What to Expect

Children's Mercy wants to help you and your family understand and feel prepared for health care procedures and experiences. We believe that knowing what to expect is important and helps you and your child cope best.

Tips for your visit

Procedure information for your child

Child life specialists help children understand and prepare for their hospital experiences. The Child Life Department has created the below videos and picture books to help your child learn more about what they may experience.

If you would like to talk with a child life specialist, call (816) 983-6870 or send a message to "Child Life Messages" in the Children’s Mercy Patient Portal.

Click on a procedure below to learn more:

Procedure information for parents and caregivers

Helpful Books for Patients and Their Families

Reading books with your child can help them better understand the hospital, diagnoses, and medical procedures. This can be a great way to start conversations with your child about their thoughts and feelings about stressful events. Here are some books that child life specialists at Children's Mercy have reviewed and found helpful.

You can find many of these books at your local library.

If you have a book you think we should include on our list, please let us know!