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Talking to your child about hospital - Alder Hey Children's Hospital Trust

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Home > Patients and families > Before you visit > Talking to your child about hospital

Talking to your child about hospital

Coming to the hospital can be a worrying experience for you, but especially for your child. Here, we have some tips to help you talk to your child about coming to the hospital and help ease any worries they may have.

Mum reading to her child

When to talk to your child

Coming to the hospital can be a worrying experience for you, but especially for your child. On this page, we have some tips to help you talk to your child about coming to the hospital and help ease any concerns they may have. 

It’s a good idea to talk to your child about what it’s like to come to a hospital before they visit. This will help them to know what to expect before they arrive and increase their chances of having a positive experience. It will also allow your child the opportunity to ask any questions or express any concerns they may have about the hospital. 

How to talk to your child

Talking to your child about coming to the hospital can be challenging, especially if you don’t want to worry them. That’s why we’ve provided some hints and tips to help you ease any worries they may have:

  • When talking to your child, be sure to use simple, easy to understand language. If you feel they’re struggling to understand, try repeating the information or rewording it.
  • Be honest with your child. If they ask you a question and you don’t know the answer, it’s OK to tell them you don’t know. You can look for the answer together by using the search function on this website. If you still can’t find the answer, you can contact your care team.
  • If you’re coming to stay as an inpatient, we suggest you encourage your child to pack their own bag or help you to do it. This activity may help to prompt questions they may not have thought of at first.
  • Your child may want to know more about the ward they are going to be on. You can find out more information about our wards on this website and prepare to answer any questions your child may have.

If you have any questions

We understand that you as a parent or carer may also have questions or concerns of your own in relation to your child’s hospital visit. This is completely normal, and we encourage you to contact your care team as soon as possible to discuss this. 

If you do not have a direct contact number, you can call our switchboard on 0151 228 4811 and ask to be put through to the relevant team.

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