Preparing your child for pediatric surgery can feel overwhelming for both you and your child. In this workshop, pediatric experts will share practical strategies to help families prepare for surgery with confidence. Learn how to talk with your child about what to expect, reduce anxiety before the procedure, and support emotional recovery afterward. Parents will leave with tools to help their child feel safe, informed, and supported every step of the way.
In this workshop, child life specialist Abby Horton explains how preparation plays a critical role in reducing fear and building confidence for both children and parents.
She highlights that effective communication should be tailored to a child’s developmental stage, temperament, and prior experiences, using simple, concrete language to explain what will happen. Rather than overwhelming children with too much information, preparation is most effective when delivered in small, manageable steps, with time for questions and emotional processing.
The workshop also emphasizes the importance of framing procedures in a non-threatening way and helping children understand each step of the experience, from pre-surgery conversations to recovery, so they feel more secure and supported throughout the process.