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Dad makes teddies with health conditions to help children with medical disorders
- zeristor 5y agoI tried to go through all the cookies turning them off, but there were too many: https://archive.is/pNlJC https://archive.is/pNlJC
- simion314 5y agoJS off by default works fine on this site. I suggest for power users to run with JS off by default and turn it on per website.
- imacerealkiller 5y agoThat's the sweetest thing. We need more people like this Dad out there. Someone needs to get behind this and fund it! There's a real need for toys like this.
- op00to 5y agoMy man!
- mongol 5y agoSometimes I question if what I am doing is meaningful. But this is meaningful.
- brodouevencode 5y agoSame here. I love my job and the volunteer things I do but stuff like this makes me feel like it's all not enough. God must certainly be smiling down on this man.
- _def 5y agoI had a similar idea a few months ago, and I'm so glad that there are people out there who are really doing this. Fantastic. > “If they have a certain condition and they have a toy just like them, it helps the children understand what’s going on. I’ve had calls with more than 70 play therapists across the country and from that I’ve been told there aren’t many toys like it, but they’re desperately needed to help these children not only understand why they’re different, but to feel less alone.”
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- cout 5y agoWhat kind of 3D printer is required to make items that are safe for young children? I imagine the material needs to be durable and non-toxic if swallowed, but I know very little about both 3D printers and child safety standards.
- foxpurple 5y agoThe standard PLA plastic is fine. It is non toxic although may provide a surface for bacteria to grown on. Although the whole toy does as well
- eurasiantiger 5y agoPLA is only fine if it’s food-grade and only if the extruder and hotend have never been used with any non-food-grade materials. Otherwise, there is no telling what additives and dyes are in those filaments, or what they do to a child after prolonged exposure.
- Macha 5y agoThe article indicates the maker sought out advice on child safety from people who validate toys and was asked to change materials, which he did. So that implies he did have to change from whatever the default material he was using at least
- foobar33333 5y ago>what they do to a child after prolonged exposure. You could say this about most plastics. If you are concerned about PLA purity you should be triple scared of the much worse plastics we use regularly.
- eurasiantiger 5y agoI don’t disagree, but this discussion was about PLA specifically.
- James-Livesey 5y ago
- keiferski 5y agoGreat story. The Teddy Bear is really a wonderful thing and ought to be considered one of the most important “inventions“ of the last ~century. They’ve brought a lot of joy to a lot of kids (and adults too.) I came across this link recently and bookmarked it, as it reminded me of the fun and quirky articles that used to be more prevalent online. A time capsule from the 90s, almost. “10 Common Misconceptions About Teddy Bears”: https://neverimitate.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/10-common-misconceptions-about-teddy-bears/ https://neverimitate.wordpress.com/2014/01/19/10-common-misc...
- eurasiantiger 5y agoAh, what could be more important than a mechanical device which simulates human presence! It liberates the parent to other pursuits, just as mechanical reproduction simulator devices liberate the partner.
- jacquesm 5y agoWhat a lousy comment.
- Bancakes 5y agoAll these inanimate, inert gifts are much better for kids than smartphones and computers, which they shouldn't have either way.
- zabatuvajdka 5y agoInanimate objects stimulate the mind. Wooden blocks can become space ships, rocks mountains. I wouldn’t trade my imaginative childhood experience for any modern day app. No way.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- foxpurple 5y agoWhy is this on hacker news? This is the kind of feel good story I would expect on reddit and doesn’t leave anything to be discussed or learned.
- keiferski 5y agoHe uses 3D printers to create unique designs that would otherwise be economically unviable. Seems pretty hackerish to me.
- foxpurple 5y ago3D printers have been in the public’s hands for about a decade now. They aren’t exactly new or interesting technology and the use here isn’t particularly novel or interesting.
- eurasiantiger 5y agoEverything in your statement is false. Most people don’t have the skills required to benefit from owning or operating a 3D printer, so most people don’t have anything to do with them. They are still an emerging technology, with new applications reported steadily. Still, they are very interesting to most people, because 3D printing is basically wizardry in their eyes. This use case is definitely novel, it even says so on the article. It may not be interesting to you, but your strong reaction reveals that you are actually angry at the feelings provoked by the article, and it might do you good to take a moment to analyse WHY you are having that kind of emotional reaction.
- keiferski 5y agoIf you feel that way, I suggest you imitate Wittgenstein and pass over the article in silence.
- Macha 5y agoYou could make the same argument for many of the react SSR articles which still make it here
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- schobi 5y agoI really love the Sigikid "Erwin little patient" toy - you can take out all the organs and start explaining. Available only in Germany? https://sigikid.de/shop/spielen-kuscheln/rollenspiel/lerntiere/30651/lern-puppe-erwin-der-kleine-patient https://sigikid.de/shop/spielen-kuscheln/rollenspiel/lerntie... Unfortunately, the girl version is discontinued
- nickpeterson 5y agoI do think this is neat, but their is something so oddly German about a children’s puppet you can easily disembowel…
- schobi 5y agoI also met a few German parents who were a little irritated "oh no! Don't take it apart! " But the kids are fine and often curious about all the things inside.
- Symbiote 5y agoIt looks like they'll deliver anywhere in the EU.
- technothrasher 5y agoThis dad is carrying on a fantastic, but not at all new tradition. I had surgery in the early 1970's when I was three, and I've still got the old teddy bear up in a box in the attic that the staff at the hospital made for me that "needed the same surgery".
- vanderZwan 5y ago"Teddy Technothrasher" rolls off the tongue nicely, I must say
- jerf 5y agoI'd go to that concert.
- technothrasher 5y agoConsidering the height of my musical career was a one night only performance of "La Cucaracha" badly strummed out on the guitar in first grade, I'm not sure how good the concert will be. But perhaps the teddy bear would be better.
- toast0 5y agoThe teddy bear would make it much better. After all, consider the moral of Green Jellÿ[1]'s Three Little Pigs: > That bands with no talent can easily amuse idiots with a stupid puppet show Best of luck with your return to music! :D [1] Originally known as Green Jellö
- yarcob 5y agoYeah, my kid also got a teddy with the same scar as his from the hospital. It's a nice idea, but my kid didn't really care about it. (I don't know why, he had other stuffed animals that he really liked, but apparently the scar was not a big deal to him)
- deleted 5y ago
- myself248 5y agoSo, Eeyore?
- kkoncevicius 5y agoIt might seems like a simple feel-good story for some, but it's more than that. I didn't imagine how much children learn and cope through toys until I had my own kids. Example 1: when my daughter was 2 she got a fishbone stuck in her mouth. I gave her lots of bread and water so that something would force the small bone to go down. After 5 minutes the issue was resolved and she immediately jumped to her teddy bear and started playing "you have a bone teddy, you need bread, take this, take that". The first plays were urgent and quite serious and the teddy was always "cured" quickly. But later through the following days as she played the same idea she started to improvise. Teddy, in her hands, would cough and cough - I would offer him things for 10 minutes and more and nothing would help him. And she would laugh at this. After these plays fish bones in her mind were no longer serious. Example 2: when she was 3 we tried to adapt her to a kindergarten. After the first day when she was home she picked up her toy cars and started playing. Some of the cars were teachers, others were children, one was me, another one was her, and one small car was a smaller child that cried all the time. And we played the routine where I came to the kindergarten with her, stayed for a bit, and then went to work. At the moment the "dad" car went to work she would physically tense up and become silent, as if it was really happening. But those moments became easier once she learned more details about what to expect during the typical day in the kindergarten and that later the "dad" car always comes back to take her home. Seems like this experience was helpful as, despite being somewhat shy, she never cried during her adaptation period.
- Fnoord 5y agoOh yes, my daughter's favorite (she loves rabbits in general) helps her all time, even during sleep. She's role playing with the doll, as well as her imaginary friends (who also aid her, and go through similar events as she does). I suppose before she had imaginary friends, a solution as OP's makes sense. A plushie (often a favorite) who also suffers from the same (or similar) issue creates that form of empathy/connection children require. We got some special toys as well, for example a doll with a heartbeat which supposedly helps kids with autism (both parents in our household got the diagnosis). I don't think it works for our oldest, and for our youngest jury's out on it (he's not even 1 year old). Suffice to say I find this a beautiful project. Thank you so much for linking to it, submitter!
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- m3kw9 5y agoI misread “Tendies”
- puritanicdev 5y agoYou're not the only one :D
- menrris 5y agoThe dad has found good advocacy while at the same time doing business. It will boost the morale and mental state of the patients with health conditions.
- throwawaymanbot 5y agoSounds like Apple might be interested in his pictures.
- a0-prw 5y agoIf you want a dark, weird take on this, watch Zefrank's YT video: Teddy has an operation. https://youtu.be/AdYaTa_lOf4 https://youtu.be/AdYaTa_lOf4
- dlevine 5y agoThis kind of stuff is super helpful. My dad was a surgeon who treated kids with scoliosis. He also happened to make teddy bears as a hobby. So he made a teddy bear with an artificial spine in it that he put scoliosis hardware on. When he was meeting with a kid for a pre-op consult, he would let the kid hug the teddy bear, and then he would show them the teddy bear's X-Ray. It really helped them understand what was going to happen to them, and put them at ease.
- chrisgd 5y agoWould recommend this book, it changed my relationship to my kids and echos what others have said about children and play. The more you turn into games with your kids, the better relationship there will be. https://www.playfulparenting.com/ https://www.playfulparenting.com/
- CobaltFire 5y agoMy son was given a teddy bear with a port through a program at the hospital when he had his put in (for chemo). The impact between him and my older child who was struggling to understand what was happening to her brother cannot be overstated.
- yackernews 5y agoThere's also Higgy Bears, bears with removable scoliosis braces that match the kid's. They come with xrays. https://higgybears.com/ https://higgybears.com/
- glonq 5y agoI'll take one tourette's teddy plz.
- jorblumesea 5y agoMy sister had one of these to explain terminal cancer and dying. It's a really effective tool, not just for the kid itself, but also siblings.
- newbamboo 5y agoI love these kind of stories on hn. As entrepreneurial minded people, it’s common to think a lot about markets and opportunities. It’s hard to come up with ideas that will be viable. But these stories serve as a good example of how, if you think about doing good and helping out others, the market for that is wide open. There is no end to opportunities. And often, by focusing on improving the world rather than making f—— you money, you end up being greatly enriched, financially but spiritually as well. It’s as though there were some greater force that recognizes efforts to do good and bestows upon these people great rewards, wealth, plenty. Doing good is anti-fragile.
- Wistar 5y agoMany years ago, perhaps in the mid-90s, a friend of mine proposed starting an outfit that made "Boo-Boo Bears," teddy bears that had casts, crutches, and other injury-healing themes intended for hospitalized children. Then he discovered Hanna-Barbera owned the BooBoo Bear trademark and he gave up on the idea. I always thought that it was a good idea upon which he gave up too easily.
- stacks_on_stack 5y agoDoes anyone know how to donate to Mr. Hardman's efforts? I can't seem to find anywhere to do so and I don't use Facebook so I can't reach out to him via that platform. I appreciate in advance any help you can offer!