Gifts for a Small Child Taking Chemo and Radiation

Comfort Items

• Even with loving parents and gentle nurses around, cancer treatments are frightening for a young child. Chemo and radiation can also be uncomfortable, so any ounce of physical relief you can give the child will be appreciated. A snuggly stuffed animal could become his best pal during this time. He might be cold during treatment, so a big, fuzzy blanket or a pair of soft socks or animal slippers will keep him warm. Comfort items aren't only useful during treatment. A hat lined with fleece and decorated to look like a favorite animal will keep his head warm if his hair falls out. Chemotherapy causes skin irritation, say child development experts with the Kids Health website, so buying him larger versions of his favorite clothes or giving him oversized T-shirts and shorts printed with favorite cartoon characters will give his skin room to breathe while he recovers.

Entertainment

• Radiation treatments are fairly quick, but if a sick child needs to sit through long chemotherapy treatments -- or if he's staying in the hospital during treatment -- he'll spend long periods sitting or lying down. Since sitting still is almost as painful as cancer treatments for a little one, he needs the gift of distraction. A handheld DVD player, along with an assortment of favorite videos, will make the hours pass quickly. Storebought videos aren't the only ones he'll appreciate -- make a video of all the things your child loves. Record his pet, messages from friends and family members and even his classroom if he's currently out of school. He'll probably choose to watch this video over and over again. Picture books, audio recordings of favorite stories or even a squishy ball he'll enjoy squeezing might also help him pass the time.

Art and Creative Gifts

• After spending hours under fluorescent lights surrounded by illness, a child with cancer deserves to be surrounded by beauty. If he has long sessions of chemotherapy to sit through, pick up a whiteboard with colorful markers and an eraser, or stock up on coloring books with special markers that only work on its pages. To help him feel strong, consider gifts with a superhero theme. Give him superhero sheets to outfit his bed at home, where he might spend hours curled up feeling sick. Pick up a superhero cape for him to wear during treatment or buy hand puppets of characters so you can put on a show together while he's parked in a hospital bed.

More Gift Options

• While a small child would typically be thrilled to open a gift of yummy snacks, now's not the time; cancer treatments cause nausea and mouth sores, say the Kids Health professionals, and a sick child might be on a strict diet. Instead, look for gifts that give the little one an experience to remember. Every child loves having his own money to spend, and a cancer-stricken little one should have all the fun he can. Give a child who's preschool-age or older his own gift card for a local miniature golf course or movie theater so he can treat himself and a friend to a favorite activity on days when he's feeling okay. Don't limit your gifts to those that can be contained in a box. If the patient has a favorite cartoon character, rent a costume and ask a friend to play the part during a surprise visit.