Take good care of your baby


If your baby is in hospital

Baby sickness - is always a hard trialaffirmation: "Hospital - pain, fear,
for family, and if the matter concernsdanger". Replace it by "Hospital - help,
baby's hospitalization, then you canrelieve, recovery". You confidence and
become panic-stricken only at thepeace of mind will be passed to your
thought of the fact that a baby will bedaughter and son. Talk to your child
estranged from his family, painfulabout coming hospitalization
procedures expect him, and strangerssoftly-softly. You can explain to
will surround him.schoolchild, that sickness is not a
Because of hospitalization, a baby cancatastrophe, but a peculiar exam for
get the whole complex of seriouscourage and firmness. Tell your child
psychological problems, caused bythat you will be thinking of him
sickness, isolation from home andconstantly and you're always ready to
conditions of hospital. Even adulthelp him. Think and discuss ways of your
person experiences stress, when he needscontacts.
to apply to a doctor and moreover, whileDuring separation avoid touching scenes,
necessity of long staying in hospital.restrain excessive emotions. Try to
Needless to say about baby's stress!behave the way, so that a baby would
Strange atmosphere, strange people, new,treat hospital not as punishment, but as
constantly renewed children collective,a place, where he will be helped to
forced separation from parents, fear ofrecover sooner and return to usual life.
medical procedures - all this is quiteForm positive attitude, both to
enough for psychological discomfort. Andimprovement of health and doctors' work.
all these factors accompany symptoms ofExplain your child an objective
disease.necessity of medical assistance.
However, you shouldn't dramatizeDon't persuade him that he is guilty of
situation. Of course, disease andhis sickness, trauma etc. himself. By
necessity of hospitalization - aredoing this, you will increase sense of
traumatizing factors. But for majorityguilt and fear, which can cause
of children staying at hospital canundesirable psychological complications.
become an important stage in formationOf course, there're situations, when it
of personality, bring lots of newis important to discuss wrong behavior
impressions and knowledge, and giveof a child, which caused disease. But
possibility to try themselves init is also very important that a result
difficult life circumstances. Thisof your conversation would be not a
experience will be useful in furthersense of guilt, but understanding of
life of a child.cause and effect connection between
Processes of adaptation are individualwring behavior and disease.
for each child. This depends on manyDiscuss schedule of visiting a child
reasons: whether he had diseaseswith relatives for sure, to avoid
earlier, stage of disease, is he stayingsituations, when there're several visits
at hospital for the first time or not,per one day and no visits at all other
baby's age, whether he was separatedday. This is very important, as excess
from his family before etc. Oftenof visitors can lead to emotional
everything passes quite smoothly, due tooverloads of a sick baby, and their
presence of inner reserves of a baby andabsence - to increase of longing for
correct behavior of parents.home and relatives.
It's quite normal, if period ofTry not to hung up on topic of disease
adaptation at hospital lasts during 3-5and treatment. Life goes on. Ask your
days. There're no reasons for anxiety,child about his new friends, news, what
if a baby is rather careless duringhe does in spare time. Keep all your
first days of hospitalization, asks todoubts concerning effectiveness of
take him home, gets into contact withtreatment inside of you. Don't overload
coevals not at once. Excess care andpatient with your doubts and fears. As
parental inclination for dramatizingmedicine, which you doubt, will not
situation can only damage. On the otherhelp, as doctor, whom you don't trust,
hand, you shouldn't leave a baby alonewon't be able to help. Try to avoid
with his problems. He shouldn't feelunpleasant topics, wait a little with
abandoned and lonely.information about bad news: sick baby
Quite often parents of sick childrenneed not to know that his favorite
need more psychological help, thendoggie eats bad or that cat ate hamster.
children themselves, as it is theirWhile talking to a baby, pay attention
correct behavior that influences ato positive moments of staying at
baby's mood for recovery.hospital. Think about things you can
Here're several recommendations ofcompliment him for: he bears procedures
experts. Never frighten your baby withwith fortitude, doesn't play about,
hospital. Don't create future problems,could make friends with somebody, drew a
as there's hardly any baby, who hasn'tgood picture etc.
been at hospital for his life. DuringUnfilled spare time increases feeling of
conversations with other people avoidloneliness, longing for home. So you
such phrases, like: "There doctorsshould definitely worry about things
hardly understand something, I wish onlyyour child should do. Bring him an
they don't harm my child" etc.interesting book, meccano, some new
In case of baby hospitalization do yourgame, paints, crayons etc. Bring a toy
best to reduce stress and melancholyfor a small baby surely. You can tell
because of coming separation from homethat a new "friend" came to him
and parents. Adults themselves should bespecially to protect him at nights (if a
confident in future, calm and wise, sobaby is predisposed to night fears). It
that a baby would treat staying atwill be very good, if you bring him a
hospital calmly. If hospitalization istoy bear, elephant, lion, tiger, i.e.
planned and you have at least 1-2 daysany big animal, which will be able to
for preparation, involve baby inpersonify power and protection (size of
preparations, as if he would be going totoy is not important).
health centre or camp.After discharge talk to your baby about
Try to dispose your baby to optimism.time he spent at hospital. Ask him about
Children have great intuition, and it'sthings he learned to do, what he
almost impossible to persuade them inunderstood about himself and his
things, which you don't believe yourselfrelations with other people, help him to
in. So, first of all you should analyzerealize value of experience he gained.
your own emotions and forget about



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