Hospital maps
Before you even set foot in Methodist Children’s Hospital, you can pre plan your visit from where you should to park to finding your final destination. Please enjoy our interactive map for your use.
Parent information
When your child is in the hospital, first remember that the only way you can take care of your child is to first take care of yourself. When their child is hospitalized, many parents immediately forego all their own needs to care for their child. While caring for your child is always important, rest assured knowing that your child’s care team at Methodist Children’s Hospital is taking the best care of your child. As our expert doctors, nurses and specialists watch over your child, be sure that you take care of yourself. Things you can do to take care of yourself include:
- Eating properly
- Taking a break
- Calling a friend
- Keeping a journal
- Getting enough sleep
- Knowing that it is okay to ask for help
- Asking questions and voicing your concerns
- Reading, writing or listening to music to relax
Pre-operative tours
Our child life department at Methodist Children’s Hospital provides pre-operative tours for children who are scheduled to have surgery and their parents.
The tour includes a visit to areas of the hospital that patients will see the day of surgery, while a child life specialist explains what they can expect the day of the surgery. Pre-op tours help to:
- Familiarize patients with the people and experiences they will encounter
- Ease the child’s and parents’ anxiety and reduce fears
- Clarify misconceptions and answer questions
- Develop trust in hospital staff
If your child is scheduled for surgery and you want to arrange a pre-op tour or talk to a child life specialist, please call our office at (210) 575-7399 or (210) 575-7308.
What to bring to a child’s surgery
While your child stays with us at Methodist Children’s Hospital, we want them to feel as comfortable and as at home as possible. Many times, bringing items from home can make your child feel safer during their stay. When you are preparing for your child’s surgery, be sure to bring the following items with you:
- Comfortable clothes, pajamas, socks and slippers
- Child’s favorite stuffed animal or blanket
- Movies, books, magazines and music
- Toys, board games, video games and other activities
- Pictures of family and friends
- A camera for special events
- Snacks, with doctor’s permission
Pain therapy
Each patient at Methodist Children’s Hospital is routinely evaluated for pain using the Wong-Baker Faces Scale, which allows children to communicate how they are feeling by pointing to faces on a scale that range from happy to very sad. Taking this information into account, doctors and nurses are able to help patients with pain relief through medication, or when possible, a non-drug therapy such as hot/cold compresses, massage, rest or re-positioning.
Counseling and support
The consultation team provides psychiatric evaluation, triage and counseling to families of critically and chronically ill children. A behavioral medicine nurse specialist is on staff to meet the emotional needs of patients and their families. The behavioral medicine psychiatric assessment team is available in the emergency room 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist the emergency room physician in evaluating behavioral health emergencies and recommending treatment options.