Even for adults, the hospital can be a scary and intimidating place. I remember having to go to the hospital few times as a child (I should have listened to my mom when she told me not to jump out of the swing).
In general, a hospital doesn’t seem to be the most kid-friendly place in the world. Thankfully, the ChildLife Center at Via Christi Hospital on St. Francis tries to be just that. Its care team knows that kids and families don’t want to be in the hospital, but they want them to be comfortable and feel the center is their home away from home.
A few months back, Maria Loving and I paid a visit to the pediatrics unit where we were asked if we would create some videos that would better explain some of the things that happen there and help people better understand what to expect once they get there. We agreed to do it.
Thankfully, I have a couple of kids who love attention and were excited to help me out on a project like this.
The first video I created tackled the subject of explaining an IV to a child, which co-starred my 3-year-old son and one of the hospital’s skilled child life specialists.
The newest video, which stars my 6-year-old daughter, explains what parents should pack for their children when they are preparing to go to the hospital. Hopefully, this will help reduce the child’s and parent’s anxiety about having to stay in the hospital overnight.
