Books for Children Going into Hospital

Written in 1966 there are a few things that you will need to know when reading Curious George Goes to the Hospital to your child.

Unless the story has been edited since I bought my copy (a few years ago) this book uses some old words like "go-cart" for a wheelchair. The room that George is in is also an 8 bed room. Big hospital rooms like this were common in the 1960s. Now hospitals are more likely to have 4 or 2 bed rooms. (Some even have private rooms.) But these changes are easy to change while you read it to your child. (I just used the word "wheelchair" instead of "go-cart".)

I have used this book with my own niece who was frightened of hospital after a scary experience as a young child. This was her favorite hospital book and the first one I started with. After she was able to have this book read to her without fear I moved onto more realistic books. But she still asked for this one every time (I usually had to read it a few times in a row). Even now as a pre-teen she has fond memories of this book.

How you read a book about going to hospital is just as important as which book you read. So here are some tips to help:

1. Read the book yourself first. Do you think it will be good for your child? What questions could your child ask about the story? Is there anything in the book that you think will need a little more explaining before your child understands it? Is there anything that your child will experience differently to the character in the story? This might be something like your child having a room to themselves rather than a room with other children. (If your child will have a private room it's a good idea to explain that someone like mom or dad can stay with them so they don't imagine being "alone".) 
2. Don't read the book to your child too soon before the surgery if they're a toddler or preschooler. A day or two before is enough. But if you think they're aware of their hospital stay or if they're asking questions already it's time to read them the book.
3. It's a good idea to read the story to them after they come home from hospital too. Or just leave it around the house for them to look at or ask you to read it to them. Children need a winding down time after their stay. A hospital book can be useful for this and can help them understand what has happened. But if your child does not want anymore hospital stories don't force them. Just let them do things in their own time. 
4. Reading a hospital book during the hospital stay is sometimes a bad idea. Children often have "too much" hospital while they are there. Let your child decide if they want to look at the book or not during their stay. 
5. Read the story as many times as your child wants it. Even if it's 10 times in a row. This can be boring for you but it's important for your child's understanding. Your child will know how many times they need to hear the story and look at the book to help themselves understand. 
6. Read the story but treat it more like a discussion. Don't start the story with the aim of getting to the end without interruptions. This won't help your child. Let them ask questions. Point out things that you think might help them. Talk about the book and how it's the same and different to their hospital stay. Use the book as a tool to help you talk about hospital not just as a story book to read.
7. Use medical play as well as stories to help your child understand hospital. (There's some information about hospital play in this article too.) 
8. Use more than one book. Different books have different information. So your child will probably need a different book to answer different questions. They will probably need a different book at different times. You child might also relate to one book more than another (and it's not always the book you expected).
9. Finally I should repeat this tip. An adult the child trusts and loves like mom, dad, a grandparent or an aunt or uncle can read the book to your child IF they aren't scared of hospital themselves. If an adult with a fear of hospital (or a fear about your child's hospital stay) can pass their own fear on to the child. Let's face it. If a grown-up is scared of hospital it must be a really scary place. Not the message you want to pass on to your child before a hospital stay.