Any hospital with a children’s ward should have a button maker machine. Children in the hospital are often frightened, disoriented and of course ill. For patients who are able to sit up and draw, button making can help fill those hours between visitors, occupy their mind and make them feel useful. A positive outlook plays a critical role in a patient’s recovery and for children, it is important to inspire creativity to take their minds off their environment. Button making for the children can be both beneficial to their mental health and fun.
Provide a template to a child and some crayons or markers. Family members can bring photos or other flat items to add to the button. The children can be left to their own creativity or a daily or weekly theme can be used. For children who are long term patients, giving them a button to make everyday can ease anticipation and give them something positive to look forward to the next day. This will also help in establishing some form of routine, which in smaller children will help them feel safe in their environment. Completed buttons can be worn by the children, their families, the staff, or displayed on bulletin boards outside the door of their room. Displaying the buttons will make walking the halls interesting and fun for both children and family.
Buttons can be another great gift item in the hospital gift store. These are an inexpensive and easy item to make for sale in the shop. "Congratulations!" in pink or blue on a button for births would be a great idea for the new older brother or sister to purchase for mom. This same button can be added to a stuffed bear or bunny. "It’s a Girl!", "It’s a Boy!", and "Get Well" would all be great sayings for buttons to be added to stuffed animals or cards that are sold in the gift shop. For example, you can post a sign that reads "Buy a Stuffed animal and get a button for only a dollar more." Buttons make great keepsakes and are so inexpensive to produce that even at the price of one dollar you can make a handsome profit for the gift shop.
Buttons for patients and staff are another use for the button making machines. An interesting proposition for the new parents is to have a "New Dad" and "New Mom" button made up for them with the name, birth date, weight and length of their new child. These are great keepsakes for parents to put in baby albums. Proud parents can wear these buttons in the hospital and you can sell additional buttons for their family members such as grandparent’s aunts and uncles. Imagine the pride on a new older brother’s face as he wears a button that reads "Ask me about my new baby sister". These buttons show that you go the extra mile for your patients and their family.
