Teddy bears will help soothe distressed children at Tauranga Hospital

Christmas has come a week early for children at Tauranga Hospital with the arrival of 150 teddy bears.

Clinical nurse manager Stephanie Watson said the teddy bears would be beneficial for children and hospital staff. The teddies would be new friends to children who were experiencing the trauma of visiting the emergency department by helping to calm and soothe the young patients.

"The teddies provide a lot of comfort and support for children and are a way of communication for nurses and doctors," she said.

Watson said children would often use their teddy bear to tell hospital staff what happened to them or even point out on the teddy bear where they felt pain.

"The children will often talk to teddy when they won't talk to us... It just makes a really easy opportunity for children to be able to communicate to us," Watson said.

Tony Mansfield from the Teddies For Loving Care charity gave 150 teddy bears to Tauranga Hospital. Clinical nurse manager Stephanie Watson says they will be beneficial for young patients. Photo/ George Novak

The teddies were a donation from the charity, Teddies For Loving Care, and were an ongoing initiative over the next three years.

The initiative was created in England 15 years ago, and New Zealand was the first country outside of Europe to adopt the idea.

More than 20,000 colourful teddy bears would be distributed to children in New Zealand.

Tauranga Hospital was one of the first to receive its first lot of the cuddly soft toys.

Teddies for Loving Care chairman Tony Mansfield said the teddies would provide children with comfort and support to take away tension they experienced.

"It's about giving nurses and doctors another tool to help them do their job, to be able to say 'Teddy will help' ... and it does work."

The first of the teddies were ready to be handed out to children at Tauranga Hospital from yesterday.