Ideas for keeping a six-year-old occupied before and after day surgery

[TeaAndSymumthy]

DD6yo is going for an operation soon, it’s a day operation so she’ll come home the same evening but she’ll be put under GA and will have a week off of school afterwards.

I’m looking for ideas for some nice bits I can get her to fill the time in hospital while waiting, recovering and then some ideas on how to beat being bored at home on the sofa while she takes it easy and recovers.

Any other advice, must have ect for a day in hospital would also be appreciated we’ve never really had a ‘proper’ hospital trip before 😅

Best wishes for the operation.

I always like these for super easy no mess entertainment

www.amazon.co.uk/Sticker-Dolly-Dressing-School-Dance/dp/1474990843

If you Google or contact the hospital that your child & you will be going to, it should have a play service. Hospital play specialists are very much part of the team that will be looking after your child. My son didn't want to come home after his day surgery, as the play room was such fun!

https://www.theworks.co.uk/c/we-love/travel-essentials?srsltid=AfmBOopBoYKWvry7LZDU1WjBPN0mzZUCAAB_NNXBDRSItai80Wnah2Fy#5052089378124

The works travel range will have things in that would be good for the hospital. Films/TV on a tablet with headphones too if you have one.

Maybe some new books would be nice for her to read or you to read to her whilst she's recovering too.

Depending on what type of surgery she is having done, a jewellery making kit might be nice. Obviously no good if it is hand surgery though!

I always think that DC revert a little when they’re poorly so don’t be worried if she wants books or activities that she was interested in when she was younger.

Thanks for the suggestions! I was reading about play specialists so that will be interesting.. she’ll no doubt love it 🤣

The paediatric surgeons and anaesthetists were great when I was little.

Does she play cards? I can’t remember how old I was for snap. Things like that are short or can be picked up again. I think one of my stays was when I first was read short poems (out of school). I was looking for ideas online and a MN thread came up

Not the same situation but I had to keep 5yo DS occupied for a very long car journey recently (10 hours there and 10 hours back within 3 days 🫠 DH drove and I was chief entertainer 😅). Winners were:

• reusable sticker book
• Uno & dobble
• travel games (The Works have little magnetic ones in flat tins in their travel section currently for £2 👍🏻)
• notebook where we played Dots & Boxes
• ipad with some offline games - he doesn’t have a tablet or any form of gaming so this was a complete novelty to him. We had 2 player ones like Battleships and then I taught him how to do a Sudoku and he’s now a wizz at them 😅🤣
• Yoto player with audiobooks

Hope your DD is ok and all goes well with the procedure ☺️

Both my DC have had minor ops and have been lucky enough to be early on the list so there wasn't much waiting round - we were seen by multiple HCP, went for weight checks, paracetamol given etc so it felt like every time we settled down there was someone else to see. Take a cuddly toy, both of mine were allowed to take theirs to the operating theatre (I guess it gets left outside but it's there were they go under the anesthetic and went they wake up again). Similarly as soon as mine were awake and well they were getting discharged so there's not much hanging about.

Take a book or something to do for you while you wait, or some food/drink if you don't like the hospitals offering.

I guess it depends on the procedure but my DC bounced back super quick and after a movie day on the sofa they were back to their usual mischief.