"What kind of gift should I buy for an eight year old girl?" a friend of mine recently asked me.

"Dolls, toys, anything", I responded.

"I'm stumped, my friend said, this little girl is completely paralyzed".

Sadly, this little girl, the daughter of one of my friend's co-workers, didn't want dolls like most eight year old girls do. Not because she couldn't play with them, my friend explained, but because "they weren't like her". They were like the OTHER kids at school.

My friend and I got together that night and searched the internet for hours. We really didn't even know what we were looking for. I’ll tell you one thing, we were completely disappointed by the search engine's results for gifts for handicapped children.

Finally, she found a website called Sew Dolling. The company offers 18 inch dolls for children with disabilities. Several dolls can found with wheel chairs, prostheses, and crutches.  They're very unique, carefully crafted, and they're made of a vinyl (not porcelain). If they fall, they won't break.

Although we were both excited to find this unique gift, I really hope that other companies start marketing items that are play-friendly to children with disabilities.

Are  you wondering how the child reacted to her gift? She loved it! Finally, a doll that wasn't like the "other kids" at school.  If there's a special needs child in your family or neighborhood, this is a wonderful little gift!

Sew Dolling

Posted by Melody.