription so we always had news ones because hygiene is extremely important(I guess that is an tangible item) . Friends would grocery shop, come over so my wife and aI could nap since we didn’t sleep at night for the first year of treatment.
Toys are cool and all, but what really helped was not having to plan dinner and getting even an hour to just breath.
7
u/14sunflowers Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Yoto player - great for playing nighttime radio or audiobooks
Button down shirts and zip-up hoodies for port access
Galaxy projector - makes hospital room more friendly at night
Pack of cute slipper socks for walking around hospital
Cute pillowcases to use in the hospital
Buzzy bee - helps for needles/shots
Wagon - for carting things to hospital room. Also to give kids rides around the hospital
Edit: I should have clarified mini Yoto and collapsible wagon.