If you know beforehand, you will have confirmation of your child’s hospital stay, most likely a letter. That should tell you:

• Why your child is being admitted;

• When your child is being admitted;

• Which hospital they’re being admitted to;

• Contact details for further information.

Many hospitals will send you further information about what you should bring with you and what to expect when you are admitted.  If you’re unsure about anything, call the hospital before you go and ask.

Before you go in, complete this Hospital Information Form. It covers all the important information you will be asked for when your child is admitted. It will make your life much easier to have this to hand.

• Talk to your employer about taking time off while your child is in hospital. As an employee you’re allowed time off to deal with an emergency involving your child (check here to see if you’re an employee). You’re allowed a reasonable amount of time off to deal with the emergency, but there’s no set amount of time as it depends on the situation.
  • The UK Government’s guidance on time off for family emergencies is here.

• Tell your child’s school, nursery or childcare centre about the upcoming hospital visit. They will also be able to help prepare your child and, for longer hospital admissions, work with the hospital school to ensure your child stays in touch. A necessary hospital admission should be viewed by a school as an ‘authorised absence’.
  • The UK Government guidance on school absences is here.
  • You can find more detailed information from your local council here.
  • You can find UK Government information on hospital schools here.

• If you want to stay with your child while they are in hospital, ask the hospital in advance whether they have any accommodation or whether you can sleep by your child’s bed. Depending on your hospital, they may offer either or both. The hospital may also be able to offer you free car parking. It’s always worth asking.

• Plan how your whole family will manage this time. As well as thinking about work, do you have other children who need to be cared for? If you have a partner, how will you share the additional load of having a child in hospital? Do you have family and/or friends who can help you out?

1. Layers of comfortable clothing. Hospitals are often very hot.
2. Personal items if you are going to stay overnight with your child, e.g. toiletries, pyjamas, personal medication. Hand cream can be particularly helpful as you’ll be washing your hands a lot.
3. Books or other reading materials and activities for yourself – and/or electronic entertainment devices.
4. Remember to take phone and tablet/laptop chargers so you can keep in contact easily (most hospitals have free wifi).
5. Snacks (for yourself and your child).
6. A notebook and pen to write down any questions or information you need.
7. Any regular medications that your child is taking, including creams, inhalers and adrenaline auto-injectors (e.g. Epipens). Even if they are not used during the hospital stay, it is important that the people caring for your child know about them.
8. Your child’s ‘red book’ (health record).
9. Any special food or milk your child needs.

If this is a planned admission, you can make life easier by talking to your child before you go in and making sure they understand what’s going on.

• Choose a time when it is quiet and you’re unlikely to be interrupted.

• Tell your child why they need to go to hospital. Be as honest as you can and use simple words your child will understand. You know your child best so you can judge when to tell them, however, the general advice is: if your child is under six years of age, tell your child a couple of days beforehand; if they are more than six years old, tell them a week or two beforehand. Telling your child before coming into hospital gives them time to prepare by asking questions and talking with you and others. 

• Be careful about using humour or making jokes about going to hospital with your child. Adults often use jokes to lighten a stressful situation or make themselves feel less uncomfortable. However, children don’t understand and it may upset them further.

• Depending on the age of your child, you could play at ‘hospitals’. You could try acting out what will happen to your child with them, using their toys as patients and getting your child to be the doctor. This will also tell you how much your child understands.

• Read books together about going to hospital or watch a relevant TV show episode. If your child is interested in a particular TV show or children’s series, see if you can find a book about those characters going into hospital. We recommend:
  • Topsy and Tim: Go into Hospital (book)
  • Topsy and Tim: Hospital Visit; Getting Better; Coming Home (TV: series 3, episodes 2-4)
  • Peppa Pig Goes To Hospital (book)
  • Peppa Pig: Hospital (TV: series 3, episode 32)
  • Paddington Goes to Hospital, Michael Bond (book)
  • Alice’s Wonderful Hospital Adventure, Tony Densley (book)
  • Going to the Hospital: Usborne First Experiences (book)
  • Something Special: Mr Tumble ‘Hospital’ (TV: series 1, episode 4)

What? Why? Children in Hospital has a range of videos to help you prepare your child for a hospital stay, including this video: ‘How do I prepare my child for hospital?’.

The BBC also have programmes to help children understand hospitals and medical information:

• CBeebies Get Well Soon: Join Dr Ranj and friends to discover facts about health and hospitals.
• CBBC Operation Ouch: Dr Chris, Dr Xand and Dr Ronx explore the ins and outs of the human body in a variety of eye-opening experiments.
• Maddie’s Do You Know has a variety of episodes on medical issues, including blood pressure monitor and cast (series 1, episode 8) and x-ray (series 3, episode 20).

Your child is likely to have questions. Do your best to answer them but tell your child if you don’t know the answer. Reassure them that you will get the answer for them but do not make something up.Your child may ask the same questions more than once. Keep answering them. Each time you do, they will understand a bit more.

The Scottish Book Trust have a list of books to support children in hospital.

Little Parachutes have a list of picture books about doctors, hospitals and operations.

The Paley Institute – Europe (orthopaedic specialists) have a booklet on preapring your child for hospital.

1. Why do I have to go to hospital?
2. Who will look after me in hospital?
3. Will you be able to stay with me?
4. Will my friends/family be able to come and see me?
5. What will happen with school?
6. Will the doctors and nurses do things that hurt me?

Involve your child in the preparations for hospital. For example, help them with packing their bag, including items such as: 

• • a favourite doll, blanket or teddy
  • a favourite activity, or maybe a new one especially for hospital,
  • toiletries and pyjamas,
  • photos of family members and pets at home.