If your child has to go to hospital
Given a little forethought, a stay in hospital does not have to be upsetting or frightening for your child.
© Jupiter
At some point in your child's life he may have to go into hospital. But given a little forethought, a stay in hospital does not have to be upsetting or frightening for your child. If you don't like hospitals and you convey this feeling to your child you may inadvertently make his stay in hospital much more difficult than it has to be.
Try to teach him that a hospital is a friendly place where people go to get better. Whenever the chance arises - if you have a friend or a relative in hospital, for instance - take your child along when you go to visit and be matter-of-fact, not gloomy, about their illness. If a child's first experience of being in hospital is when he becomes sick, it will seem even more alien than it would otherwise.
Preparing a child for hospital
If you know that your child is going to hospital, read him a story about a child who goes into hospital, and role play doctors and nurses with toy stethoscopes. Be as honest as you can about why he's going to hospital, and emphasize that it's to make him better. Reassure him that you will be with him as much as you can while he's in hospital, and if he is old enough to understand, tell him when he'll be well enough to come home.
If your child needs to have an operation he's bound to be curious about what's going to happen to him and what the doctors are going to do. Answer his questions as honestly as you can - if he asks you if the operation will hurt, don't pretend that it won't, but tell him that doctors have medicines to make the pain go away quickly and he will soon be better.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 30.06.2010
Get more on this subject…
