Toronto Parents often wonder how they can prepare their child for surgery.
Helpful approaches depend on the child s age and stage of development.
Infants cannot easily be made aware of plans for surgery but having calm parents available to provide comfort and security after the baby wakes up from surgery really helps. Young children pick up on parents anxiety quickly so anything you can do to prepare and take care of yourself when your child undergoes surgery will go a long way in supporting them. Bring familiar objects such as favorite toys, blankets, books or music with you to the hospital. Preschool and school aged children may benefit from learning about hospitals. Playing with toy medical kits and making up pretend games about hospital experiences will also be helpful.