• Your child has the right to the best pain relief possible.
• As a parent, you can help us understand when your child is in pain.
• We will use pain rating scales appropriate to your child's level of development. This will guide us in providing adequate pain relief.
• We encourage you to comfort and support your child at all times. We will provide your with the assistance of Child Life staff or with educational materials.

Clinical aspects of Comfort Central:

• Our health care staff will try to use local anesthetics when they can minimize discomfort for your child when blood is drawn or intravenous lines are placed.
• Your child's room is a safe place. We will often bring you and your child to a treatment room whenever a medical procedure needs to be performed.
• Child Life staff are experts in helping children cope with hospitalization. They can provide distraction techniques and other support to reduce anxiety for your child during procedures.
• Sedation for procedures is sometimes necessary. We may use special drugs to sedate your child if local anesthetics or behavioral approaches are not sufficient to make your child comfortable.
• A "pain team" is available to ensure your child's comfort throughout hospitalization.
  Before your child has surgery we encourage you to bring your child in for a preoperative tour. Your child will meet the nurse, the anesthesiologist and Child Life staff, and learn what to expect through a "medical play" experience.

After your child's surgery, we will make every effort to keep your child comfortable and to minimize pain from the operation.

We're on the same team:

You can help us work to ensure your child is comfortable at the hospital. You are the expert about your child, so let us know how your child reacts to uncomfortable situations. We understand that pain is often tied in with anxiety and worry, so your involvement can help us make sure your child will be at ease here.

Techniques to comfort your child:

• Infants: rapid patting, massage, singing, soothing music, rocking, swaddling in a blanket, pacifier soaked in sugar water
• Toddlers: cuddling, rocking, bubble blowing, favorite music, massage, reading stories, toys, having child act out procedure in play after the experience.
• Pre-schoolers: bubble blowing, talking, storytelling, videotapes, noisy toys, pop-up books, letting child rehearse the procedure in advance, and act it out again after.
• School-age: deep breathing, hand-held video games, books, massage, storytelling, headphones with music, imagining a special place, videotapes/television.
• Familiar items from home, depending on age of child also help provide comfort especially at times when you can't be at your child's bedside. Feel free to bring bumpers, mobiles, a favorite pillow or blanket, pajamas, music and videos and small keepsakes from home.