Mayo Clinic Residents Created Medical Teddy Bears

A new therapeutic program uses custom-fitted teddy bears to help pediatric patients feel more comfortable with their medical devices.

Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Children’s Health

Mayo Clinic Residents Created Medical Teddy Bears

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Do you believe specialized play tools effectively help children cope with medical anxiety?

Mayo Clinic pediatric residents have launched a program that outfits teddy bears with realistic medical equipment like feeding and tracheostomy tubes. This initiative aims to alleviate anxiety in children by normalizing the medical devices they rely on for daily care.

Why it matters

The program helps reduce self-consciousness among children while providing medical students and residents with hands-on practice for complex procedures. By bridging the gap between clinical care and play, the project fosters better patient engagement and provider training.

The project was supported by a $2,200 grant that funded the purchase of 200 teddy bears. These bears are fitted with medical devices including gastronomy tubes, tracheostomy tubes, and pacemakers, many of which were donated by manufacturers.

The players

Mayo Clinic

This nonprofit academic medical center is recognized globally for its excellence in integrated clinical practice, education, and research.

American Academy of Pediatrics

This professional association is comprised of 67,000 pediatricians dedicated to the health and well-being of infants, children, and adolescents.

The details

Medical residents and students fit the bears with devices and use them to teach patients how to manage their specific care steps. Students additionally utilize these bears to practice their own suturing techniques in a controlled, educational setting.

The project was presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 National Conference in October 2026.

Health Landscape

This program marks a departure from traditional clinical training by integrating therapeutic play directly into the standard medical education curriculum. It reflects a growing trend in pediatrics to prioritize patient emotional wellness alongside technical treatment efficacy.

The intervention helps children become more comfortable with medical devices by normalizing their appearance through play-based familiarity. Parents and patients may find this approach reduces the stress of medical appointments and simplifies the process of learning home-care steps.

The takeaway

Using familiar objects as clinical aids can significantly bridge the gap between complex medical necessity and child-friendly understanding. Caregivers can implement similar play-based strategies at home to help children better process and manage their own medical requirements.