Welcome to the wonderful world of Children’s Hospitals filled with sick children. Please wash your hands.

Here are some tips to survive this so-called fun Hospital life:

The basics

If something is in the room, it should serve at least 2 if not 3 functions. There is very limited space for storage in a small hospital room, even worse if you are in a shared room. So everything there must have a purpose, the more, the merrier! For example, we would bring 3 or 4 quilts (kid sized) that wonderful crafty ladies would donate to the hospital. We LOVED these quilts! Not only do they brighten up the room but they kept my kid warm! They could also be rolled up and used to prop up a sore leg, or head or whatever, They could also be thrown over the top of the crib (or just one side) to stop light from coming into the crib during nap time. They also could stop drafts of cold air if the A/C was up too high. They were also good for cushions when my son barfed on his car seat and I had to take the cover off and we still had to drive home! The possibilities were endless with these quilts! They are super durable (easy to wash, multiple times a week) And they still adorn Griffin’s bed today at home!

We did the same thing with pillowcases! We were given these wonderful bright pillowcases from a local quilting shop. At first I didn’t know what to do with them…well…they became my MUST HAVE item in the hospital room. From toy bag, to barf bag, to spill cloths to blankie in a pinch. (think sleeping bag in the stroller!) These were WONDERFUL! Plus, it brought a little bit of home. A familiar bright orange and lime green fish pillowcase always made him smile!

Then there are the little things like books! If you pack all different sizes of books, they do not pack well together, but if you stick to a certain size, like 8″x11″ for example, they will pack nicely and always look neat and tidy. Also a larger book like that can be used as a snack tray in the bed, or a table for guests to eat on their knees! Need to write a note? Hey! Now its a desk! And think board books (or something durable like that) Something you can disinfect or clean puke off of!

Same with people. This is not a social club, there are SICK CHILDREN trying to get better. If you are not here to help, get out. Visit in the lounge! I know this sounds harsh but in shared room, visitors get in the way, spread germs and annoy neighbours! Young children have odd nap times, older children can get embarrassed, no matter the reason, so hang out somewhere else!!!

Colour (yes, I’m Canadian, we spell it with a U, lol)

Our Children’s hospital rooms were very…blank. I couldn’t stand the white and the beige, it made me feel sick just thinking about it! So we brought several things to brighten the room, but also had to serve at least 2 other purposes to be allowed in the room (limited space) See above, multi uses for quilts, and pillowcases. But things like crafts serve as an activity and a distraction, but can also be hung off of an IV pole or stuck on the door to brighten someone’s day! Think like a child, add colour and life to the hospital room. It can’t hurt!!!

Journal

Please keep a journal or notepad in your child’s room. Quite often, I would be out (going pee or foraging for food) and a specialist would come in looking for me. My husband would struggle over the name. Ummmm, it was Doctor…uh…it could have started with an H? A journal means you can keep track of who comes in, new information for other family members, if meds were given on time, what doses and properly (you would be surprised how badly this went wrong for us! Please ask the nurse what is going in the IV and how much!) Also you can track how your child is progressing. The doctors would ask if his eye is more swollen than it was on Thursday…uh…I can’t even remember what it looked like yesterday! Keeping a journal of symptoms, when things happen (when was your child brought into the ER? When did that surgery happen? Who was the surgeon?) etc. It will help you in the end! TRUST ME!

Food

Good food in a hospital is like water in the desert. Its worth gold, its expensive and its hard to find!!! Bring your own. Most hospitals have a place for you to store food. Use it. Bring veggies. They are the most expensive and usually in the worst shape (wilted and old or covered in chemicals…yuck) I thought at one point I would get scurvy from lack of fruits and veg! Bring as much “survival” food as possible, like granola bars, trail mix, rice cakes, soups in a cup, juice boxes, crackers etc. Munchies that are good on the stomach too. Chemo makes the belly upset (as does stress) so we as a family needed non-spicy, belly friendly snacks a lot.

Ask

Yes, you are an amazing Mum but everyone needs help sometimes. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of SMARTS! Ask your Clinic nurse for tips and tricks, ask your social worker for additional funding programs