fiddledeedee32
The stay.
When it comes to a hospital stay. it can be darn right scary for a child. I have been there. It’s one of those things that, if possible, you should start preparing your child for a few weeks in advance. If not that far out, just as soon as you know it is coming up. The more you talk with your child about the upcoming stay, the better. Of course, they will most likely still be a bit nervous, but whatever we can do to help, we should. And, making it easier for them will make easier on you as well.
Here are some things you can do to prepare your child, as well as yourself. Let’s get into it!
1.) Talk to your child. Explain, in terms that they will understand, why they are staying in the hospital and what is going to happen. Explain that they will be hooked up to monitors and what those monitors do. Let them know that people will be coming in and out taking blood pressure, looking at machines, etc. Encourage your child to talk to the doctors and nurses.
2.) Tour the hospital and/or videos of the hospital. Most children’s hospitals will have videos for the child to watch prior to their stay. Watch that video with your child and answer any of the questions that they have. Watch it more than once if you need to.
3.) Have your child pick a stuffed toy and blanket to take along. If they can take them, have them choose a couple of DVDs and/or a tablet for them to watch videos or play games on. That will help pass the time and it will help them to relax. You will most likely have access to the hospital’s Wi-Fi, but you may want to download some movies and games that they can play/watch that doesn’t require a connection.
4.) This is so important. Don’t let them see that you’re nervous! If your child sees that you’re nervous, they will feed off of that. The calmer you are, the calmer your child will be and everything will be much easier for your child, and yourself! Let them see that you’re calm and confident.
If you feel the need to “let it out”, just try to wait until they are sleeping and go to the bathroom. Just don’t let your child see or hear you, it will just frighten them and we don’t want that. I have had several breakdowns myself, I do understand!
What to pack.
Now that we have some ideas on how we can relax, let’s go over things we need to pack.
1.) Be sure to bring your own clothes, pjs, socks etc. You don’t know how long you could end up there. Bring extra of everything.
2.) Along with that make sure you’re packing toiletries, makeup, toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, soap and deodorant. The hospital might have some things, but if you’re going to be there more than a day, you might want to bring your own.
3.) Any medication you might need for you or your child. Although, the hospital will most likely prefer to give your child the medicine, it wouldn’t hurt to be safe and have it with you. Also, pack some kind of pain reliever in case a headache comes on, you don’t want to have to pay an arm and leg for Tylenol in the gift shop.
4.) Be sure to bring change for the vending machines, you never know when you will want a snack! You could also pack some snacks if you’re on a strict diet or just don’t want to have to go to the machines.
5.) Be sure to remember any chargers that you might need, phone/tablet chargers. You don’t want to be without a phone. I always put a note to myself on the front door to remind me to bring them!
6.) A book, Nook, or any magazines. Even textbooks if you’re a student, it will help pass the time. And there will be times that your child will be sleeping and you will need to be quiet, a book is a good idea and if will keep you entertained and help the time go by.
Here is a list of things to do while your child is sleeping to minimize the noise.
Read or study.
Crochet/knit.
Blog.
Play games on a phone or tablet (sound off).
Pay bills and balance your checkbook (yes, I’ve done this).
Clean out your purse.
Bonus!
Some other things that may help is to prepare for help with other children and finding a pet sitter.
Arrange for someone to care for other children. If they are school age, arrange for someone to drop them off and pick them up at school. Hopefully there is family or a close friend nearby that your other child/children can stay with.
If you have pets, arrange for someone to feed them and if you have a dog, someone to let the dog out for exercise and bathroom breaks a few times a day!
If you have plants, they could water them as well, and bring the mail in for you!
Final thoughts.
I pray that you will never have to deal with your child being admitted into a hospital. If you do, I hope that this post will come to mind and that you will find it helpful to you. My son has had several hospital stays so I understand how nerve-wracking it is!
**If you have immediate family that you need housing for, ask if there is a Ronald McDonald house nearby or any hotels that give a discount in this situation. **
You can read more on the Ronald McDonald House Charities in this post. The Need in Special Needs – Thriftysnowflakemom They are an excellent resource!
If you have any questions about anything you have read, please feel free to comment or email me. I promise I will answer you! I enjoy interacting with you!
Until next time.
All my love,
Angela xoxo