How to Make a Book About Surgery or a Hospital Stay for Your Child

A book about surgery for kids is a short picture book, made about your own child, that explains their planned hospital stay or procedure step by step. Unfamiliar places, sounds and people can feel scarier than the surgery itself. A personalized book shows your child their real hospital, their real grown-ups and the real order of the day, so on the morning itself much of it already feels familiar.

Why make your own hospital or surgery book?

Store-bought books about hospitals are helpful, but every hospital and every procedure is different. A homemade book can match what your child will actually see: the parking garage, the playroom, the color of the gown, the stuffed animal they are bringing.

It is written in the style of a social story: first person ("I"), present tense, calm and literal. It describes what usually happens and what your child can do, rather than telling them how to feel.

Before you write, talk to your child's care team about what the day will really involve. Many hospitals have child life specialists whose job is helping children understand and cope with medical care, and they may have photos, tours or tips you can use. This book is a family story, not medical advice: follow your care team's guidance on what to say.

What should a book about going to the hospital include?

A good hospital book covers the parts of the day your child will notice, in order. These are the usual pieces:

• Why they are going. One simple, true sentence: "The doctors are going to fix my ear," not a long explanation.
• Arriving and checking in. The front desk, the waiting room, a hospital bracelet with their name on it.
• Getting ready. Changing into a hospital gown, the bed with rails and buttons, maybe a soft cuff that squeezes their arm.
• The people. Nurses, the doctor, and anyone else your care team says they will meet. Names and photos help if you have them.
• The sleep medicine. If they will have anesthesia, a gentle line that a special doctor gives medicine so they sleep and do not feel the operation. Ask how it is given (a mask or an IV) so the book matches.
• Waking up. They may feel sleepy, sore or wobbly, and a grown-up will be close by.
• Who stays with them. Who comes to the hospital, who waits, and who they will see when they wake up.
• Going home and getting better. Rest, favorite shows, and a comfort plan.

A page-by-page outline you can copy

Here is a 14-page outline. Change the bracketed words, and delete any page your care team says will not happen.

1. Cover: "[Name] Goes to the Hospital," with a smiling photo of your child.
2. Why I'm going: "My [ear/tummy/tonsils] needs some help. The doctors at [Hospital Name] are going to [fix it]."
3. Getting ready at home: "The night before, I [can't eat after bedtime]. I pack [my bear and my blanket]." (Ask your care team about eating and drinking rules, since they vary.)
4. Arriving: "[Mommy] and I go to [Hospital Name]. We tell the person at the desk my name."
5. My bracelet: "A nurse puts a bracelet on my wrist. It has my name on it so everyone knows who I am."
6. My gown: "I change into a hospital gown. It is [blue with little dots]. I can keep [my bear] with me."
7. Checking me: "The nurse checks how I'm doing. A cuff squeezes my arm, and a little clip goes on my finger. They don't hurt."
8. Meeting the doctors: "I meet [Dr. Name]. The doctors and nurses are there to help me."
9. The sleep medicine: "A special doctor gives me medicine through [a mask/a tiny tube] so I fall asleep. I won't feel anything while I'm asleep."
10. Who is waiting: "[Daddy] waits close by the whole time."
11. Waking up: "When I wake up, I might feel sleepy or sore. That's OK. [Daddy] and a nurse are there."
12. Feeling better: "The nurses help my [ear] feel better. I can have [a popsicle] when they say it's OK."
13. Going home: "When the doctors say I'm ready, we go home. I rest and watch [my favorite show]."
14. Last page: "I was brave, even when I felt worried. My family is proud of me." Use a family photo.

For an overnight stay, add pages about the hospital room at night, who sleeps there with them, and breakfast in bed.

Words that help for the hardest pages

The sleep medicine and waking up are often the pages children ask about most. Keep the words calm, short and true:

Sometimes I might feel scared. I can squeeze [Mommy]'s hand, hug [my bear] and take big, slow breaths.

When the operation is all done, I wake up. A nurse is right there with me, and soon I see [Daddy].

It's OK to cry or to say "I don't like this." The nurses are used to helping kids, and they will listen.

Avoid promising things you cannot control, like "it won't hurt at all" or an exact time. "My tummy might be sore, and the nurses will help" is easier to trust when it turns out to be true.

When and how should I read it?

For toddlers and preschoolers, a few days to a week before is usually enough. School-age children often do better with more time to ask questions.

• Read it calmly and often. Bedtime works well. Let your child turn the pages and tell you what happens next.
• Play it out. Put a bracelet and "gown" on a stuffed animal and act out the pages.
• Bring it along. A printed copy in the hospital bag can be a comfort while you wait.
• Read it again afterward. Many children like to retell the story once it is over, and the last page becomes a proud one.

How to make it on makeabook.fun

makeabook.fun is a free picture-book maker that runs in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with no sign-up.

1. Open a blank book. Start with "A blank book", which gives you twelve empty pages. Add or remove pages to fit the outline.
2. Pick a size. Square (8.5 × 8.5 in) works well for a photo book; Tall, Wide and Big are also available.
3. Write one step per page. Copy the outline above and change the details to match your child's day.
4. Add photos. Use pictures from the hospital's website, a tour, or your child with the comfort toy they are bringing. Drag to reposition and zoom.
5. Draw what you can't photograph. Use the built-in drawing pad (finger, mouse or stylus) for the gown, the bracelet or a sleepy face, or let your child draw.
6. Choose an easy font. Andika, a font designed for children learning to read, suits early readers.
7. Read it in the flip-through reader, then print.

Printing it for the hospital bag

The free full-color print-at-home PDF is usually all you need, and you can tuck it straight into the bag. If you want a sturdier copy, the Keepsake edition ($2.99 once per book) gives you print-shop quality at the exact book size, no makeabook.fun mark, and a fold-and-staple booklet layout, with free re-downloads after edits. See how to print a picture book at home. A doctor visit social story can help with the check-ups that come after.