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Article #357: If your baby is in hospital

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Baby sickness - is always a hard trial in. So, first of all you should analyze
for family, and if the matter concerns your own emotions and forget about
baby's hospitalization, then you can affirmation: "Hospital - pain, fear,
become panic-stricken only at the thought danger". Replace it by "Hospital - help,
of the fact that a baby will be estranged relieve, recovery". You confidence and
from his family, painful procedures peace of mind will be passed to your
expect him, and strangers will surround daughter and son. Talk to your child
him. about coming hospitalization
Because of hospitalization, a baby can softly-softly. You can explain to
get the whole complex of serious schoolchild, that sickness is not a
psychological problems, caused by catastrophe, but a peculiar exam for
sickness, isolation from home and courage and firmness. Tell your child
conditions of hospital. Even adult person that you will be thinking of him
experiences stress, when he needs to constantly and you're always ready to
apply to a doctor and moreover, while help him. Think and discuss ways of your
necessity of long staying in hospital. contacts.
Needless to say about baby's stress! During separation avoid touching scenes,
Strange atmosphere, strange people, new, restrain excessive emotions. Try to
constantly renewed children collective, behave the way, so that a baby would
forced separation from parents, fear of treat hospital not as punishment, but as
medical procedures - all this is quite a place, where he will be helped to
enough for psychological discomfort. And recover sooner and return to usual life.
all these factors accompany symptoms of Form positive attitude, both to
disease. improvement of health and doctors' work.
However, you shouldn't dramatize Explain your child an objective necessity
situation. Of course, disease and of medical assistance.
necessity of hospitalization - are Don't persuade him that he is guilty of
traumatizing factors. But for majority his sickness, trauma etc. himself. By
of children staying at hospital can doing this, you will increase sense of
become an important stage in formation of guilt and fear, which can cause
personality, bring lots of new undesirable psychological complications.
impressions and knowledge, and give Of course, there're situations, when it
possibility to try themselves in is important to discuss wrong behavior of
difficult life circumstances. This a child, which caused disease. But it is
experience will be useful in further life also very important that a result of your
of a child. conversation would be not a sense of
Processes of adaptation are individual guilt, but understanding of cause and
for each child. This depends on many effect connection between wring behavior
reasons: whether he had diseases earlier, and disease.
stage of disease, is he staying at Discuss schedule of visiting a child with
hospital for the first time or not, relatives for sure, to avoid situations,
baby's age, whether he was separated from when there're several visits per one day
his family before etc. Often everything and no visits at all other day. This is
passes quite smoothly, due to presence of very important, as excess of visitors can
inner reserves of a baby and correct lead to emotional overloads of a sick
behavior of parents. baby, and their absence - to increase of
It's quite normal, if period of longing for home and relatives.
adaptation at hospital lasts during 3-5 Try not to hung up on topic of disease
days. There're no reasons for anxiety, if and treatment. Life goes on. Ask your
a baby is rather careless during first child about his new friends, news, what
days of hospitalization, asks to take him he does in spare time. Keep all your
home, gets into contact with coevals not doubts concerning effectiveness of
at once. Excess care and parental treatment inside of you. Don't overload
inclination for dramatizing situation can patient with your doubts and fears. As
only damage. On the other hand, you medicine, which you doubt, will not help,
shouldn't leave a baby alone with his as doctor, whom you don't trust, won't be
problems. He shouldn't feel abandoned and able to help. Try to avoid unpleasant
lonely. topics, wait a little with information
Quite often parents of sick children need about bad news: sick baby need not to
more psychological help, then children know that his favorite doggie eats bad or
themselves, as it is their correct that cat ate hamster. While talking to a
behavior that influences a baby's mood baby, pay attention to positive moments
for recovery. of staying at hospital. Think about
Here're several recommendations of things you can compliment him for: he
experts. Never frighten your baby with bears procedures with fortitude, doesn't
hospital. Don't create future problems, play about, could make friends with
as there's hardly any baby, who hasn't somebody, drew a good picture etc.
been at hospital for his life. During Unfilled spare time increases feeling of
conversations with other people avoid loneliness, longing for home. So you
such phrases, like: "There doctors hardly should definitely worry about things your
understand something, I wish only they child should do. Bring him an interesting
don't harm my child" etc. book, meccano, some new game, paints,
In case of baby hospitalization do your crayons etc. Bring a toy for a small baby
best to reduce stress and melancholy surely. You can tell that a new "friend"
because of coming separation from home came to him specially to protect him at
and parents. Adults themselves should be nights (if a baby is predisposed to night
confident in future, calm and wise, so fears). It will be very good, if you
that a baby would treat staying at bring him a toy bear, elephant, lion,
hospital calmly. If hospitalization is tiger, i.e. any big animal, which will be
planned and you have at least 1-2 days able to personify power and protection
for preparation, involve baby in (size of toy is not important).
preparations, as if he would be going to After discharge talk to your baby about
health centre or camp. time he spent at hospital. Ask him about
Try to dispose your baby to optimism. things he learned to do, what he
Children have great intuition, and it's understood about himself and his
almost impossible to persuade them in relations with other people, help him to
things, which you don't believe yourself realize value of experience he gained.






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