Ds was 20 months when he had his first set of grommets.
He's always been given a bed for grommets (now had them 3 times) and doesn't come well out of the anaesthetic (very groggy and sick for a few hours) so I'm glad about that.
The Usborne book "Going to hospital" is good-it's actually about a small boy having an ear operation.
It's in some ways easier when they're small, they question less. The only time ds got nervous was his last set when he was 6yo.
You'll have a bit of a wait from getting in before he goes down. In that time you'll have the surgeon, anaesthetist (not sure about that spelling!) and various nurses introducing themselves and checking him. You can ask for play therapy if you think it'll help him.
Going down he had to be held down to take the gas at that age. Nothing they could have done, but it's a bit traumatic.
You've then got about 20 minutes-I usually grab some food in that time as it's hard to eat in front of them when they can't eat, and after you're a little busy.
You get called through when they're happy they're awake and okay. You won't be there when they come to-I assumed you would the first time which didn't go down well with ds when he woke and I wasn't. For ds it's quite a time between him waking and them being comfortable to bring me through as he seems to take ages to some round properly. That's the point I find scary.
They wheel him on the bed through to the ward, and then they want them to eat, drink and do a wee (having walked there themselves) before they'll discharge.
Ds is usually sick at some point over that time, which is normal, but does put them on higher alert.
They'll monitor them-Oxygen levels, temperature, Blood pressure etc. The first time his temperature came up quite quickly after the operation so he ended up on antibiotics.
We get home between 4-6hours after the operation, but most of the other children seem to do it in half that time, and they're trying to stop them climbing the walls within half an hour. Ds just goes floppy.
Take a couple of favourite books, a favourite cuddly and comfortable pyjamas.