Helping your child prepare for a medical procedure

It gives you simple advice and tips to help things go as smoothly as possible. It may also help your child feel less affected by worry.

There may be times when your child needs to go to the doctor or hospital for a procedure. It’s common for children to be affected by fear or worry about what will happen. That’s understandable – and there are things you can do to help.

Before the procedure

Talk to the medical team

Ask what will happen and why your child needs the procedure.
Ask how your child might feel during and after it.
Let the team know if your child has had a procedure before, and what helped or didn’t help.
If anything isn’t clear, it’s okay to ask again.

Talk to your child

Explain what will happen in a way your child can understand.
Use toys or role play with younger children to show what the procedure might look like.
Be honest. For example, instead of saying “it won’t hurt,” you could say, “It might hurt a bit, but it will be quick and you’ll be okay afterwards.” This helps your child trust the information you give them.
Encourage your child to ask questions and share how they’re feeling. If they ask something you don’t know, it’s okay to check with the medical team. Older children may want to ask the team themselves.

When to tell your child

Try not to leave it too late — but don’t tell them so early that they have a long time to feel affected by worry.

Here’s a rough guide

Ages 3 to 4 – Tell them 1–2 days before.
Ages 5 to 6 – Tell them 3–5 days before.
Ages 12 and over – Involve them from the start and plan together.

Offer some choices

Even if the procedure needs to happen, your child may still be able to choose small things, like:

Whether they want to look or look away.
Who they want with them.
Saying “go” when they’re ready to start.
Having some choice can help your child feel more in control and less affected by worry.

During the procedure

Pain relief

Cream or spray can be used to numb the skin before an injection or blood test. These help stop the skin from feeling pain.
Ask about this in advance — the cream can take up to an hour to work.

Distraction

Distraction can help take your child’s mind off what’s happening.

Some ideas:

Stroking or playing with your child’s hair or hand.
Listening to music with headphones.
Using a handheld game or tablet.
Looking at a favourite book or toy.
Playing simple games like “I Spy” or counting games.
Chatting about something fun or interesting.

Ask your medical team — they may have tools you can use too.

Relaxation

Relaxation can help with the physical effects of worry — like a fast heartbeat or tense muscles.

You can help your child:

Breathe slowly and deeply.
Tense and relax their muscles – like making their arms go “floppy like a rag doll.”
There’s more about this in a separate leaflet from the Psychology team.

Holding and positioning

Your child might want to be close to you. Holding their hand or sitting with them (if appropriate) can help them feel calmer and less affected by worry.

Coping words

Use calm and encouraging words to support your child

“You’re doing really well.”
“We’re nearly done.”
“Let’s think about what we’ll do afterwards.”

Try to help your child focus on what will happen after the procedure, rather than on anything that might be uncomfortable.

Set a calm example

Children often notice how adults are feeling. If you’re feeling calm, it can help your child feel less affected by worry too.

If staying in the room is too difficult for you, it’s okay to step out. You could bring a friend or family member to support your child instead. This doesn’t mean you’re letting them down — it means you’re looking after both of you.

Keep the room calm

If the room feels busy, that can sometimes increase a child’s worry. This is a teaching hospital, but you can ask for only essential staff to be in the room. This is your right, and it won’t affect your child’s care.

After the procedure

Praise and rewards

No matter how the procedure goes, praise your child for trying their best.

You might also agree a small reward in advance.

This could be:

A sticker or small toy.
A favourite snack or drink.
A trip to the park or swimming.
Time with a friend or family member.

Talk about it

Afterwards, talk with your child about:

What went well.
What didn’t go well.
What helped.
What could be done differently next time.

Summary

If your child is affected by worry about medical procedures, preparing together in advance can really help. Use the ideas in this leaflet, and talk to the medical team if you have questions or want more support.

Download and print the procedural anxiety workbook (2.72MB PDF)