Tonsillectomy tips- 6 year old
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Hi friend! I'm a certified child life specialist, and I think the best way to prepare your 6yo is to prepare yourself first, so here's a run down on some tips & tricks:
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Prepare yourself for what to expect before, during and after. Ask ALL the questions when the pre-op nurse calls )(how will he fall asleep with anesthesia? how long can you stay with him? When can you get to the recovery room wit him?) Make sure YOU eat breakfast (even though he can't!) and you have all the coffee available for you the morning of surgery.
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Consider preparing your son a few days before the procedure. Talk about the "Why" this needs to happen, and discuss how important taking medication after surgery is (this is often one of the hardest parts of Tonsillectomies). Feel free to use my free surgery prep book: https://childlifeoncall.com/surgery-prep-book_in-app-1-2/
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Likely, your son will go to sleep breathing in a mask based on his age/weight. It may be good to practice / talk about it before hand. It smells like a "beach ball" kind of plastic, but often they let kids put flavors in them.
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Encourage your son to pick out fun popsicles ahead of time, so he has something to look forward to after. I also recommend packing a "hospital" bag after you tell him about the surgery. Encourage him to put things in the bag that help him find comfort - a stuffy, blanky, book, iPad, etc. Encourage him to write questions for the doctor if he has any.
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Validate fears - it's normal to be nervous about this!
I'm happy to speak with you more through a consultation, or there is more information about the procedure on my SupportSpot app.
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The first couple of days aren't that bad but don't be fooled-things pick up day 3 to day 8. Do not miss a dose of pain medicine. I agree with dissolvable tylenol and motrin rotating. Keep their throat moist with liquids. Bubble gum to chew every day after. Ice packs for ear pain. Honey lollipops. Some will say a humidifier on them at night, I don't think it helped us that much but probably not a bad idea. Ice cream, mac n cheese, pudding the normal stuff. Nothing red as you can't see if you're bleeding or if it's the red dye
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Hi friend! I'm a certified child life specialist, and I think the best way to prepare your 6yo is to prepare yourself first, so here's a run down on some tips & tricks:
-
Prepare yourself for what to expect before, during and after. Ask ALL the questions when the pre-op nurse calls )(how will he fall asleep with anesthesia? how long can you stay with him? When can you get to the recovery room wit him?) Make sure YOU eat breakfast (even though he can't!) and you have all the coffee available for you the morning of surgery.
-
Consider preparing your son a few days before the procedure. Talk about the "Why" this needs to happen, and discuss how important taking medication after surgery is (this is often one of the hardest parts of Tonsillectomies). Feel free to use my free surgery prep book: https://childlifeoncall.com/surgery-prep-book_in-app-1-2/
-
Likely, your son will go to sleep breathing in a mask based on his age/weight. It may be good to practice / talk about it before hand. It smells like a "beach ball" kind of plastic, but often they let kids put flavors in them.
-
Encourage your son to pick out fun popsicles ahead of time, so he has something to look forward to after. I also recommend packing a "hospital" bag after you tell him about the surgery. Encourage him to put things in the bag that help him find comfort - a stuffy, blanky, book, iPad, etc. Encourage him to write questions for the doctor if he has any.
-
Validate fears - it's normal to be nervous about this!
I'm happy to speak with you more through a consultation, or there is more information about the procedure on my SupportSpot app.
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C Camryn-MomBrain marked this topic as a question on
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C Camryn-MomBrain has marked this topic as solved on
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Yes to ice packs for the ear pain, definitely do not miss a pain dose bc if they start hurting then they don't want to swallow their pain meds. I think our hardest days were day 4-7. We used the dissolvable Tylenol and liquid motrin (dye free). We used the tylenol and motrin during the day and then the presciption pain reliver at night (like a dream feed but dream medicine) so she could get a good stretch of sleep.
Some people use a humidifier directed at their child while they chill on the couch or sleep, we did at night bc I was paranoid but I can't say it made a huge difference or not.
Get Manuka lollipops from amazon or target (in the pharmacy section). Chew bubble gum, drink liquids-gatorade, sprite, whatever they will drink.
My daughter tolerated mac n cheese totally find the entire time.
Order dye free popsicles online-amazon has them.
Have lots of different options of various things to eat and drink bc they get bored and tired of taking medicine. You might have to get creative later in the journey on making medicine fun or incentivize. -
@AhMummy we got my four year old’s out this summer. I think our biggest regret was not giving her enough of a heads up to ask questions, read books, etc. so she had a tough time afterwards. I wish we had told her at least a week, maybe two in advance- but this depends on your child and what might work best for them. One thing that did help was taking her to pick out a ton of ice cream the day before!
She loved the Franklin Goes to the Hospital book, although I don’t know if that’s a little young for a 6 year old or not.
I know some people feel like (to an extent) the younger the better, but I actually think being 6 instead of 4 may give your kiddo a better chance at understanding what’s going on and being able to express when they’re in pain afterwards, which would’ve helped.
Stay on top of pain meds, even if it means waking them up. Don’t wait for them to ask for it. At least for us it was really hard for her to express the pain and I think it was surprising to her.
Good luck, feel free to ask me other specific questions if you have any and if I can answer I will!
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Biggest advice would be talk about it ahead of time with PLENTY of time for them to process it. Don't surprise them, even if they get a bit more anxiety leading up to it that is better than a surprise or false explanation of what is about to happen. A few tips someone gave me below:
- Stay Positive: Frame the procedure as something that will help them feel better, like "a special fix for their throat."
- Role-Play: Pretend play can help reduce fear—be the doctor and explain the steps with toys. Read books about it.
- During Recovery Offer Choices: Let them pick what soft foods or movies they want. This gives them a sense of control.
- Sticker Chart for Drinks: Incentivize drinking water with stickers or small rewards.
- Cold Magic: Use frozen treats like slushies or ice pops to ease throat pain. Avoid citrus or scratchy textures.
All of that to say, expect more clinginess and mood swings. The medications and discomfort can make them irritable. Stay patient and offer reassurance. Good luck mama!!!
Last but not least -- i recommend a THC drink at night (Happi or Giggli) brands you can order off their website. Rather than a glass of wine since you will be up at all hours of the night. These drinks will just take the edge off for you :).
