When kids go to hospital

Tips for parents stuck in the very scary world of the pediatric ward

My brood is usually a healthy bunch. This past year, however, we seemed to be hauling children into the emergency room with alarming frequency.

One of the boys vomited himself into severe dehydration and spent a day or two getting IV fluids. The baby had an attack of croup so bad he turned blue and took a ride in an ambulance. That same kid became covered in welts, which we discovered was hand, foot and mouth disease.

We thought it couldn’t get much worse until a few weeks before Christmas. That’s when my oldest, Alex, started coughing and could not stop long enough to draw a full breath. He spent six long days in the pediatrics ward as the doctors tried to figure out how to get his breathing back to normal.

As I sat in the hospital day after day, grateful for modern medicine, I began wishing for a survival manual for the parents of a hospitalized child.

With the help of other parents, I’ve compiled a few tips you should know in case you ever get stuck in the fold-out lounge chairs of the pediatric ward.

Once you know your child is being admitted, go out to the parking lot and buy the weeklong parking pass. You will most likely save money, even if your child is only in for a day or two.

Food can be a major inconvenience for parents of a sick child. Adina Appenheimer’s daughter, Danika, was admitted and quarantined when she was six weeks old.

“I couldn’t leave my baby unsu- pervised, but she couldn’t leave the room, so I was pretty stuck,” Appenheimer says.

Parents who don’t bring food often have to rely on what’s in the hospital. That can be difficult if you are on a budget or watch what you eat. The cafeterias in many hospitals also have restricted hours, and may not be open on the weekend.

Tanice Talbot’s son has spent a lot of time in hospital, and she has plenty of tips to share.

“Take a small beach cooler so you can keep your food in the room and save money on meals,” she advises.

Volunteers will come sit with your child so you can shower or go get a coffee, she says.

I found a smartphone and a laptop helpful during Alex’s hospital stay, as well. It gave me something to do when he was sleeping or engrossed in a movie, and also allowed me to send messages to family and friends to update them or to ask for help.

With four children in our family, one of whom is still breastfeeding, making sure one parent was always with Alex could be tough. My husband also had to work during part of the hospital stay.

I encourage other parents to figure out emergency child care arrangements before something happens. We have no family here, so we rely on friends and our child care provider.

Talbot’s son is the older of two, and admissions were trickier once the baby was born, she says.

“For the last few, we just brought the baby with us,” she says. “We had no other choice.”

Appenheimer says advocating for your child helps.

“Write stuff down,” she advises. “New nurses and residents don’t always know the back history, so you may need to fill in the gaps. Ask questions.”

“Take each day as it comes,” says Talbot. “Be patient and don’t be afraid to ask for help.”