A tour can be an excellent way to familiarize your child with the hospital before admission. The tour might include a look at the operating room, an explanation of anesthesia, and an opportunity to talk with children who have undergone similar procedures.

If you take a tour, make sure your child also gets to see the fun parts of the hospital, such as the play area and cafeteria. Although adults often cringe at hospital cafeteria food, many children enjoy walking through the line and choosing their own food. It also helps to tell your child some of the positive things about going to the hospital, for example:

• He will not have to do chores.

• She will get her own telephone, television, and remote control.

• He will get to pick his own food off a menu and eat in bed or in a cafeteria.

• She will have buttons to push that make the bed go up and down.

If your child is young, show her that all beds in the hospital—even adults’ beds—have rails on the sides.

You might also make the tour part of an educational experience. If your child will return to school shortly after the hospitalization, you or your child can talk to her teacher about letting him do a report or research project on some aspect of hospital life. Asking questions and becoming something of a hospital expert may help your child feel more informed and in control of the situation.