Babies and pre-school children

As babies and pre-school children may have difficulty understanding 'time', it is better to explain about coming to hospital only a short time beforehand. It can be helpful to use play to help them understand. Activities could include playing 'doctors and nurses' or using a favourite toy as the patient. You can get a basic doctors kit from most toyshops.

Asking your child to draw pictures of what he or she is expecting can also help you to understand and address any fears. Children often have misconceptions about hospital stays, so this can help you deal with them before going into hospital.

Books explaining about coming to hospital can also start a discussion about what your child is expecting to happen.

Some books recommended by parents are:

• Miffy in hospital by Dick Bruna (Egmont Books)

• Going to the hospital by A. Civardi (Usbourne First Experience series)

If you are unable to get a copy of any of these books from your bookshop, you should be able to order them through your local library to borrow for a few weeks.