The holidays are just around the corner and it is time to start thinking about gifts for your loved ones. It can be difficult to find the perfect gift for someone with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Whether you know someone new to a kidney diet or have been following one for years, there are plenty of great options out there! Here are 9 perfect gifts that will make any CKD patient feel happy and special this holiday season.

Do’s & Don’ts Of Gift Giving To A Person With CKD

Finding gifts for someone in your life who has chronic kidney disease may seem difficult but in reality, as long as you put thought and effort behind the gift, they are sure to love it.

So DO think about the person you’re finding a gift for and put the effort into learning what gifts could really benefit them and show that you care.

You DON’T want to get them a last-minute gift that they may not be able to use due to their condition, such as a fast food or restaurant gift card.

Gift Ideas For People New To the Kidney Diet

Cookbooks

For those who are new to the CKD diet, the perfect gift could be a cookbook! There are many options for these cookbooks, and you can pick one that contains recipes that are close to the person’s culinary style.

There are also cookbooks that specifically target those who are newly diagnosed with this type of kidney disease, so it is a great introduction into the foods they can still enjoy and cook for themselves. There are also 30 minute or 5-ingredient cookbooks for those who want less fuss and more simplicity when it comes to their cooking.

Spice Rack with Spices

For those who are new to the CKD diet, they may be thinking they will have to live a life full of bland proteins and unseasoned vegetables, but with your research, you can give them a gift basket full of renal disease friendly spices so they can season (reasonably) to their heart’s content.

You can create a classic gift basket and fill it with spices, or you can get them a revolving spice rack and supply them with the spices. Some CKD-friendly spices include mint, ginger, basil, cardamom, chives, dill, rosemary, thyme, and more! Here is a very sleek spice rack, highly reviewed, and offers free spice refills for 5 years (not including shipping and handling)!

Blood Pressure Kit

If your gift receiver is newly diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, they may not yet have a home blood pressure kit. This is a very practical and thoughtful gift they will get a lot of use out of in their daily life. It is also a gift that will help them keep track of their health and the effect certain meals may have on their blood pressure.

For health-related items, it would be preferred, if you can, to ask your physician or your gift receiver’s physician what blood pressure set would be the best option for them. This Healthline article offers a great selection and information about home blood pressure monitors and links for several options.

Kidney-friendly gift basket Ideas

Cookware basket

A nice option for a gift basket idea for someone with CKD is a cookware basket. This could include a slow cooker, crockpot, several new pots or pans, or any other cookware your gift receiver may be lacking or needing an upgrade on.

You can make the main part of the gift a larger cookware item, like this slow cooker. This slow cooker holds 7 quarts and can serve 9 or more people, meaning you can prepare meals or host events, and this cooker will assist you through it all. Then you can add utensils and accessories to complete the gift basket, such as ladles, spatulas, measuring spoons, etc.

A slow cooker is helpful to a person with chronic kidney disease because they can plan meals ahead that are healthy and safe for them to eat. They can also prepare the meal before going to their dialysis appointments, which are always characteristically long endeavors, and their meal will be ready to eat when they get back, with little required of them after their long day of treatment.

Relaxation Kit

Some days living with kidney disease, much like other chronic health conditions, can be exhausting and cause our friends with the disease to feel down on some days.

A nice relaxation gift basket could offer a small reprieve from all of the exhaustion and allow them to melt away their worries for a bit with things like fuzzy traction socks, shower steamers, essential oil diffusers, or white noise machines with relaxing sounds.

This is a nice premade gift basket that includes 12 pieces like bath salts, an oil diffuser bracelet, body butter, and more! All in the relaxing and calming scent of eucalyptus and mint.

This is another great premade aromatherapy gift with the soothing scents of lavender imbued into its bath salts, lotions, and bath bombs. Finally, another wonderful and unique addition to your relaxation basket could be this white noise machine. It is rechargeable, color-changing, light dimming, includes 24 soothing sounds, and is a built-in nightlight and timer.

CKD friendly snack pack

While kidney disease does affect some of the foods and snacks you can enjoy, it doesn’t eliminate all of them. A tasty treat gift basket will be a delight to anyone with chronic kidney disease for any occasion.

While there are some premade basket options, this would be a nice one for you to put together yourself with your insider knowledge of the flavors and treats your gift receiver enjoys. Some kidney-friendly treats that could be included are soft candies such as gummy bears, gumdrops, Laffy Taffy, Sour Patch Kids, peach rings, and Airheads.

Some hard candy options are Skittles, Sweet Tarts, and Jolly Ranchers. Other treats include shortbread cookies, muffins, marshmallows, and popsicles. Things to avoid would be anything with high sodium, potassium, calcium, or phosphorus. This includes things like chocolate, caramel, toffee, and dairy ice creams.

Good gifts for someone going through dialysis

Hemowear

Dialysis is a tough part of the chronic kidney disease way of life, but it is a necessary one. It takes a long time, and is quite invasive for a person’s body at times. A good way to stay comfortable and avoid the hassle of removing jackets or clothing articles, struggling to roll up tight sleeves, and then staying in a cold room for hours, is to give the gift of dialysis clothing.

A wonderful brand called Hemowear, gives options for patients who are on dialysis or even chemotherapy treatments, to give doctors and nurses access to dialysis sites without having to remove layers of their clothing. They have men’s and women’s options and offer anything from sweatpants, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets!

These clothing items offer large zipper access points in the chest areas, arms, and even in the thighs. This is a great company dedicated to making dialysis patients comfortable during their treatments and it gives doctors and nurses easy access to vein and catheter sites without needing to disrobe their kidney disease patients.

Blankets

Everyone loves a cozy, warm blanket. They provide us comfort during anxious times and keep out the chills, so a blanket is a thoughtful choice for someone in your life who goes through dialysis. Bringing a blanket with them will help them think of you, keep them warm, and maybe offer some anxiety relief during their treatment as well.

Here is an option that includes an inspirational pack, including a fleece blanket, neck pillow, tote bag, and fuzzy traction socks to keep their feet warm. This is an awesome option because it gives them several different comforts they can take with them to their appointment and gives them a tote bag to put everything in to make it easy. Bonus points because the set contains positive messages to help put them in a positive headspace during their treatments.

Another unique blanket option is this wearable blanket that will cover their arms without having to constantly readjust the blanket when they move around during their treatment. It is made of thick Sherpa lining, has a pocket in the center to put their hands in if they get too cold or to place a tablet or gaming device when it is not in use. It comes in several different design options, so you can find one that fits your gift receiver’s style and personality. This option should also still offer accessibility to vein and catheter sites for doctors and nurses, so everyone can be comfortable.

Electronics

Spending four or more hours in a hospital setting for dialysis could definitely lead to boredom for all of us. So, a gift that would go a long way in alleviating that boredom would be electronics. You could give any gift that would allow a distraction from their long stretches of treatment, maybe a tablet to watch shows or movies on, a music player, an eBook reader, or anything else that they may find fun or helpful.

Amazon fire tablets are a great option because they can allow them to watch movies and shows. It can also be used as an eReader or an audiobook, so the person using it has multiple functionalities in one device. The Amazon Fire tablets have also been highly rated for their ease of use, especially with older adults and seniors. If you happen to know a child or younger individual with kidney disease, they also have a tablet, especially for kids that can provide educational purposes.

Suppose the person you are buying the tablet for already has such a device. In that case, you could still help them alleviate their boredom during dialysis by helping to pay for or buying them entertainment subscriptions, such as Amazon Prime to watch movies and shows, or buying them new books they would enjoy on Amazon Kindle so they can read from their tablet. Audible is also a great option if the person you are shopping for enjoys listening to audiobooks.

Conclusion: Finding a Gift For Someone with CKD May Seem Hard But They Are Sure To Appreciate The Thought You Put Behind it!

I’ve found it can be hard to find a gift for someone with CKD or any other chronic illness. No one wants to give them anything that might worsen their kidney function, and they may not want you to spend your money on expensive items either. The best gifts are ones with a meaning behind them – take the time to think about what will really make this person happy!