Shadow Buddy Program Child Life Specialists use Shadow Buddies to help children better understand their healthcare experience. These special dolls are used as preparation tools for surgeries and procedures, and new diagnoses to help children learn about their illness or injury and its treatment. These dolls give children a way to identify and relate to what is happening to them. The dolls are available in boys and girls with three different skin tones and four different hair colors. Shadow Buddies are designed to suit patients of specific conditions or can be creatively adapted for any type of condition.
Buddies help to make a connection between treatment and awareness.
The Buddies are also used to give children a feeling of control and understanding about unfamiliar and potentially frightening procedures and diagnoses. These dolls fit directly into the interactive techniques and developmental approaches used by the Child Life Program. Procedural Support Child Life Specialists use various distraction and relaxation techniques to help children and families cope with medical procedures. These techniques can help children understand and cope with procedures while maintaining a feeling of control. Computer Playground Project Patients and families at UCCH benefit from computers located in each patient room.