Making the Hospital Fun

Let's face it: hospitals are not fun. IVs, treatments, bad food, isolation, boredom . . . I could go on, but you know the drill. However, I always strove to give Holly something to look forward to, something that we only did in the hospital.

I knew one mom who bought a dollhouse for her daughter; you know, one of those big ones that you can decorate with wallpaper, fixtures and rugs, as well as the appropriate doll-sized furnishings. She reserved work on the dollhouse for hospital stays, which offered her daughter a fun experience every time she was hospitalized. Inspired by her, I wracked my brain for ideas and tried out different activities until I hit on something that worked for Holly.

My first attempt was to make a life-sized paper doll of Holly. I traced around her body and encouraged Holly to add the face and hair. Then we brainstormed about the proper clothing choices. After making a few outfits, we hung the Holly replica on the door for her to dress in different clothes every day. She thought it was fun at first, but she quickly lost interest in changing the outfits or doing anything with the paper doll.

Then, when I was shopping one day, I happened to see a pillowcase designed for autographs. It featured a funny picture of a cow on it that I knew would make Holly smile. The timing was perfect as Holly was scheduled to be admitted for sinus surgery.

The autograph pillow was a big hit. Holly loved it, and every time someone visited or a new doctor, nurse or RT came in the room, she insisted on a signature. I kept looking and was able to find similar pillowcases to have on hand for the next hospitalization until we, eventually, had exhausted the choices. Fortunately, that didn't seem to matter to Holly. A plain white pillowcase served just as well, and we kept up the tradition for years. As she grew older, she outgrew the practice, but she still has some of her collection of pillowcases stashed away for safekeeping.

The pillowcase tradition seemed a small thing to me, but it made Holly happy. She looked forward to that every time she went in the hospital. We had a hit on our hands.

Who knows what will make your child happy. Just brainstorm a bit and be willing to go with the flow and accept some trial and error, and you'll hit on an idea your child will love.