#t1dtoys – Diabetes Amigo

Halloween Switch Witch

October 4, 2020January 5, 2022 Diabetes Amigo

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The Switch Witch is a fun Halloween tradition that provides kids the opportunity to swap some or all their Halloween candy for a toy.

How It Works

Towards the end of September read the Switch Witch book with your child.
Talk with your child about the idea of swapping some or all their candy the night after trick-or-treating for a toy.
Announce the arrival of the Switch Witch.
On Halloween night, help your child decide which pieces of candy are for the Switch Witch to swap for a toy.
The next morning the candy is gone, and a toy appears in its place.

Traditions

My kids look forward to the arrival of the Switch Witch every October 1^st. Part of the excitement is searching the house looking for where the Switch Witch has landed.

The Switch Witch is stuffed toy that the kids play with throughout the month of October. Once a week, we read the Switch Witch book and talk about how much candy they think they want to swap on Halloween night. We also discuss the toys they think would be a good swap.

Our family’s tradition is to keep 10 pieces of candy per child and then decide how much candy to swap with the Switch Witch. The kids have the choice to:

Swap all their candy for a large toy
Swap some of their candy for a medium toy
Swap very little candy for a small toy
Keep all the candy for no toy

The choice is theirs and part of the fun is deciding which option they want each year.

On Halloween night, I do have to have small, medium and large new toys on-hand. The toy options not chosen are given as Christmas gifts instead.

Making it Work for Your Family

The Switch Witch has many possibilities for building Halloween traditions in your home. The Switch Witch story allows for many interpretations and customized activities that work in every home.

Type 1 Valentine’s Day

January 20, 2020February 24, 2021 Diabetes Amigo

Day-to-Day T1D

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I like to create traditions around the holidays that I feel can easily be modified as my children grow. For Valentine’s Day, I created a tradition of giving a small basket/box that is filled with holiday themed items. I save the box and reuse it every year (which is part of the tradition). I place the box in their bedroom before I go to bed and they wake up on the holiday seeing the Valentine’s box.

This year, I have an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old that will receive Valentine’s Day boxes. At these ages my kids find equality important, so the boxes are filled with identical items that work for both age ranges. I do personalize each box with one item that is different. As the kids get older, I can see these boxes becoming 100% personalized containing items that match the sports they play or their hobbies. Right now, the holiday themed items from the “dollar bins” make them happy.

Gift Ideas with a T1D Theme

If you looking to fill a box or give a gift, here is a list of T1D themed items:

Spare a Rose – Life for a Child’s program that for a cost of a rose sends insulin around the world to those in need. Give a donation in your loved one’s name and present them with the downloadable Valentine’s Day card.
Beta Cells – plush cell contains a zippered pouch with Insulin hormone modeled from a real Insulin molecule!
I Heart Guts – pancreas plush, pancreas stickers and key chains.
American Girl Doll – set of doll sized diabetes accessories.
Heroic Kid – CGM (Dexcom and Libre), insulin pump, and Omnipod accessories for kid’s toys.
Glucomart– diabetes accessories for Barbie and dolls/stuffed toys size 18-24”
Over Patches – holiday themed over patches for pumps and CGMs.
Awareness Teddy Bear – cute bear with blue ribbon t-shirt
Buzzy Ladybug or Buzzy Distraction Pack – hand-held device that naturally minimizes pain from injections and finger pokes.

Toys for Type 1 Diabetic (T1D) Kids

August 8, 2019August 9, 2022 Diabetes Amigo

Kid Stuff

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Helping kids cope and understand a diabetes diagnosis can be helped with educational toys, games, and accessories. Creating a special toy that demonstrates blood glucose readings or injections is nice way for kids to not feel alone in their diagnosis.

Stuffed Toys / Accessories for Toys / Coloring Books / Games

Stuffed Toys and Dolls

Squishmallows Amideus The Orange Dinosaur – soft squishy orange stuffed animal with cloth Dexcom, pump and Omnipod. Only at Walmart.
Rufus the Bear – most kids receive their Rufus the Bear at time of diagnosis during their hospital stay. Rufus is just one of the amazing items in the in the JDRF Bag of Hope.
Jerry the Bear – kids gain hands-on practice with counting carbs, monitoring Jerry’s blood sugar, and dosing Jerry with insulin. Kids care for Jerry using the virtual diabetes tools and the digital pantry via an app!
Coco the Monkey – character from the Lilly Coco books in plush.
Pumpernickel the Monkey – Pumpernickel helps smooth the transition to insulin pump therapy for kids.
Ruby The Bear With Diabetes – Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International “Beating Diabetes with Hugs and Love XOXO” bear. This bear is discontinued but is sometimes sold used on Amazon or Ebay.
MediKin – a unisex doll with teaching tools to show kids about their pancreas.
Lenny the Lion – offered by Medtronic to help with insulin pump infusion set placement practice and needle injections. Lenny also has a pad on his paw to practice using lancets.
Pancreas Plush –
GIANTmicrobes – plush pancreas or beta cell that includes an educational card with fascinating facts!
I Heart Guts – pancreas plush, pancreas stickers and key chains.
Percy the Snail – plush stuffed animal with an embroidered insulin pump. The snail is the mascot for the Beyond Type 1 pen pal program.
My BFF Stuff-a-Bear – these stuffed animals can be used in a variety of ways to store T1D supplies. The stuffed animals have a Velcro back that allows for storage. Use as an everyday storage case or for sleepovers with family or friends. The bear arrives unstuffed with the cotton to stuff it.
Bright Ears – dolls wearing insulin pumps and CGMs. Check out their other inclusive dolls that include sight loss, hearing aids and much more.

Diabetes Accessories for Toys

Our Generation Sweet Treatment Diabetic Accessory Set – set of doll sized diabetes accessories sold at Target. Accessories could be used for 18″ dolls, other stuffed toys or Elf on the Shelf.
American Girl Doll – set of doll sized diabetes accessories sold by American Girl. Accessories could be used for 18″ dolls or other stuffed toys.
Heroic Kid – CGM (Dexcom and Libre), insulin pump, and Omnipod accessories for kid’s toys.
Glucomart – has Barbie, Elf on the Shelf, and dolls/stuffed toys size 18-24” diabetes accessories.
Deck My Diabetes – OmniPod and T-slim pump accessories for dolls and stuffed animals.

Coloring Books

T1 Everyday Magic – coloring pages, craft ideas and games.
Evan Gets Diabetes Coloring Book (It’s Kind of Scary Coloring Books) – coloring book by Barbara Jean Sabet
Diabetes Mantras A Coloring Book for Diabetes Heroes – coloring book by Anne Manera
MyTypeOne – downloadable coloring pages featuring animals wearing CGMs and pumps.

Games

Omnipod Bay – Nintendo® Online account game with Animal Crossing. It is an action-packed island for people with diabetes, for their families, friends — for everyone. Connect. Explore. Uncover hidden surprises.
Milchmania – a memory game that presents 22 kinds of food: some increase the blood sugar and some don’t. The idea behind this memory game is to teach the diabetic child, his friends, his parents, his family and everyone else around him/her in a playful way which food contain carbohydrates and which don’t. The game comes in KE and CHO carbohydrate calculations.
My Food Plate Bingo – helps kids understand how to create healthy meals.
Grandma Sandy – offers free downloads of coloring books, games, puzzles, etc. about T1D.
Lenny the Lion – online games and downloads from Lenny the Lion (Metronic) that teach carb counting and other topics on diabetic care.