Once the decision has been made to go through with surgery for your child, the weeks and days leading up to the procedure can be filled with a good deal of anxiety. Depending on the age of your child, s/he may have his/her own fears and anxiety as well, or even pick up on the anxiety of his parents. Every child is different in the way s/he handles such an ordeal, but the following are a few tips that we have found helpful and productive in counteracting the fear of doctors, procedures, and the hospitalization in general:

*Playing doctor we had given our daughter a doctors kit including play blood pressure cuff, thermometer, bandages, medicine, shots, and the like. She and her cousin took turns bandaging each other and being both patient and doctor. She wrapped toilet paper around her chest and back and used it as a bandage (she was not quite 2 at the time and this worked perfectly, and her 6 year old cousin enjoyed playing it as well so I think it would work nicely for all ages.) When it was time for her to actually go to the hospital we kept referring to all the things she did when she was playing doctor. Abby actually held out her arm in preparation for the nurses to take her blood pressure and temperature! Even after the procedure we took home a lot of the "extras" that would have been thrown out (such as the pulse oxemeter cord, oxygen cord and the like) and had her play with them. Actually handling the objects and playing with them in a non-threatening environment has helped tremendously and she is so much better prepared for her follow-up visits.

*Stories- We found a great book called Franklin Goes to the Hospital by Paulett Bourgeois and Brenda Clark. The whole story is about a turtle that has to go to the hospital to have a pin put in his shell to help it grow properly. Whether or not you read it word for word, or just make up your own story according to the pictures, it seems to be a great conversation starter and offers good reassurance. The story follows Franklin to the hospital and shows him getting a wrist bracelets with his name, x-rays, taking blood pressure, etc and even follows him to the operating room where he has an IV. After the surgery Franklin is wearing a bandage around his chest and back - just like our daughter had to wear. We found the book to be a great conversation starter. After the surgery we had to read it over and over and Abby loved pointing out all the things that she already knew about as a result of having been in the hospital just like Franklin. I am sure there are plenty of other good books to read that will also help prepare your child just get online and you will find a ton!