This week Daddy had minor surgery, and while it was minor, he still has a two-week recovery time during which he should not sit, bend over or pick Caden up. This has meant that we had to get creative in the ways Daddy and Caden can spend time together. We’ve also had to think of ways to help Caden understand that Daddy can’t do the things he normally does and that he needs to be careful not to be too rough with Daddy. So here are some ways you can help your little one understand and cope when a parent has surgery.
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Helping Kids Understand When a Parent Has Surgery
1. Keep the hospital ID bracelet on. The hospital bracelet is a good visual reminder for young children that mom or dad has a booboo, especially if the surgery site is not very visible. We showed Caden the hospital ID bracelet and told him Daddy has a booboo and that he needs to be careful. Now when we remind him, he points to the bracelet and says “booboo”.
2. Show your child the wound. We showed Caden the bandaged area soon after Daddy got home, and the stitches once we removed the bandage the next day. This helps to make it real for young children. They probably don’t know what “surgery” is, so you have to teach them what that means.
3. Read children’s books about hospitals. We bought the book Curious George Goes to the Hospital. It is a nice way to introduce young children to what a hospital is and helps explain what happens in a hospital when people get sick or hurt.
4. Make a Get Well Soon card. Before mommy or daddy comes home help the child(ren) make a get well soon card. This will help them to feel apart of the recovery.
5. Let them help with recovery care. Older children can help mom or dad feel better by bringing the recovering parent drinks and snacks, etc.
6. Think of new ways to spend quality time. This has been the hardest part for Caden, since he is so used to sitting on the couch with Daddy in the morning and evening watching TV. Since Daddy can’t sit, we modified this routine by moving it to the bed. There Caden can sit next to Daddy as he lies in bed. Caden also still likes to be carried around sometimes, but since Daddy can’t pick him up, we’ve had to change to hand holding. This seems to satisfy Caden’s need of touch for now while Daddy recovers.
7. Keep them busy. The best way we’ve helped Caden cope with Daddy recovering from surgery is to keep him busy. Prior to the surgery I planned out a weeks worth of fun activities that I could do with him to keep him busy. We’ve also left the house everyday. We have run errands, gone shopping, went to the library and playground, visited Grandma etc. This has helped Daddy have some uninterrupted recovery time. It has also helped me to relax because I didn’t have to worry about Caden getting too rough with Daddy.
This is how we have survived one week of home recovery. One week down, one week to go. I hope we can survive next week. 🙂
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Sounds like you’re doing a great job! I hope this last week is a cake walk and that daddy heals well!
Thanks Sarah! Daddy is doing much better today- I’ve kind of had the morning off. 🙂
Heck yeah! That’s awesome! I hope it continues that way!
Keeping the ID bracelet on is such a clever idea. And i love that you just moved TV time to the bedroom. These are really clever ideas, I’m sharing on the Sunday Parenting Party pinterest board and featuring this weekend.
Thanks Monko! So glad you liked it! Thanks for the feature!
what great ideas. Thanks for sharing on the Monday Parenting Pin it party
I love these suggestions. I wish I had read this prior to my surgery. When I got home with a wrist and ankle hospital bracelet/anklet, our little ones expressed how beautiful the bracelet and anklet were. They all wanted to get out the bracelets they had made from dollar store beads and wear them. We can still implement some of your ideas. Thank you!
Glad to hear you are recovering well! I’m so happy this post has been helpful! 🙂
Thank you for the tips! Finding a new way to spend quality time with them is big on my list. I am collecting ideas and activities to keep them busy, too.
When my father had surgery, our 6 year old liked to play nurse and help take care of him. She’s bring him snacks and drinks and get out her doctor kit! It’s hard for kids to understand something like that but these ideas will help!
My wife wrote a book about this based on her own experience. It was tremendously helpful for us to address my wife’s upcoming surgery in a way that made our own toddler understand the process and ask questions about it. The book is called Mommy’s Going to the Hospital. Hope it helps.
Thank you! I live with my mom& my daughter- they’re inseparable. My mom is going to need hip surgery soon, I been trying to figure it ways of telling her not to be rough.
These are some great tips for parents. Reading a picture book about going to the hospital your child is a genius idea. I can see how that would help a child get used to the idea of going into a hospital.