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For
your Child | For Mum
or Dad
If
your child has to stay in hospital for surgery,
this can be a new and frightening experience
for most parents. It is often difficult to know
what you need to take in with you, and what
is supplied.
This has been discussed many times on the clubfoot
list, and I can also draw on my own experience.
The general opinion is to take in anything you
feel your child may need, plus some items for
yourself. There are some ideas below.
For
Your Child
This will depend on the age of your child, but
the following may be useful:
Changing
items - It is hard to know what will be available,
so I suggest taking nappies, as well as your
usual wipes, creams etc.
Feeding
- If your child is used to a particular bottle,
take those along. I also took some cartons of
milk - every hospital should supply this, but
it may not be what your child is used to.
If
your child is eating solid food, try to take
something along for them. It meant we could
give Bethany something to eat when she wanted
it, not when the food trolley came along. This
included a couple of jars, as well as some snacks!
(We also took spoons as she was used to our
soft ones!)
Clothing
- You will only need 'day clothes' when it's
time to come home. Bethany stayed in sleep-suits
whilst she was in - this worked for us as she
only had one foot casted. Don't forget that
clothes have to be loose - those casts can be
very bulky.
Comfort
- Don't forget things like dummies (pacifiers),
favourite blankets and of course any favourite
toys! Anything to make your child more relaxed.
Also,
if your child is still young, and prone to colic,
take along any drops you find useful. Again,
if your child is teething, take your teething
gel - this type of thing is not easily available
in the middle of the night!
One
item we found invaluable was the pushchair (stroller).
It makes it easy to get round the hospital,
and at one point, it was the only place we could
get Bethany to sleep.
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