Books and videos are a powerful tool for helping your child cope with, and understand, their medical needs. Watching an episode of Doc McStuffins staying overnight in the hospital prior to their own stay can alleviate some of their fears and concerns in a silly, familiar way. Nurses and doctors in scrubs might not seem so scary if first seen caring for Curious George.
Watch some of these fun videos with your child and point out all that they might encounter, such as ID bracelets, waiting rooms, doctors, getting shots, medical equipment, IVs, and hospital beds. Your child can be looking out for these things during their experience. Remember that these things are familiar to us, but are most likely unknown and frightening for our little people.
Remember to include siblings in the viewings as well, as they too are probably feeling worried for their brother or sister. A little Daniel Tiger goes a long way in helping our little medical needs daughter understand and cope, and that eases this medical momma's heart.
(Thanks to Jennifer Cameron for sharing.)
I suggest watching these even after their hospital stays to help your child verbalize, recount and understand their experience.
Going one step deeper, or more intentional, you can search Kids Health, The Coping Club or just YouTube for videos to help kids understanding specific medical procedures they will face, such as X-rays and IVs.
For older children, I suggest spending some time searching the wealth of videos on the Coping Club for dealing with a wide range of medical needs.
Finally, I've decided to be sure that our little one, and her siblings, grow to fully understand the human body systems as they are intended to work. Teaching a child the vocabulary for their body will go a long way in giving them the words to explain and understand their needs.
Search for full episodes of The Magic School Bus Human Body or Kids Health "How the Body Works".
There is so much that we can't control as medical mommas. So many things that we must accept and deal with. Sometimes we're left feeling helpless. But empowering our child (and their siblings) to better understand their experience is something we can do. It is a positive step, and it is an important one. And I must admit that the kid videos teach me too!
Do some searching for videos, and hit the library for some books, that can address your child's needs. Bring them some comfort and understanding, and calm a few of fears.
Courage to you, dear hearts.
This is post two in the series Medical Momma Toolkit: Tips, Tricks and Encouragement.
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