How to adjust family life during a hospital stay

Mums Tips

Fitness & Health

Published on Tuesday, 21 May 2019 15:03

Last Updated on 21 May 2019

Monica Costa

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Finding out that your child needs to go in for hospital treatment is never an easy piece of news to process. I have been lucky so far with my son and haven’t experienced that a lot, but it breaks my heart to see children suffering no matter what. As a family, what is most important is that you find out how to be there for each other and offer support through this difficult time.

Given that emotions are high, it can be challenging to navigate how to take of your child and family at this time in your life. This article has been put together to give you some insight into how to adjust family life to this new, temporary lifestyle and offer you some useful information going forward.

Be prepared

One of the most simple ways to make a hospital stay easier is to be prepared for the stay by knowing what your child needs during their hospital stay. If they have never had to go in for treatment before, it can be difficult to work out what they are going to need, so putting together a checklist of things is always a good way to go.

First of all, your child needs to be comfy, so stocking up on cosy pyjamas and jumpers is a good place to start. Bringing along their favourite soft toy or pillow can also help to make them emotionally comfortable and reduce their stress levels.

Additionally, bringing along some personal toiletries is a good idea so you can help their hospital stay feel more like home.

Keep things fun

Some people find hospitals a hard place to be due to personal history or worry about what could happen. To help combat this, playing at the hospital with your child and finding fun games can remove some of these ill feelings. Try investing in some board games, colouring books, and downloading some films to watch on a laptop can help to keep everyone’s spirits high.

Let your children feel safe

Taking on board some tips on making your children feel safe when staying at the hospital is something that will reduce stress for them but also help to comfort every member of your family. Sometimes, seeing your child get worried about treatment can be worse than the treatment itself.

Try and prepare healthy food for your child to eat to keep their nutrition high, instead of relying on hospital catering, and getting up and about for walks or playing outside to keep them active.

Be honest with your child when they ask questions about what is going to happen and remember to state the facts in a way they will understand for their age.

Making sure you get justice for your family

In the worst possible scenario in which a treatment your child is going through is due to a medical accident or is something that could have been avoided, then getting in touch with a brain injury solicitor can help your family get the compensation you deserve. The extra money you win can help to make adjustments to your lives much easier and stop you having to worry about money. Medical negligence is a rare scenario, but it’s good to know what to do in the worst case. 

Hopefully you have found these tips helpful to get you through your hospital stay with your child.