Your Child's Questions

Every patient feels differently. Some feel like playing, while others might feel like resting. Some might feel like eating, and others don’t. CHKD will make every effort to ensure that your child is as comfortable as possible.

CHKD’s child life department, which is on the same floor as the child’s room, maintains popular activity rooms for our patients. The activity room has everything from video games and puzzles to books and painting. If your child is unable to go to the activity room, toys and activities can be brought to his or her rooms by the child life staff.

Televisions are in each patient room and special programming for children is available, including the Disney Channel and the Cartoon Network. Whether your child is sharing a room or is in a single room, all patient rooms have a phone, bathroom, chair bed for a guest, and a window with a view.

Your child’s doctor might prescribe a special diet. If not, you will be able to choose items from the daily menu, even favorites like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chicken strips, pizza, and hamburgers. Someone will bring the meals in on a tray into your child’s room.

Most of the time our patients can wear their own clothes from home. You may want to bring your child’s most comfortable clothes, such as sweatshirts and sweatpants, or their favorite pajamas and robe. They can always wear their own slippers or shoes. We do have hospital gowns (they look like big long t-shirts) and a pair of non-slip hospital slippers that your child can wear too.

We are committed to providing safe conditions for your child. One of our most important goals is to minimize infections. Normally, your child will be able to bring a favorite stuffed toy or doll, but just in case your child requires special precautions because of an infection, you should ask the nurse first.

We have a hospital school program right here at CHKD. We can teach children at the bedside or in our three classrooms. We can contact your child's school and discuss lesson plans to keep your child on track while he or she is at CHKD.

Absolutely.

Letters or other postal mail should be addressed to your child and mailed to:

Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters
Attn: Your child's name – Patient
601 Children’s Lane
Norfolk, VA 23507

In most units, siblings are welcome to visit during regular visiting hours when accompanied by an adult, but must be 18 or older to stay overnight. See our visitor guidelines here.

Parents or legal guardians are welcome to visit anytime. We encourage one parent to spend the night. See our visitor guidelines here.