Preparing Your Child for Surgery

The thought of surgery can be worrisome for children and their parents. Children will meet many new people and will experience an unfamiliar medical environment. Preparing your child for any surgical procedure can make the experience more manageable, and will help them tolerate surgery and anesthesia better. Here are some tips to help prepare yourself and your child for the surgical experience:

• Participate in a pre-surgical tour and discuss what happened on the tour later with your child.
• Ask questions of your child’s surgeon, anesthesiologist and nursing staff in order to better understand what your child will experience. This will give you confidence and enable you to talk calmly and honestly to your child.
• Speak honestly with your child about what will happen.
• Listen to your child’s concerns about surgery.
• Encourage your child to participate in medical play (Child Life specialists are prepared to help young patients through this experience).
• Use a play medical kit at home to familiarize your child with tools the health care team may use, such as a stethoscope.
• Include siblings in the preparation and encourage them to ask questions too.
• Remind your child that they will return home soon.
• Ask about the pre-surgical phone call if you haven’t received one.
• Read books about children being hospitalized. They can often relate better to characters they are familiar with.

Pediatric Pre-Surgical Tour

The Child Life Department at Miller Children’s Hospital offers pediatric pre-surgical tours to help them prepare children for surgery, understand what is going to happen and reduce their anxieties about having surgery. The pediatric surgical care team strongly encourages parents and their child scheduled for a procedure to participate in a tour.

• During the tour, families will meet members of the care team and get the opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of the admission unit, surgery, and recovery areas.
• This tour experience has been proven to decrease fears and answer questions of the parents and the child.
• Consider scheduling a tour the same day of your child’s pre-surgical testing visit or other trips to the area.
• Tour times vary. There is no charge for the tour.

Please call the Child Life Department at (562) 933-8060 to schedule a tour.

Pre-Admission

One to two days prior to the child’s procedure the family will receive a call from someone on the surgical care team. This call will confirm the time of the procedure and give the care team an opportunity to ask medical questions about the patient, allowing everyone to be prepared for the child’s visit to surgery. Parents will also be told when to arrive, when the child needs to stop eating and drinking, and any other specific instructions.

Preparing the Night Before the Procedure

Please be sure that your child has a bath or shower and has adequate rest the night before surgery. Your child will not be able to eat or drink after a designated time this evening. You will be instructed when to stop your child from eating/drinking. This includes water, gum and candy. Please supervise the child brushing their teeth to ensure toothpaste and/or water is not swallowed.