3 Yr. Old Son Having Surgery, Need Advise

Too little to understand the tour? Our son had surgery last year at almost 3 years old and we actually DID take him to the hospital beforehand for the tour and we think it helped him alot to understand and not be scared. Little ones understand more than you think, even though they're not as verbal. We took a tour and the child life specialist at the hospital gave him a Fisher Price doctor kit to play with so he could pretend to use the stethescope, etc. We played with that at home and showed him many pictures from books of going to the hospital that the child life specialist recommended. I would contact the child life people at the hospital you're going to and ask them for any recommended children's books you can look at with your child ahead of time. You can also go to your library or do searches online of booked on this topic of going to the hospital. The tour also helped us as parents alot because we knew exactly where to go and what would happen when, etc. so we would not be as stressed out the day of the procedure, which I think really helped our son stay relaxed that day as well. As far as what to feed him afterwards - we followed the doctors orders (our son had to have soft foods), staying away from what he couldn't have but I think we gave him ice cream at every meal for a couple days :) Our usual food rules went out the window since we were so happy he was eating! So if ice cream was it, so be it. He gradually went back to his healthy diet after he healed. Good luck!

My 3 year old just had surgery and the entire week leading up I kept reminding him that the doctor was going to fix his tongue on Friday. That they would give him medicine to help him fall asleep and that when he woke up his tongue would be fixed. He did really well with it. His surgery was scheduled for 730 so we had to be at the hospital for 6 am. He got up when my clock went off at 430 and asked for a drink and I told him that he could not have one until the dr fixed his tongue and he was okay with it. I didn't not have anything to eat or drink in front of him. The hospital we went to allowed me to stay w/ him in the OR until he fell asleep and he did great. I don't think he would have done as well if they had wheeled him to the OR w/o me check the policy on this w/ your hospital some will make you scrub in and stay for the procedure. I was in the recovery room waiting for him so he got to wake up w/ me there. Some kids wake up and compeletly freak out so be prepared for that. If he will eat a pb&j or a turkey sandwich I would give him one right before he goes to bed the night before or something else high in protein to help keep him full and his sugars at a good level my son isn't diabetic but he can be a monster if his sugar is low. Our 3 yr old was very excited that he got to have popsicles for breakfast at the hospital that day. We came home and played playdough, colored, and played board games. We will keep you guys in our thoughts Friday.

My son had to have surgery when he was 2. Not a lot you can do to prepare cause he is so young but definately follow the no food or drinks. It's more about preparing yourself. Its hard to watch him get needles and then roll away on the stretcher. Its also hard to wait during the surgery. Your job is to just be loving and supportive so he will not be as scared. Also make sure someone is there to support you, like a husband or mom or friend. And you might want to ride in the back seat with him on the way home to comfort him and just in case he throws up from the anasthesia, which can make some ppl nauseous. And he will probably be clingy and need extra love and attention for a day or two after so you should clear your schedule to be there for him. Good luck!

My 2 year old had eye surgery..she was almost 3 when it was scheduled. I didn't tell her too much other than she was going to see the doctor (I called him by name, she knew who he was from all her previous appointments) and he was going to make her beautiful eyes even more beautiful.

That morning I told her no sippy until after we went to see the doctor. She did well..we were at a out patient hospital/clinic..and she was not the only child (they were doing a lot of ear tube surgery that morning too and our surgeon has another patient after my daughter).

The facility was great..they blew her up some latex glove balloons, gave her a stuffed animal and a picture book while waiting in pre-op..I brought her special lovey from home and some books to read and quiet toys. They did not do anything, no IVs or anything until they gave her "watermelon" scented gas that knocked her out. She did great. Surgery seemed to last forever to me..but the waiting room had a board that showed each patient by a code number as was updated as they were moved through each stage of surgery.

She wanted to sleep and not wake up long enough for us to go home so we had to wait a while until she drank some juice. She held her own ice pack on her eyes after surgery and on the way home. Then slept the rest of the day with me checking and changing out her ice packs. Her favorite thing she told everyone about was, before surgery they gave her a huge pair of yellow socks to keep her feet warm..I guess they didn't have children's sizes. And she called them her Big Bird feet..she still has them.

It will be harder on you than him..but as long as you remain calm and reassuring and keep that smile on your face until they roll them off to surgery. Then the nurse gave me a chair and a handful of kleenex. She had been through this a time or two before...

Good luck and God bless!!

When my daughter was 3 she understood her Grandpa having to be in the hospital for 2 months. Every time we visited we would walk all around (where we could) and she was very aware of what the hospital was and of all of the reasons people went there. You might want to give it a try as it is usually free and it may help more than you think.

I would make sure you follow the eating guidlines they give you strictly. Without knowing what that will look like it is hard to suggest things. Make sure he has his his "lovies", as we call them in our house, (favorite toy, blanket, stuffed animal, or book) with him at the hospital and at home to make him feel safe.

The more calm you are the less scared and more calm he will be. Be strong and make sure he knows you are scared. They feed off of our energy.

HERE'S TO A SPEEDY RECOVERY!

My son was almost two when he had hernia surgery. It really was a breeze. The hospital staff was great. They gave him liquid meds to make him really sleepy before totatlly putting him under. We didn't tell him anything except that he needed to go to the doctor to fix his problem he was having. I agree to the no food, no drink rule as it can upset his stomach and make him vomit after coming out of surgery. Just tell him he will have something to eat and drink after the doctors appointment. His surgery was out patient as well. They had us come to the hospital first thing in the morning. After surgery we had our own private recover room with cartoons playing on the TV. They gave hims crackers and juice to drink after he was awake enough. The hospital staff had us spend most of the afternoon in the recover room, just to be sure all was well. We left the hospital late afternoon. The next morning my son was playing and running around normally and we just gave him OTC pain meds for one day. If you stay calm he will be calm. The more you stress over the situation he will pick up on it and be stressed as well. Just act and treat this like any other doctor appointment. You will all be fine. Just breath. Good Luck to all of you I'll be keeping you in my prayers.

My son was two when he had his tonsils out. this was outpatient too. We changed our nightly routine just a bit. After dinner we went outside and played until betime. We gave him an extra snack and liquids when he should have been going to bed. We kept him up a little past bedtime(about a 1/2 hour), because of the snack. I couldn't believe he ate all of it. Then in the morning we got him dressed, and then played, puzzles, drawing, things that didn't keep him active so he would be thirsty. We told him the day before that we were going to the hospital so the doctor could take his tonsills out and he wouldn't get so sick all the time. He could have cared less. We did not do a tour, nor really talk about it that much. When we got to the Children's hospital and went to our special room we talked about all the different things and how silly some were. I rode with him in the car on the way home and we got him a special strawberry shake to have on the way home. We also let him watch special shows on tv, on demand, and we bought him a couple of special hot wheel cars to play with. The first day home was the only day he wanted to snuggle, after that he was back to normal up and running. If he will eat mashed potatoes you could always color them his favorite color with food coloring or add cheese to them and make them cheesey potatoes. Cookie cutters for sandwiches and pancakes. If he can only have soft foods, try something special like popsicles or pudding pops. Give extra hugs and tell him how proud of him you are for doing so well after the surgery. Plus, if he needs to sleep with you a night or nap time too, u should do it, because this will only make him feel safe and comfortable and that well u are there for him.

Good luck!