When your child needs to stay in hospital, this story shows the ward, the bed, and a parent staying close, before the real day comes.
A personalized picture book in which your child is the hero — and masters this challenge themselves. The first story is free.
Create This StoryThe suitcase stands packed by the door, the admission date hangs on the fridge, and your child asks for the umpteenth time: “Will you stay with me the whole time?” A hospital stay — whether for a planned operation, a check-up, or a longer treatment — tears apart the familiar everyday: an unfamiliar bed, unfamiliar rooms, unfamiliar people in white coats. As a parent, alongside your own worry about the treatment, comes the task of making all of this graspable for your child.
For a child, a hospital is above all one thing: confusing. They know neither the routines nor the beeping machines, nor the many different people who will examine them. Add to that the separation from home, from their own bed, from the shelf of stuffed animals — right at the moment when the need for closeness is greatest. Children this age need concrete, vivid information to prepare for something unknown; abstract reassurances like “it'll be fine” are not enough for them.
A story makes the hospital walkable in advance. Your child sees the room, the bed on wheels, the IV stand, before ever stepping into the real thing — and the surroundings become a little more familiar because of it. A character who goes through the very same path — admission, exam, a night in the hospital bed — and finds steadiness along the way, shows that a hospital stay can be gotten through, and that it need not be faced alone. Every re-reading settles that picture a little further.
In the personalized story, your child themselves — with their own face on every page — lives through the path from admission to the exam to the night in the hospital bed, with a parent staying close by. The story does not hide that some parts can be unpleasant, but shows just as clearly how much support is there along the way — from the nursing staff to their own stuffed animal tucked into the hospital bed. The first story is free, so you can look through it together before admission.
For preparing at home: explain in simple, concrete words what will happen, including unpleasant parts like a needle stick or fasting before an operation — don't dress anything up that later turns out untrue. Pack a familiar stuffed animal or pillow that's allowed into the hospital bed. Ask early about an overnight option for yourself as a parent; most children's wards explicitly provide for this. And if your child still struggles with nightmares, separation anxiety or strong withdrawal for weeks after discharge, talk to your paediatrician or the hospital's psychosocial service — many children's hospitals offer dedicated preparation and follow-up support for demanding stays.
Coping with the unfamiliar, honest preparation, staying connected to a parent, self-soothing, resilience through discomfort.
3-9 years
Use simple, concrete words and describe things your child can picture: the room, the bed, the people who will help. Explain a day or two ahead what will happen step by step, and be honest that some parts, like a needle or an empty stomach before surgery, are briefly unpleasant.
In Switzerland, most children's wards actively encourage a parent to stay overnight, often with a fold-out bed or armchair provided. Ask the admissions desk or ward nurse about this before the stay so it can be planned in — it usually makes a real difference for how settled your child feels.
Answer honestly and specifically for each step rather than with a blanket promise: some things, like a blood draw, sting briefly; others, like lying in a scanner, don't hurt at all. Repeated questions are normal — they are how your child processes uncertainty, so answer calmly each time rather than getting impatient.
Let your child retell or replay the stay in their own way — through the story, drawing, or hospital play with dolls — even if some scenes repeat often; this is normal processing, not a sign something is wrong. Return to your everyday routines as soon as reasonably possible, since predictability itself is reassuring.
A few unsettled weeks after a hospital stay are common and usually ease on their own with routine and reassurance. If nightmares, strong separation anxiety or refusal to talk about the stay persist beyond a few weeks, or worsen, talk to your paediatrician or the hospital's psychosocial service about further support.
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