Children’s “real” doctor kit
The first thing I did was order a real stethoscope from Amazon. I bought this one here, for about $6.50. It is perfect, not very expensive but you can hear your heartbeat just fine.
At the dollar store, I found an Ace bandage, a wrist guard and a little notebook for her to write her diagnoses in. I had an old digital thermometer that is out of batteries that I included, but I did see thermometers at the dollar store as well. I included a sewing measuring tape so she could measure her patients and a roll of stickers to give them when they behave.
I made a shot, reusable wooden band-aids, as well as a doctor’s bag.
Some other things I purchased for this kit.
A real Otoscope! It really isn’t that expensive and it is SUCH a cool toy. I don’t recommend this piece for really young children or kids that would be tempted to shine light into everyone’s eyes.
I also washed out some old prescription bottles to add to her kits. She loves putting stickers in the bottles and then using the stickers as medicine!
We also added surgical masks, caps and an oxygen mask from when my daughter had her tonsils out!
She was so thrilled with the kit. We play doctor at least once a day and the stethoscope goes pretty much everywhere with us. This kit has been a hit even with the older kids. The older kids can’t get enough of the real bandages and the chance to hear their own heartbeat.
I love this kit. I really feel like it fosters great imaginative play and it provides me with plenty of teaching moments with my daughter. We have so much fun using it together. My girls are still playing with this kit more than five years later!
i love the doctor kit and hat it made the little one feel better
This is a brilliant idea! Well done. And I bet it inspires one of the kids to pursue medicine as a career. Oftentimes that early fascination, when encouraged by parents, really inspires a kid. I'm eager to see the tutorial, too, of how you made some of that stuff. 🙂
PERFECT! Thanks for your insights- I am putting together a "vet kit" for my kiddo to give her after halloween. She plays vet every day now but wants "real" stuff too. My kit will have your items plus: a penlight to look into ears and eyes, old xrays from a doctor friend, an eyechart- free ones online, tic tacs wrapped in paper to look like medicine, face masks for surgeries from $store, shower caps from $store, business cards and doctor name tag stickers- free templates online, magnifying class, tweezers, and i would LOVE a blood pressure cuff if I can find one for cheap anywhere (although she plays vet she often has human patients).
Love this!! I am going to put one together for my 3 year old. I knew he wouldn't like the kid-kits since he wants everything to work and seem like the real thing, otherwise we get bored very easily!
thanks for the tips.
Can this Kit be purchased?
No, This is instructions on how to make your own.
Why didn’t you include a blood pressure cuff? Just curious.
I love the ideas of using existing stuff in the home to create the doctor kit. Great write-up!
Thanks for the bandaid recipe!! I made several for my granddaughter and they turned out beautifully!! I decided to make them with designs to make them more fun and mimic kids’ bandages. I used small stickers, scrapbooking paper, foil stars, gift wrap, and markers to make a variety of designs and covered them with Mod Podge to seal it all in. It worked great!! In addition to making the black square and “air” holes on the outside, I also made a weave design on the square on the inside, for the bandage part, and added more “air” holes there, too. I also used regular sized popsicle sticks, so there’d be two sizes from which to choose. They’re a big hit with both the grandkids, as is the rest of the kit!! Thanks again- sure beats going through lots of real bandaids with all the bits of trash to pick up!!
Where do you get that Anastasia mask thing