The Best Gifts for Children with Special Needs

This is our pretty Lily girl. She is so precious to all of our family and friends. She was born with spina bifida, and as such, she has special needs. She was born with her back boneis a paraplegic (total inability to move both legs and the lower part of the trunk). We are all learning how to take care of her.

You can read more about Lily Ruth on another hub I made some time ago:http://hubpages.com/hub/Living-With-Spina-Bifida

We don't love qualities, we love a person; sometimes by reason of their defects as well as their qualities.

~Jacques Maritain

There are many children throughout the world that have special needs. We can giving them thoughtful gifts for holidays, birthdays and other special occasions that will assist them as they develop to make their life, and that of their caretakers, easier.

When I visited with Lily and her brother and sister, it seemed she loved toys that she could fit inside and be moved around in. Her little brother has a large toy truck, and she enjoys being pushed around in it. So, I think another great gift for her might be a wagon or a toy like a Kid-0 Bilibo.

This toy was designed in Switzerland and has won countless awards for design and play value. It is simple and stimulates a child's imagination. It can be a helmet, sit and spin, doll cradle, train tunnel, shovel, water basin and much more! It is nearly indestructible and suitable for indoors and outdoors and comes in many colors.

Since some children can only use their upper body, it is great to get toys for both hand exercise and game play. There are several good products made by Tangle that are available and have been proven to stimulate young minds and hands. Before you purchase a toy for a child with special needs, ask the parents what there developmental age is as their chronological age is usually higher. Or you can give them money and have them choose a gift they think is appropriate. Some toys that flash or vibrate may affect children with a history of seizures.

For a child with autism, it is great therapy to keep their hands busy.

Here are a couple of sites with toys for special needs:

http://www.therapro.com/default.aspx

http://www.fatbraintoys.com/special_needs/index.cfm

There are other gifts that react to interaction by making sounds, talking or making noises. One is the Electronic Talking Silly 6 Pins by Hasbro, which has been given excellent reviews. I know that Lily loves to pick up her toy phone and listen to it since she sees her mother do it. It would be fun for her if it made sounds or talked.

When Lily was able to sit up, her parents put her in a blue Bumbo Baby Seat, Blue. She would sit up in this little seat for hours and play with her toys.

Here is a recent picture of Lily looking very happy and proud of herself. I wish I lived closer to be able to help out more. She is growing so big. She really enjoys swinging on the playground set.

We are all anxiously waiting for a custom-made wheelchair ordered for Lily Ruth. She did really well the first time she tried it, as you can see in her video. Of course, wheelchairs are very expensive. The chair should last her for five years. As grandparents, we thought that it would be good to help out with the expense of her needed chair. We love you so much Lily!