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Distraction™ Box Program

About Distraction Boxes

The TLC for Kids Distraction™ Box Program is designed to give nurses and healthcare professionals the perfect tools to guide young children through painful examinations and procedures.

The Box is placed in medical rooms and contains items that engage the attention of the child; complement the procedure; comply with hospital infection control protocols; and divert attention away from the procedure. 

More about the Program

What’s In The Box?

Each Distraction™ Box contains a number of fully-researched and therapeutic items to distract and guide children through painful medical examinations and procedures. All items comply with hospital infection protocols, and are geared towards children who are developmentally 8 years old and younger. Distractions can be delivered within 60 seconds using this program, meanings its impact is instant.

The Science of Distraction™

 We aim to distract the child from what is happening and focus instead on a therapeutic item from the Distraction™ Box. This can ease the child’s fear and lower the need for medical sedatives and pain relievers, meaning reduced anxiety for the child, parent, and professional, and a smoother procedure overall. It’s used in emergency departments, immunisations, paediatric wards, & even chemotherapy.

Distraction™ Boxes: Current Impact

TLC for Kids currently services 405 hospitals and medical centres around Australia, with over 1,866 TLC Distraction™ Boxes currently in use. Based on the amount of children who access these boxes, we impact procedures up to 2,400 times a day. This makes TLC for Kids a crucial presence in the medical community.

Distraction™ Boxes: Where To Next?

TLC for Kids is aiming to expand the Distraction™ Box Program to more rural and regional areas across Australia, with the hope of reaching all children. We also intend to expand into other medical services such as ambulances and dental surgeries, where Distraction would be valuable.  

Are you a healthcare professional interested in applying for the Distraction Box Program?

(Please note: Distraction Boxes are free of charge for public hospitals or clinics. For private hospitals or clinics, there is an affordable charge in order to cover supply and refills)

Click Here to Register

The Stats that Matter

400+

Hospitals using Distraction™ Boxes

1,866

Distraction™ Boxes in use

873,288

Distraction™ Boxes uses last year

2,392

Distractions™ delivered per day

Testimonials

  • Distraction Boxes provide invaluable resources that are integral in effecting a positive (or at least less traumatic) experience for children, parents/carers & staff in performing invasive examinations & procedures on children in the Emergency Department. By definition such toys not only distract the child from the immediate treatment at hand but the greater stressful environment of the emergency department surrounding them.

    Royal Darwin Hospital

  • The Distraction Boxes have proved to be wonderful for our immunisation clinics and programs. Thank you for your fantastic service, all the nurses and clients at Cooma and Jindabyne Community Health truly appreciate this unbelievably FREE service.

    Cooma & Jindabyne Community Health

  • A fantastic service provided and an essential part of the treatment of paediatrics in our department. Thank you for continuing to provide these items and for making an emergency visit for children a little easier to cope with.

    Benalla & District Memorial Hospital

  • I regularly immunise with a colleague and the Distraction Box is very much part of what we do now. While I am unable to comment on reduction in pain relief, the difference it can make to the parents & children is visible. Children who are so upset can often be distracted & seem to settle quickly after the injection.

    Queabeyan Health Services

  • Thank you so much for these Boxes, they are a life saver for the many procedures we do in our busy emergency department

    Mater Children's Hospital

  • Wouldn’t be without the Distraction Box now.

    Urbenville Multipurpose Service

  • This has been so valuable. Great results with distressed children.

    Bundaberg Hospital

  • Thank you for this wonderful adjunct to making our job so much easier.

    Maroondah Hospital

  • On behalf of the Paediatric Unit, Paediatric Outpatients, theatre and Emergency Departments, we would like to thank you for your provision of Distraction Boxes. These Boxes are invaluable during medical procedures to minimise children’s anxieties. Your commitment to facilitating staff education to ensure the Boxes are appropriately utilised is also to be commended.

    Box Hill Hospital

Get Involved

For healthcare professionals:

Apply for the Program

For the public:

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