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:

1. 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.

2. 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/

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

Hi! You've got great ideas and suggestions here already. I'm a child life specialist, we help kids & families cope with medical experiences. Depending on your child's age, they may have specific fears or worries. If you want to give me an age range, I can provide some more detailed information, but here's the run down:

Toddlers - fear of separation from parents/caregivers, reduced autonomy - typically do well with choices, distraction, calm caregiver

Pre-schoolers - magical thinking (does the needle look like a sword from a movie I saw?!), fear of separation from parents, loss of control - typically do well with preparation through play, choices, offering distraction, coaching ("your job is to help me count to 10"), calm caregiver

School-Age - fears of bodily harm, loss of dependence, (still want caregivers close), don't want to let parents down. what helps? include in preparation (ex. we have a blood draw coming up next week, when do you want me to tell you about what's going to happen?), giving jobs, validating fears, what questions do you want to ask before we go there? What would make this better/worse?

Hope this helps!

Also, including here my comfort position suggestions so kids aren't held down for procedures: https://childlifeoncall.com/comfort-positioning-guide/

My favorite resource is Kids.Eat.In.Color on instagram! She's amazing!

Hi there, Blue Bird! Just a quick note—I’m a certified child life specialist, so I don’t diagnose or treat OCD, so I'd recommend seeing your pediatrician about these behaviors to get further support. That said, one of the things we encourage parents to keep an eye on is whether certain behaviors are impacting key areas of life. For instance, consider if the behavior is affecting his social relationships, school performance and focus, self-regulation, sleep, or eating habits. If the answer is yes (or maybe) to one of these, it may be helpful to get your pediatrician's input. This can be as simple as copying/pasting your exact message above into the patient portal messaging system. Easier said than done because of outside/society noise, but always trust your gut on this stuff. Hope this helps