Children's Hospital Colorado

Prepare for Your Child's Surgery

We collaborate with every specialty in the hospital to advance new surgical techniques, teach tomorrow’s surgeons and give our patients a brighter today.

No matter how simple or complex your child's operation will be, we understand how you feel: No procedure is small when it's your child. But at Children's Hospital Colorado, we perform nearly 25,000 surgeries each year, and every one of our team members is specially trained to meet the needs of your child and family.

How to prepare your family for surgery

This video helps you and your child understand what to expect from surgery at our hospital:

Research your child's condition and operation

Children's Colorado on Anschutz Medical Campus is home to one of the area's best health libraries: the Melvin and Elaine Wolf Foundation Family Health Library. Located on the first floor of the hospital, the library has information on illnesses, wellness and parenting and in-depth research on medical conditions. Staff librarians are on hand to help you find exactly what you need. We can also email you resources if you're not at our hospital on Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.

How to help your child feel more comfortable

This video shows you how you can use "comfort holds" to make your child feel more comfortable when they are doing things getting an IV placed or giving a blood sample:

What to know before, during and after surgery

The best way to prepare for your child's surgery is to know as much as possible about what will happen, and to share that information in an age-appropriate way with your child and their siblings. To help you plan for your child's procedure, here's what to expect before, during and after your visit.

Take your seat at The Table

We've created a private online community where people like you will get the opportunity to share your thoughts and opinions on a wide range of topics. Your insights will help us improve patient and family amenities, make in-person services safer and more comfortable, enhance our telehealth options and much more.

Join the community