Your Child"s Hospital Stay
Although you have explained and prepared your child for hospitalization, most children will still be scared.
Even though they have visited on a tour, they are still in a strange place and sleeping in a strange room.
And strangers are running in and out and doing things to them.
You can allay their fears considerably by being with them for most of the time.
This means choosing a hospital with a rooming-in program.
In such a program, you will be allowed to share your child's room on a twenty-four hour basis.
The hospital may provide an adjacent bed or a cot.
Or your accommodation may be just a pillow and a chair.
You may have a place to shower and change clothes or you may not.
If you will be allowed to stay around the clock, remember that hospital rooms are small and take with you only what you need.
Arrange for a friend, relative, or your spouse to bring you clean clothes and other necessities, as you need them so you can keep the room neat and clean.
You do need to know this information in advance.
If you can sleep over in your child's room but need to leave to shower and change clothes, you will want to schedule a friend or relative with whom your child is comfortable to fill in for you while you are away.
You also need to find out what the hospital's eating arrangements are.
Many hospitals, especially children's hospitals, allow parents to eat in the hospital's eating facilities that also service the staff.
Some hospitals allow you to order food from the child's room and serve you in the room along with your child.
Other hospitals require that you eat out.
In this case, you may want to have snacks along, as there will be times you won't want to leave.
If you need to leave the room for any purpose, do not sneak out.
Tell you child clearly and calmly that you are leaving and when you will return.
Make sure you return at that time.
If a friend, relative, or spouse is going to fill in for you, if possible, wait until they arrive before you leave.
Honesty throughout the entire procedure is very important in comforting your child and maintaining trust.
When your child is having tests, it will be comforting if you are there.
Hospitals often need to draw blood.
Many children and even adults are afraid of needles.
So you need to explain that it will hurt, but only for a minute.
Try to entertain your child and keep her eye off the needle.
Also huge metal machines are unnerving to most children.
Moving parts are also frightening.
So if x-rays, a cat scan or a MRI is going to be performed you need to explain the procedure very thoroughly and emphasize that it will be painless.
During some tests you may be able to hold your child's hand and talk or even sing softly during the procedure.
But your presence alone is the single most comforting thing your child can have.
Even though they have visited on a tour, they are still in a strange place and sleeping in a strange room.
And strangers are running in and out and doing things to them.
You can allay their fears considerably by being with them for most of the time.
This means choosing a hospital with a rooming-in program.
In such a program, you will be allowed to share your child's room on a twenty-four hour basis.
The hospital may provide an adjacent bed or a cot.
Or your accommodation may be just a pillow and a chair.
You may have a place to shower and change clothes or you may not.
If you will be allowed to stay around the clock, remember that hospital rooms are small and take with you only what you need.
Arrange for a friend, relative, or your spouse to bring you clean clothes and other necessities, as you need them so you can keep the room neat and clean.
You do need to know this information in advance.
If you can sleep over in your child's room but need to leave to shower and change clothes, you will want to schedule a friend or relative with whom your child is comfortable to fill in for you while you are away.
You also need to find out what the hospital's eating arrangements are.
Many hospitals, especially children's hospitals, allow parents to eat in the hospital's eating facilities that also service the staff.
Some hospitals allow you to order food from the child's room and serve you in the room along with your child.
Other hospitals require that you eat out.
In this case, you may want to have snacks along, as there will be times you won't want to leave.
If you need to leave the room for any purpose, do not sneak out.
Tell you child clearly and calmly that you are leaving and when you will return.
Make sure you return at that time.
If a friend, relative, or spouse is going to fill in for you, if possible, wait until they arrive before you leave.
Honesty throughout the entire procedure is very important in comforting your child and maintaining trust.
When your child is having tests, it will be comforting if you are there.
Hospitals often need to draw blood.
Many children and even adults are afraid of needles.
So you need to explain that it will hurt, but only for a minute.
Try to entertain your child and keep her eye off the needle.
Also huge metal machines are unnerving to most children.
Moving parts are also frightening.
So if x-rays, a cat scan or a MRI is going to be performed you need to explain the procedure very thoroughly and emphasize that it will be painless.
During some tests you may be able to hold your child's hand and talk or even sing softly during the procedure.
But your presence alone is the single most comforting thing your child can have.
