Calico Dolls
What are calico dolls and who makes them?
Calico dolls are simple in shape and made with plain fabric. The dolls are without features and are plumply stuffed with polyester fibrefill, so they are lightweight. They are made in a range of skin tones. Children draw with textas or felt tip pens on plain calico, giving personality and so each doll is unique.
Since 1993 over 60,000 dolls have been made for children in hospital.
Most of the dolls are made by volunteers and in the past Girl Guides have made calico dolls for AWCH in Sydney.
Where and how are they used?
Calico dolls are used to help children in healthcare settings : in hospital emergency departments, radiology departments, routine healthcare admissions and when children are transported between healthcare settings. Calico dolls are also used in community settings by psychologists and child life therapists.
Health professionals such as child life therapists and nurses use the dolls with role play to help children, particularly younger children who are not abstract thinkers. The dolls help prepare children for common medical procedures such as IV insertion, suturing, blood-tests, changing dressings, manipulation and plastering of fractures under local anaesthetic and X-rays.
Calico dolls play is therapeutic because it gives children permission to express themselves. The role play helps children by providing them with emotional support when they are in unfamiliar healthcare places and having unfamiliar experiences.
Calico Dolls
A Process of Play
Calico Dolls: a process of play is a great book for introducing health professionals and students to the value of calico dolls and their uses.
Vignettes illustrates some of the users, such as for diversion from pain discomfort, anxiety and boredom. Other uses are for expression of feelings, as preparation for painful procedures, when working with siblings, for children who do not speak English, in bereavement care and for parent involvement.
The book also explains how health professionals can make doll play a successful experience as well as how to talk to children in health care settings.
Calico dolls: a process of play is available for loan from the AWCH Library.
