This post was developed in partnership with Similac. All opinions are my own.
When my older daughter was five, we found out she needed her tonsils out. Her huge tonsils were cutting off her airway when she slept, and so we had them out immediately. It was a hard recovery as tonsils always are but I learned some tips and tricks to make it easier. Now as we our prepping our younger daughter for the same surgery, we know what to expect and how to make her as comfortable as possible in the next few weeks. Here are the things I learned with my first that I will be using to help my second.
Get ahead of the pain. Don’t wait for the first signs of pain, start rotating pain medication as soon as you can and stay on top of it for at least the first 3-5 days. It is so much harder to get on top of the pain after it has started. With my first daughter I slacked on the medicine after a couple days because she seemed a lot better, I didn’t realize how much the pain killers were helping until the wore off.
Wake them up for medication. For the first 48 hours it is so important to stay on top of the pain, that my husband and I would rotate setting our alarms every four hours to make sure she didn’t wake up screaming.
Keep a log of pain killers. This will help you know which pain killer to give next and what time.
Set alarms on your phone. Set an alarm on your phone when your child needs their next dose, that way you won’t miss it.
Bring a favorite stuffed animal and blanket to surgery. It really helped our daughter to have a little friend with her right before she went to sleep and right when she woke up.
Run a humidifier around them as much as possible. It will help the scabs not dry out and help the pain.
Buy a bell. Give them some way to get your attention without yelling for you. At night I keep my kids in the same room as me for at least 48 hours after surgery but a bell is really helpful during the day if I am not in the same room as them. I usually want to throw it away after recovery is over, but it is helpful during it.
Head to the library or video store before the surgery. With most kids, they are down for about a week. That is a long time to be cooped up! We head to the library for a large stack of books and new movies to watch to help the time pass.
Let your child decide how they feel that day. Day 1-3 can be pretty rough and then it will start to look up and you will be tempted to head back to your regular routine, only to be surprised when day 6 or 7 are bad again. As they start to heal, they will feel better and then the scabs falling off will cause a slight relapse, it is totally normal but something to be prepared for.
Stock up on popsicles, ice cream and applesauce. Your poor little one’s throat is going to be pretty painful for a while, popsicles and ice cream will be a go to meal, but sneak in food pouches like Go & Grow by Similac pouches to help get some nutrition in there too.
Ask for a child life specialist to come talk to your child. If you child is scared of going into the hospital, you can always ask for a specialist to come and talk to your child. Ours brought our daughter a little doll and showed her pictures of where she was going which made her feel a lot better.
Drink, drink drink! You child needs to drink to prevent dehydration and keeping the throat moist will help the pain. Stock up on good drinks and offer them liquids every 15-30 minutes.
Go & Grow by Similac pouches and Toddler Drink. They aren’t going to want to eat very much the first few days. Having Go & Grow by Similac Toddler Drink and pouches on hand will calm your nerves about them getting enough nutrition. The pouches are soft easy food, making it the perfect thing to give to your kid. They are nutrient rich, Each pouch has 3-4 servings of combined fruits and veggies or 1/3 the daily recommended servings for your toddler. Each pouch has OptiGRO, Similac’s blend of 32mg of DHA, lutein and vitamin E that supports brain, eye and overall growth and development, they are Certified USDA Organic, Non-GMO, contain no fillers, artificial flavors or colors and are gluten free. During a hard couple of weeks with your child that is typically filled with ice cream, they are an amazing way to make sure your kid is still getting good nutrients.
The toddler flavors include:
- Butternut Squash, Pumpkin, Banana, Carrot, Spinach, Broccoli Puree
- Mango, Sweet Potato, Pear Puree
- Mango, Apple, Butternut Squash, Spinach Pure
- Apple, Butternut Squash, Banana, Blueberry Puree
These pouches and drink are perfect for a tonsillectomy or whenever your child needs a good and healthy snack. They are brand new at Walmart and can be found online or in the baby food aisle. Head over here to win a $50 Walmart giftcard so that you can try Go & Grow with your child.
Oh my goodness these are good tips! I can’t imagine taking my toddler for a tonsillectomy! I think I would freak out more than my toddler!
What a brave little girl. I don’t know anyone who has had their tonsils out, but my sister had her adenoids out when she was 8 or 9 and she liked living on applesauce and ice cream.
I had mine out in the second grade and still remember the experience. Be with her all the time and have tons of ice pops to eat. Later jello. More she swallows faster she will heal.
This is helpful to keep in mind! My kids haven’t gone through it, but I did when I was small. I remember getting all the ice cream I wanted.
These are great tips! It’s so important to keep on top of the pain meds so that the child can rest comfortably and recover.
This is such a good post, I had mine out in my early teens and it was a rather traumatic experience, as I had a reaction to the anaesthetic. Apparently, however, I woke up fairly quickly after the operation, before they could get my Mum down and told everyone thank you haha.
These are absolutely wonderful tips. I have not had any of my children get their tonsils out but I will definitely keep in mind what you say here if it ever does happen. I like the idea of keeping ahead of the pain with medication.
I remember when my kids had their tonsillectomies. These are great tips for surviving a toddler’s tonsillectomy.
Aww your little girl was so brave. These are such great tips for dealing with a tonsilectomy. When my kids are sick, it’s the worst feeling ever.
OMG. I really hope this doesn’t happen to my only daughter (she is currently 11 months old). I can’t even think about her being in hospital having to have her tonsils out. The thought. Great post and a great insight on what you had to deal with (as well as your daughter).
Having a surgery at a very young age can be very tough for parents and the child. Thanks for the tips.
Awww. She looks so sad when she is eating the popsicle! I remember when my niece had hers out. She was miserable at first. My kids both still have their tonsils. These are some great tips for sure!
These are great tips and having had my tonsils out as a child and dealt with a child who had hers out, they will come in handy for parents. I wish they had the pouches when daughter had hers because it would have helped her get food besides popsicles.
A older child can be fussy enough going through tonsillectomy, I can’t imagine how it would be for a toddler! My kids never needed to go through the procedure though. I will share this with my college best friend. Her daughter is scheduled for the procedure next week.
These are all great advice for parents with toddlers undergoing tonsillectomy. My nephew had to undergo the same and it was a crazy time in my sister’s life. He was so fussy (I assume because of the pain) and it was only ice cream and popsicles that relieved him.
Your daughter is a doll. I’ll have to check out these beverages. I love that they combine so many different flavors.
That popsicle picture was so me when I had my tonsils out as a kid. Everyone so you’ll get all the ice cream you can eat which makes the surgery not seem so bad then afterward your throat hurts so much it doesn’t taste good. Ugh! Glad to see a smile on her face at the end of your post 🙂
My boys have their tonsils, but I can see how helpful each of these tips would be – especially to keep hydrated, logging the medication and ice pops for sure!
This is actually a great idea! I will start suggesting this to parents at the hospital!