Sometimes I question if what I am doing is meaningful. But this is meaningful.
Same here. I love my job and the volunteer things I do but stuff like this makes me feel like it's all not enough. God must certainly be smiling down on this man.
Dad makes teddies with health conditions to help children with medical disorders
51–60 of 85 posts
Re: Dad makes teddies with health conditions to help children with medical disorders
#52This kind of stuff is super helpful.
My dad was a surgeon who treated kids with scoliosis. He also happened to make teddy bears as a hobby. So he made a teddy bear with an artificial spine in it that he put scoliosis hardware on.
When he was meeting with a kid for a pre-op consult, he would let the kid hug the teddy bear, and then he would show them the teddy bear's X-Ray. It really helped them understand what was going to happen to them, and put them at ease.
Re: Dad makes teddies with health conditions to help children with medical disorders
#53I really love the Sigikid "Erwin little patient" toy - you can take out all the organs and start explaining. Available only in Germany? https://sigikid.de/shop/spielen-kuscheln/rollenspiel/lerntie... Unfortunately, the girl version is discontinued
I do think this is neat, but their is something so oddly German about a children’s puppet you can easily disembowel…
I also met a few German parents who were a little irritated "oh no! Don't take it apart! "
But the kids are fine and often curious about all the things inside.
Re: Dad makes teddies with health conditions to help children with medical disorders
#54Why is this on hacker news? This is the kind of feel good story I would expect on reddit and doesn’t leave anything to be discussed or learned.
Inventiveness. Decision for action. A startup. Not following or depending on big business to make what you want, Imagination. Design and production. Sounds like hacker news to me!
Thank you. This guy is filling a spot of supply and demand where profit is unlikely to be made. So it ends up in the public benefit/non-profit art segment.
Re: Dad makes teddies with health conditions to help children with medical disorders
#55It might seems like a simple feel-good story for some, but it's more than that. I didn't imagine how much children learn and cope through toys until I had my own kids. Example 1: when my daughter was 2 she got a fishbone stuck in her mouth. I gave her lots of bread and water so that something would force the small bone to go down. After 5 minutes the issue was resolved and she immediately jumped to her teddy bear and…
Oh yes, my daughter's favorite (she loves rabbits in general) helps her all time, even during sleep. She's role playing with the doll, as well as her imaginary friends (who also aid her, and go through similar events as she does). I suppose before she had imaginary friends, a solution as OP's makes sense.
A plushie (often a favorite) who also suffers from the same (or similar) issue creates that form of empathy/connection children require.
We got some special toys as well, for example a doll with a heartbeat which supposedly helps kids with autism (both parents in our household got the diagnosis). I don't think it works for our oldest, and for our youngest jury's out on it (he's not even 1 year old).
Suffice to say I find this a beautiful project. Thank you so much for linking to it, submitter!
Re: Dad makes teddies with health conditions to help children with medical disorders
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd go to that concert.
Considering the height of my musical career was a one night only performance of "La Cucaracha" badly strummed out on the guitar in first grade, I'm not sure how good the concert will be. But perhaps the teddy bear would be better.
The teddy bear would make it much better. After all, consider the moral of Green Jellÿ[1]'s Three Little Pigs:
> That bands with no talent can easily amuse idiots with a stupid puppet show
Best of luck with your return to music! :D
[1] Originally known as Green Jellö
Re: Dad makes teddies with health conditions to help children with medical disorders
#57It might seems like a simple feel-good story for some, but it's more than that. I didn't imagine how much children learn and cope through toys until I had my own kids. Example 1: when my daughter was 2 she got a fishbone stuck in her mouth. I gave her lots of bread and water so that something would force the small bone to go down. After 5 minutes the issue was resolved and she immediately jumped to her teddy bear and…
As you say, kids will instinctively do this, she pretend played that a car is herself and another is you. They don't need adults to prescribe what they should pretend play. They'll play with rocks and twigs and anything else and have fun.
These toys-that-make-feelgood-news are not about kids but adults playing politics (that they are compassionate unlike the other tribe).
Re: Dad makes teddies with health conditions to help children with medical disorders
#58It might seems like a simple feel-good story for some, but it's more than that. I didn't imagine how much children learn and cope through toys until I had my own kids. Example 1: when my daughter was 2 she got a fishbone stuck in her mouth. I gave her lots of bread and water so that something would force the small bone to go down. After 5 minutes the issue was resolved and she immediately jumped to her teddy bear and…
"a simple feel-good story" - am I the only one who feels manipulated? It could have been eg "Man makes toy bears...". When I see something like "Dad makes teddies..." I stop reading. Give me the details, and I'll draw conclusions on my own, thanks. Related, I struggle to find objective media; I thought The Economist would be hard nosed objective economics - nope, had to unsubscribe; I figured the FT must be the answer, only interested in money and profits, facts only - nope, unsubscribed.
Re: Dad makes teddies with health conditions to help children with medical disorders
#59I misread “Tendies”
You're not the only one :D
Re: Dad makes teddies with health conditions to help children with medical disorders
#60Would recommend this book, it changed my relationship to my kids and echos what others have said about children and play. The more you turn into games with your kids, the better relationship there will be.