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