In pediatrics, every patient comes with a fan club. There is the child, who may be scared, sticky or asleep in a pile of stuffed animals. There is a parent who has not slept, a grandparent with questions, and possibly a sibling who has found the call button. Your job is to do the clinical work while keeping all of them on your side.
That changes what is worth carrying. The basics (good shoes, pens that work, food) still matter, and our nurse essentials list covers them. This page is about what is different when you work in pediatrics, on a peds floor, in the PICU or alongside child life.
The short version
8 picks- 01 Pediatric stethoscope 3M Littmann Classic II Pediatric Stethoscope Amazon
- 01 Pediatric stethoscope 3M Littmann Classic II Pediatric Stethoscope Amazon UK
- 02 Penlight with a face Animal Print Pediatric Penlights Amazon
- 02 Penlight with a face Animal Print Pediatric Penlights Amazon UK
- 03 Reward stickers Kids Reward Sticker Rolls Amazon
- 03 Reward stickers Kids Reward Sticker Rolls Amazon UK
- 04 Bubbles for distraction Mini Bubble Wands, Party Favor Pack Amazon
- 04 Bubbles for distraction Mini Bubble Wands, Party Favor Pack Amazon UK
- 05 Badge reference cards Pediatric Badge Reference Cards Amazon
- 05 Badge reference cards Pediatric Badge Reference Cards Amazon UK
- 06 Double-check calculator Casio SL-300SV Solar Pocket Calculator Amazon
- 06 Double-check calculator Casio SL-300SV Solar Pocket Calculator Amazon UK
- 07 Needle pain helper Buzzy Vibration and Cold Needle Pain Relief Amazon
- 07 Needle pain helper Buzzy Vibration and Cold Needle Pain Relief Amazon UK
- 08 Hand cream O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream Amazon
- 08 Hand cream O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream Amazon UK
What makes pediatrics different
From a gear point of view, a peds shift looks like this:
- Every dose depends on weight. Kids come in every size, so medicines are worked out per kilogram. A systematic review in Drug Safety found dosing errors are probably the most common type of medication error in children.
- Fear is part of the job. A calm, distracted child is easier and safer to care for than a terrified one. The AAP says child life programs help kids cope with care through play and conversation.
- Families are always there. You will explain things three times, to three different people, at three in the morning.
- Everything gets touched. Toys, pens, badges and penlights get grabbed, chewed and dropped. If you cannot wipe it, think twice before you carry it.
- It is loud and it is heavy. Crying, alarms, and some of the saddest days anyone can have.
Everything below fits one of those five.
A stethoscope that fits a small chest
An adult chestpiece on a toddler covers half the chest, which makes it hard to tell one lung field from the next. A pediatric chestpiece is smaller, so you can listen in the right spot. The Classic II Pediatric also has a non-chill rim, which matters when your patient is already unhappy about you.
3M Littmann Classic II Pediatric Stethoscope
A chestpiece that fits a small chest, not half of it.
A dual-sided pediatric stethoscope with a smaller diaphragm on one side and an open bell on the other, plus a non-chill rim so a cold chestpiece does not start the crying for you.
- Chestpiece
- Pediatric diaphragm and open bell
- Extras
- Non-chill rim and diaphragm, per the maker
Best for
Toddlers through school-age kids, and anyone who works mostly with children.
Worth knowing
Too small to be your only stethoscope if you float to adult units. Counterfeits are common, so buy from the official 3M Littmann store listing.
If you work with a lot of infants, or you also float to adult units, read our pediatric stethoscope guide. It compares the pediatric, infant and adult options.
Distraction: your real pocket kit
In adult care, distraction is a nice extra. In pediatrics, it is part of doing the procedure well. Three cheap things do a lot of work.
A penlight with a face. “Can you follow the puppy?” works better than “follow my light.” Get a multipack, because small hands keep things.
Animal Print Pediatric Penlights
A penlight that looks like a toy, so the check feels like a game.
Reusable LED penlights with cute animal or cartoon-style designs, usually sold in multipacks. Kids are more likely to follow a light that has a face on it.
- Light
- LED
- Pack
- Usually several in a set
Best for
Pupil checks and throat looks on kids who do not want either.
Worth knowing
Pick designs you can wipe down, and expect a few to walk off in small hands. Warm-white light is kinder than harsh blue-white.
Stickers. A sticker after a poke turns the ending of a bad moment into something a little better. Keep one sheet in your pocket so you are not hunting for the roll.
Kids Reward Sticker Rolls
The cheapest pain management tool on the unit.
Big rolls or packs of bright reward stickers (animals, stars, "I was brave" styles) for after vitals, pokes and dressing changes.
- Format
- Rolls or sheets, by pack
- Designs
- Mixed kid-friendly prints
Best for
Every peds nurse, tech and resident who wants a calm ending to a hard procedure.
Worth knowing
Check whether your unit stocks them before you buy your own. Keep a single sheet in your pocket, not the whole roll.
Bubbles. Blowing bubbles makes a child breathe out slowly and look away from the needle. One tube per child, never shared, and blow them away from walkways so nobody slips.
Mini Bubble Wands, Party Favor Pack
Blow bubbles, take a deep breath, forget the needle.
Small single-use bubble tubes or wands, sold in bulk as party favors. Blowing bubbles gives a scared kid something to look at and a reason to breathe slowly.
- Format
- Mini tubes with wands
- Pack
- Bulk party favor pack
Best for
Distraction during pokes and dressing changes, and a small gift to send home.
Worth knowing
Bubbles make floors slippery, so blow them away from walkways. Give each child their own tube rather than sharing, and check what your unit and child life team allow.
If your unit has a child life specialist, they are the experts here. Ask them before big or scary procedures. They often have better tools (and better timing) than anything in your pocket.
A double check for weight-based doses
Pediatric medicines come in tiny volumes, with decimal points that matter. A study of five years of incident reports at a children’s hospital in Pediatrics found tenfold errors, often linked to calculation and decimal point problems. The unit’s systems (pump libraries, pharmacy checks, independent double checks) are what keep kids safe. Your pocket kit just supports them.
Badge cards are handy for normal vital signs by age, which really do change from a newborn to a teenager.
Pediatric Badge Reference Cards
Normal vital signs for every age, without doing the math at the bedside.
Vertical cards that clip behind your ID badge, typically covering normal vital signs by age, pain scales for kids and developmental milestones.
- Format
- Vertical, fits behind a badge
- Finish
- Usually laminated, wipeable
Best for
New peds staff, float nurses and students who are still memorizing what normal looks like at two versus twelve.
Worth knowing
Your unit references, pump library and pharmacist always win over a card. Check its numbers against them.
A plain solar calculator lets you double check a rate without unlocking a phone with gloves on.
Casio SL-300SV Solar Pocket Calculator
Double checks a drip rate without unlocking a phone in gloves.
A thin, card-sized solar calculator that fits a scrub pocket and has no battery to die mid-shift.
- Power
- Solar
- Size
- Roughly card sized
Best for
Quick double checks on weight-based doses and rates, and units that keep phones out of rooms.
Worth knowing
A double check, not a replacement for the pump library or your unit's calculation policy.
To be clear: neither of these is a dosing reference. Use your unit’s references, policies and pharmacist for every dose.
Something for the pokes
Needle sticks are the part kids remember. Buzzy is a palm-sized bee that buzzes and has ice wings, placed near the site during a poke. A 2024 meta-analysis found it reduced pain and anxiety in children compared with no intervention, though the studies varied a lot.
Buzzy Vibration and Cold Needle Pain Relief
A buzzing bee with ice wings that takes the edge off a poke.
A palm-sized bee that vibrates, with frozen wing packs for cold. It sits near the needle site during a poke. Developed by a pediatrician, and studied in a fair number of trials with kids.
- How it works
- Vibration plus cold
- Power
- Batteries, by model
Best for
Families with a kid who needs regular pokes, and peds staff who want to suggest one to their unit or child life team.
Worth knowing
The personal model is for one family's use. Hospitals usually buy a clinical version through their own supply chain, so ask before you bring one in.
The personal model is a great thing to tell families about if their child needs regular blood draws or injections at home. For the unit, ask your educator or child life team; most hospitals buy a clinical version through their own supply chain.
Hands that get washed constantly
Peds nurses wash and gel their hands all day, and young patients touch everything. That is great for infection control and terrible for your knuckles. Use a heavy, unscented cream on breaks and before bed.
O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream
For hands washed fifty times a shift.
A concentrated, unscented hand cream made for cracked, dry hands. A little goes a long way.
- Scent
- Unscented
- Use
- Dry, cracked hands
Best for
Cracked knuckles from constant washing and sanitizer.
Worth knowing
Use it after shift or on breaks. Check your unit policy on lotions with gloves.
Keep it washable
Shared toys are a known problem. A study of toy cleaning in pediatric settings noted that wiping toys with disinfectant is labor intensive and hard because of their uneven surfaces. The same goes for your stuff. Before you add something cute to your kit, ask: can I wipe this between rooms? If not, it stays home.
That rules out fuzzy badge reels, plush stethoscope covers, and the sticker roll you keep in your pocket all week. Our peds scrubs and badge reels guide goes deeper on fun gear that is still cleanable.
The heavy part
Most of pediatrics is joyful. Some of it is the opposite, and it stays with you. A 2022 study in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing found high burnout among the pediatric emergency nurses it surveyed, especially younger and newer nurses. If your hospital offers debriefs, peer support or an employee assistance program, use them. Look after your sleep, too: the night shift guide and the recovery guide cover that side.
What to skip
- Anything you cannot wipe. Plush, felt, glitter and fabric pouches pick up germs and stay dirty.
- Small parts. Badge charms, tiny toys and loose beads are choking hazards for toddlers.
- Your phone as a toy. It works, but it then goes everywhere with you. If your unit has tablets for distraction, use those.
- Dosing apps you have not been told to use. Stick to the references your unit approves.
- A pocket full of toys. One penlight, one sheet of stickers and one bubble tube is plenty. Child life has the rest.
The pediatric checklist
- A pediatric (or infant) stethoscope
- A fun penlight, plus a spare
- A sheet of stickers and a bubble tube
- Badge reference cards and a small calculator
- Hand cream for breaks
- Wipeable everything
- For after: sleep, food and someone to talk to
Shopping for someone in peds? Try the pediatric nurse gift guide.
Follow your own unit’s policies, dress code and infection control rules, which always come first.