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Preparing Your Child For The Health Care Experience

The following are suggestions to help you prepare your child for a visit to the Health Sciences Centre:


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  • Prepare yourself. Talk with health care professions, so you understand your child’s upcoming health care experience.
     
  • Talk to your child about their upcoming visit to the hospital.
     
  • Encourage your child to ask questions.
     
  • Listen to your child’s concerns.
     
  • Keep in mind your child’s previous hospital experience (both positive and negative).
     
  • Avoid using words with multiple meanings (dye, shots, flush, gas).
     
  • Be honest, talk about how long it may take, and what senses may be involved (smell, taste, sounds, sight, touch).
     
  • Talk about ways to help your child cope during a procedure (ie singing, hugging, counting, reading a book together, blowing bubbles, playing with a toy).
     
  • child life 03Read books about the hospital experience.
     
  • Reassure your child that members of the health care team will support them during procedure.
     
  • Use language your child will understand.
     
  • If you can, reassure your child that you will stay with them.
     
  • Plan a special celebration when your child returns home.

 

 

Books To Prepare Your Child For The Hospital:

 

Book (description) Author
A Trip to the Hospital (broken arm/Xray/cast) Kim Watson
Blue Berry Eyes (eye treatment) Monica Driscoll Beatty
Caillou A Visit To the Doctor (doctor’s visit) Chouette
Clifford Visits The Hospital (general hospital Norman Bridwell
Cordoroy Goes To The Doctor (doctor’s visit) Freeman/McCue
Curious George Goes to the Hospital (hospital/Xray/O.R) Margret& H.Rey
Franklin Goes to the Hospital (admission/Xray/O.R) Bourgeois & Clark
Going to the Hospital (hospital/blood work/playroom) Fred Rogers
Jenny in the Hospital (hospital stay/cast) Seymour Reit
Let's Talk About Hospital (hospital stay) Johnston
Midnight Hsopital (hospital stay for school-age) Morgan/Martchenko
My Doctor My Friend (doctor’s visit) Hallinan
Phil and Lil Go to the Doctor (doctor’s visit) Spotlight/Nickelodeon
Sonja Lee Visits the Doctor (doctor’s visit) Carol Monica
Tom and Ally Visits the Doctor (doctor’s visit) Beth Robins
The Berenstain Bears Go To The Doctor (doctor’s visit) Berenstain
This is a Hospital not a Zoo (hospital stay for school-age) Roberta Karim