Boy with Down's syndrome given 'inclusive' gift after tough year

Cayden, who has Down's syndrome, now has a doll that looks like him. Photo / Supplied

An "inclusive" and "empathetic" gift to a child with Down's syndrome has restored a Petone mum's faith in humanity after a tough year.

Petone mum-of-two Georgia Hutchison visited Kmart on Tuesday with her son Cayden, who is nearly 2 and was diagnosed with Down's syndrome at birth.

Keitha-Marie Cassidy, who works at the store and had come to know Hutchison and her son, told her to wait while she retrieved a gift for "someone special".

"She pulled out a doll with Down's syndrome, and said she's been waiting for someone special to come along," she said.

"It was really sweet because she knew the dolls had sold out so she'd taken one off the shelf and she was waiting for me and Cayden to come back into the shop."

Hutchison said the interaction was all the more special because it had come at the end of a challenging year for the family.

"I actually don't know her personally, so that's also what makes it more meaningful, because it was a complete stranger giving Cayden a gift.

"I go there quite regularly so she's probably seen him over the span of his life, and she never fails to acknowledge him, she always says hi to him.

"She's just so welcoming and inclusive."

Kmart Petone Store Manager Dean Rhatigan said he was proud of his staff member.

"I'm extremely proud of our team and Keitha who lives our values of making everyday living brighter as our door greeter for our customers," he said.

"It's wonderful to see the community recognise Keitha and for her to receive this well-deserved recognition for her hard work and caring personality."

A boy and a girl doll with Down's syndrome were introduced to Kmart stores in Australia and New Zealand. Photo / Kmart

Within the past few months a boy and a girl doll with Down's syndrome had been released by Kmart in Australia and New Zealand.

A Kmart spokesperson said the company had been "on a journey with diversity for some time" and were continuing to expand their toys range to reflect different ages, genders, ethnicities, abilities and sexual orientations.

"We want children to see themselves represented in our doll ranges and we want to help children learn more about people who are different from themselves," they said.

The dolls had been so popular that Hutchison said she had not been able to find them anywhere.

"I'd been looking for it at Kmart but they'd been pretty much sold out," she said.

"The lady at the store said they were selling like hotcakes, so that's why she decided to grab one off the shelf."

Georgia Hutchison describes Cayden as the light of her life. Photo / Supplied

Hutchison said it was "amazing" to have toys available for children of different abilities.

"Now Cayden has a toy that's similar to him," she said.

"His sister is two and she has all these dollies but none of them look like him. I think once he's older I can probably explain to him why this doll is so special."

Cayden pictured with his sister Niah, 2. Photo / Supplied

Hutchison had not always had positive experiences from strangers who noticed Cayden was different, but she said the best thing people could do was treat him like any other child.

"He is such a happy boy … he's the light of my life," she said.

"I do everything the same with him and my daughter, the only difference is I use a bit of sign language with him."

"I really worry about his future as he grows but this lady has really restored my faith in humanity."