Make a DIY Pretend Doctor Kit

For Christmas, my two year old son said he only wanted Santa to bring him one thing for Christmas: "A doctor kit with a stethoscope." I'm not even kidding. Whose two year old asks for something that sophisticated?

Since he really only asked for one thing, I wanted to try to get him one.

The problem? Most kids' doctor kits are $20-$30 and full of little plastic do-dads. I have major hang ups about paying $30 for a small collection of junky plastic do-dads. And none of them do anything. The reason he wanted a stethoscope in the first place was because a nurse had let him listen to his own heart with one a few weeks prior. Since he asked for one specifically, I wasn't sure he'd want a kids pretend stethoscope that didn't make noises.

So I did what any crafty mom would do: I decided to assemble my own with as many (safe for toddlers) working things as possible. I made this in the two weeks before Christmas, so I know that if I'd given myself more time, I may have been able to get some of these things for less.

What's in the Doctor Kit?

• Personalized doctor bag (Free: made myself from an old purse. See below)
• Stethoscope (about $8 for this one: Prestige Medical Dualheads, Frosted Royal)
• Knee hammer (about $3 for this one: Taylor Percussion Hammer)
• Light scope (about $10 for this one: CVS Multi Use Scope Light for Eye Ear Nose Throat)
• Metal baindaid box (about $5 for this one: Hello Kitty Bandages)
• Ace bandage (about $1.50 at Wal-Mart)
• Self-stick medical "tape" (about $1.50 at Wal-Mart)
• Box of bandages (to refill bandaid box, $1)
• Prescription bottle (on hand)

Total Spent: $30

So I did not actually save any money over buying a pretend doctor kit from the store. BUT I got stuff that is way cooler for the same price I'd have paid for a box of useless shaped plastic pieces. I'm hoping mine will last a bit longer, too.

Here is the break down of everything for those who like pictures and things....

Doctor Bag

The doctor bag actually used to be my favorite purse from college. It did create a smidge of heartbreak to turn my fave sentimental purse into a kids toy but the honest truth is that I have not actually used the purse in 5-6 years (the layer of dust I had to clean off of it will attest to that, ahem) and chances that I will be using such a small purse any time in the next five years is not high either. It also had the best shape for a doctor bag of any of my old purses.

This is what it used to look like:

I made a patch to cover the C on the front with a large white circle of felt, a red cotton cross that was appliqued on, and "Dr. Bonham" written in fabric paint. Once the patch was made (and the paint was dry), I used Aleene's Original Tacky Glue to glue it to the purse. I chose this glue because it is flexible and can move with the bag

Accessories:


Below are the items I bought to fill the kit (you can click the image to go directly to the item for sale on Amazon). We already had the medicine bottle at home.

      

For those of you wondering: Yes, this doctor kit is for a boy. 

Really? Hello Kitty? While the Hello Kitty bandage tin came with cute bandaids, I swapped them out for some plain colorful bandaids instead. All I was really interested in was the tin to use as a durable container for bandaids. You may be able to find a less expensive tin at a drug store near you (I paid about $5 for mine online).

Does he like it? Yes he does! He is particularly enamored with the bandaids - everyone including one of our fluffy dogs has fallen victim to "Dr. Bonham's" attempt at nursing them back to health with the power of kisses and bandaids. It has also become common to have to explain to grandparents, babysitters, store clerks, etc that my child isn't really injured. He just likes bandaids. 

He also likes to use his light scope as well as the stethoscope.

These are a couple pictures from Christmas morning:

These were taken a few weeks after Christmas. Notice how both Dr. Bonham and Daddy Bonham have several bandages each.

Thank you for stopping by! If I inspire you to make your own DIY Doctor Kit, please leave me a link in the comments. I'd love to see!

**This post contains affiliate links and I may receive a portion of sales generated from clicking my links. I promise to only ever link to products I know and love. Thank you for supporting Carissa's Creativity Space!**

Make Cute Alphabet Magnets!

We love magnets as a learning tool in our house. My son got a great set of animal magnets for his first birthday and they've really helped him learn the names of lots of different kinds of animals. He's beginning his journey into the alphabet so I wanted to get some ABC magnets for him.

Problem: Many alphabet magnets are plastic and have tiny magnets that fit into that back and pop out and become choking hazards. Also, we just aren't fans of plastic.

Solution: Make your own!

There are a few different great ways you could do this (a quick search of "Alphabet Magnets" on Pinterest turns up lots of fun options). Instead of starting totally from scratch, I decided to get a head start with the alphabet magnets they have at the Dollar Tree (they have number magnets in the same style right now, too!). I like these because the magnet covers the full back of each letter and cannot detach. Jazzing them up with paint gave me the opportunity to use more colors and also make them with interesting with patterns.

If you have older kids, this would be a fun project to get them involved with...especially if you have tactile learners!

Here's How You Do It:

Gather your supplies. You will need: 2 packs of full back coverage alphabet magnets from Dollar Tree  (I got two so I could spell things with double letters) and an assortment of craft paint and paint brushes. You'll also want newspaper or something to cover your work space.

Prep the magnets. Cover your workspace in newspaper. The magnets can get a little banged up and dusty from their trip overseas. Make sure you wipe them down as you lay them out so that the paint has a nice clean surface to adhere to.

Choose your base colors and start painting! The set I bought came in four colors: red, yellow, green and blue. I tried to paint over similar colors (using blue magnets for the ones I wanted to paint purple or yellow magnets for the ones I painted orange, etc) to avoid weird show-through and not needing to use as many coats of paint. I also painted the sides instead of leaving them raw as they came.

Add some patterns once the base coats are dry. I used a mix of dots, lines, squiggles, hearts, glitter and more. Really the sky is the limit! If you want them to all be shiny at the end, you can top them off with a glossy acrylic sealer.

That's it! Once they're dry, throw them on the fridge and enjoy!

 

Pin It

I'm sharing my project with these great parties:

* Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog * Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Designs * Mad Skills Tutorial Party at Mad in Crafts * Time to Shine Party at A Diamond in the Stuff * A Pinteresting Link Party at Tutus and Tea Parties * Ta Da Tuesdays at Mommy by Day Crafter by Night * What We Wore and Made at Rae Gun Ramblings * Tute in Tuesday at Oops I Craft My Pants * The Inspiration Board from Homework * Pinsperational Thursday at The Artsy Connection * Shine on Friday at Happy Go Lucky * Feature Friday Linky Party at Blissful and Domestic *

Last Minute Crafty Christmas Gifts

What's that you say? We're less than two days from Christmas and you still haven't figured out what to get for Aunt Mildred. Or Grandpa Eddie. Or your sweet little niece and nephew? You love handmade gifts but have run out of ideas and you might just buy a gift card.

Before you run out and drop your hard earned cash on a piece of plastic check out these great gift ideas that you can make (even last minute), sometimes even with things you already have on hand. You'll be able to give a clever handmade gift and look super thoughtful doing it.


Food Gifts

1. Homemade Chocolate Syrup from Small Notebook. Most chocolate syrup bought in store is full of ooky mystery or genetically modified ingredients. I love that you know everything that goes into this one and it's a gift any mocha drinker or parent of children who drink chocolate milk will appreciate.

2. Homemade Ginger Syrup (my recipe). This is super easy to make and is also easy to make in large batches so if you need to make a gift for several people, you can crank out several bottles of this with less than an hour of hands on time from you.

3. Cookie Mix in a Jar from Bakerella. This is another one that would be great for making in multiples. Just set everything up assembly line style and crank out a dozen in an afternoon.

4. Candycane Hearts from In His Grip. These look easy enough to make and would be a fun project to involve kids with, whether it's dolloping chocolate or sprinkling crushed candy canes on top. If you have a stoneware cookie sheet, make these even faster by freezing your stone for a a few hours and then making the hearts on parchment paper placed on top. This will set the chocolate even faster.




Gifts for Parents and Grandparents

1. Framed Art & Artist Photos from Southern Exposure. Let your kids create a masterpiece and snap a photo while they're doing it. Frame both together and you've got a winning combination!

2. Thumbprint Holiday Cards from Meet the Dubiens. Pair one of these with a store bought gift to add a personal touch.

3. Personalized Candles from A Girl in Paradise. Let your kids draw or decorate a design that you transfer to a candle with a little help from a grown up.

4. Front and Back Bookmarks from Having Fun at Home. Snap some pictures of your kiddo(s) from both sides, upload to a site like Shutterfly or Walgreens that lets you swing by to pick up the pics later and you've got a fun meaningful gift that will be used by a bibliophilic grandparent.




Gifts for Children

1. Mustache Binkies (my project). They only take minutes to make but they are tons of fun for both kids and grown ups.

2. Tool Belt or Art Apron from Outnumbered. Nikki writes a great tutorial for making a tool belt for play toys. You could also follow the same tutorial to make an art apron that crayons or markers fit into.

3. Personalized Board Book from Chef Messy. Raid your photo archives or scan facebook for photos of family members to make a personalized board book. If you don't already have a spare board book lying around, check out Dollar Tree as they frequently sell two-packs of small board books for $1.

4. Gingerbread Playdough from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle. Whip up a large batch of heavenly scented non-toxic playdough for all the kiddos in your life using ingredients you already have in your pantry..

Or just add some bling...

 

At the end of the day if you decide to give a gift card anyway, you can always give it a festive DIY touch by packaging it in a fun snow globe using this tutorial from The Creative Mama.

A big thanks to all the bloggers who shared their great ideas to help us procrastinating crafters come through with great gifts just in time!  If your project was featured, please feel free to grab a featured button:

<a href="http://creativecarissa.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiklZr_Hri2zrZPhH-zN8NNyq6pEdZTgy-Rcud5hiRQiD_geRrQiXRwXiydjUqfA42RYEjke7JoQA2_vGlVBh3g7GadFxK3q2nnFZ0yC5AEv86c3o5l36hOBeqz164TxXzugVmQDxje50I/s150/featured%252520button%252520150%252520px%252520copy.jpg" alt="Carissa's Creativity Space" width="125" height="125" /></a>

And if we don't see each other until then...

.Merry Christmas!