Patients and Families
This information is meant to help empower caregivers as support figures during their child’s stressful medical procedures. How a child copes with stress in the hospital and adjusts to different pain management techniques will vary on an individual basis.
Considerations Leading Up to the Procedure
1. Does my child have misconceptions about the procedure or irrational fears that may be intensifying their stress?
2. Would my child benefit from the opportunity to learn information about the procedure beforehand to better understand what to expect and what the purpose is?
- Learn more about your child’s coping style.
- Find tips on how to achieve a successful blood draw.
- If you’re not sure how to answer your child’s questions, feel free to reach out to Hope Newport, Family Services Manager for developmentally appropriate explanations to questions they may have about the procedure.
3. Is the form of support that I have planned developmentally appropriate for my child?
- Comfort holds are appropriate for infants through school-aged children. Comfort holds must be done with care because of the restricted range of motion and risk of injury to a fixed limb. As with all planned interventions, it should be discussed openly between the family, child and team.
- Deep breathing is appropriate for preschool-aged children through adolescence.
- EVERY AGE benefits from the emotional support of having a caregiver present.
- Distractions or planned alternative focus is appropriate for toddlers through adolescence.
Age-appropriate Distractions
- Toddler – bubbles, light spinner, cause and effect toys, toys with lights and sounds, sensory toys, etc.
- Preschool – bubbles, light spinner, toys with lights and sounds, young versions of ISpy books, stress ball, pinwheels, whistles, iPad games and activities
- School-age – ISpy books, iPad games and activities, conversation, music, singing, stress balls, pinwheels, whistles, etc.
- Adolescent – iPad games and activities, conversation, MadLibs, music, singing, hangman, Pictionary, stress balls, etc.
For more in-depth examples of support, watch these online videos created by children's hospitals to educate and empower parent
- Infant through school-aged: Video on Comfort Positioning
- All Ages: Video on Distractions or Planned Alternative Focus
Key Tips for Navigating Stressful Procedures:
- Prepare as a family, ask the healthcare team what to expect in advance, and come with a coping plan.
- Practice calming, use meditations at home that can be integrated in the waiting room or during a procedure. Remeber, that staying calm as a caregiver is key to helping your child mirror that behavior as well.
- Come ready to advocate for your child's best scenario. Be prepared to ask for the things that can help your child cope.
- Utilize comfort holds or touches if they work for your child's positioning and coping style.
- Ask about tools that can help block the pain such as a Buzzy or numbing cream.
- Integrate one of the distractions mentioned above as an active way to keep your child's mind engaged in something other than the procedure.
- Regardless of how the procedure goes, find one positive, specific action or behavior your child practiced during the process. Reflect on how your plan worked as a family and discuss if there are things that can be done different next time. You can view our downloadable certificates available for the purpose of giving your child a tangible reminder of how they successfully contributed to the procedure.