Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain
affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.
Please click on the image or red underlined words to be taken to the affiliate site.
Our friends and family were so unbelievably generous helping us prepare for round two of OHS (Open Heart Surgery) for our oldest son. I will never have the words to express how much their outpouring of love meant to us. Many of these items were not something I would have known to suggest, but ended up being so thankful to have!
Meal Delivery Gift Cards
The invention of meal delivery and the widespread use since the pandemic has been amazing. One thing to double check is make sure the service will deliver to the hospital and/or hotel. Yes, there are delivery services that don’t deliver to those locations. I have not included them here. Fortunately, we were able to use them once we got home.
Uber Eats — Use eats-alexandrar4812ue at checkout to get $20 off.
Grub Hub — Use my link to get $10 off.
Coloring/Activity Books
Activity books are good for the kids AND the adults, don’t forget to include crayons and pens/mechanical pencils. The carrying box that comes with the pictured kit is an extra bonus. Everything that we brought in we had to carry out when it was time to be discharged from the hospital.
Games
The idea with the games is to pass the time, but also distracts the kiddo from the pain and the keeping still. There are a ton of games that fit the minimal movement criteria, but these are the three that we used the most.
Snacks
An assortment of non-perishable sweet, salty, chocolate, and non-chocolate are perfect for when everyone is stuck in the room during the doctor’s rounds and shift change, but you are starving. We have been gifted these big assortment boxes a few times and they are always much appreciated!
BONUS Free Gift
Everything above made our son’s stay so much smoother, not just from the excitement of a new toy, but knowing that his friends cared so much really helped lift his spirits. The final gift that you can give a family that is in the hospital with their child is a video chat. Video chatting with his friends were by far the BEST gifts he received. We had multiple big group chats with split screens — and who knows how many kiddos! We also did individual chats to minimize the chaos and give the kids a chance to have a real conversation. I appreciated the kid conversations so I could hear what our son communicated to his friends about how he was doing at the hospital. Those conversations were enlightening about what a seven year old’s perspective was on such a stressful situation.
As always, if you have any questions, please leave a reply or send me a message on the Connect page!
Enjoy the article? Please consider leaving a tip! Thank you!