For parents, caregivers, nurses, child life teams, and family-support advocates
Medical days can feel big for little hearts. Benny & Penny Adventures helps families explain common pediatric medical experiences in gentle, age-appropriate language while building comfort, coping, and confidence.
These guides are educational and supportive, but they are not a replacement for medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, emergency care, or instructions from your child's healthcare team.
Always follow the care plan from your child's doctor, nurse, pharmacist, home infusion company, hospital, child life specialist, or emergency medical team. If your child is having a medical emergency, call emergency services immediately.
For emotional crisis support in the United States, call or text 988 or use the 988 Lifeline chat.
Start here
Children usually cope better when caregivers use simple, truthful words. Instead of promising that something will not hurt, prepare them for what they may feel and remind them they will not be alone.
“You may feel a quick pinch, pressure, cold, or noise. I will stay with you and help you breathe.”
A small job gives children something they can control. Their job might be holding Benny Bear, belly breathing, counting, choosing music, looking away, or squeezing a hand.
“Your job is to hold Benny, keep your body still, and take slow belly breaths with me.”
Good choices are safe choices: lap or chair, look or look away, count or listen to music, Benny in the left hand or right hand. Avoid asking if they want to do a medically necessary procedure.
“Do you want to sit on my lap or sit next to me while we count together?”
Child life specialists help children and families cope with illness, injury, disability, medical tests, hospital stays, and procedures using preparation, play, coping plans, and developmentally appropriate teaching.
“Is a child life specialist available to help us make a coping plan?”
Talk-to-your-child guides
“The nurses and doctors are helping your body. Some parts may feel strange, loud, cold, tight, or uncomfortable, but you will not be alone. We will make a plan together.”
Before the visit, choose one item from each category and tell your child what their job will be.
Procedure prep by book
Topic: Home infusions
Help your child understand that some medicines can come to them at home with a nurse or trained caregiver, clean supplies, tubing, a pump or IV setup, vital signs, waiting time, and comfort routines.
“Today your medicine comes to you at home. The nurse will bring clean supplies and help your body get the medicine it needs. We can read, rest, watch a show, or hold Benny while the medicine goes in.”
Topic: Access ports
Help children understand that a port is a small helper under the skin that can give medicine, fluids, or labs with fewer repeated pokes.
“Your port is a special helper under your skin. The nurse will clean the area and use a small needle to wake up the port so your medicine can go in. You can hold Benny, take big breaths, and choose something fun to watch.”
Topic: PICC lines
Help children understand that a PICC line is a special tube used for longer-term medicine, fluids, nutrition, or blood draws, and that keeping it clean and safe matters.
“A PICC line is a special tube that helps your body get medicine without needing a new poke every time. We keep it clean and safe, like a special helper for your treatment.”
Topic: Subcutaneous infusion
Help children understand that some medicine goes into the soft layer under the skin instead of into a vein, often with a small needle or infusion set, tape, tubing, and a slower routine.
“This medicine goes under the skin, where your body can slowly drink it in. You may feel a pinch or pressure, and then we can help your body relax while the medicine works.”
Topic: Central and special lines
Help children understand that central lines and special IV lines can give medicine, fluids, nutrition, blood products, or allow blood draws when care is ongoing.
“This special line helps your medicine get where it needs to go. We keep it clean, safe, and covered so it can keep helping your body.”
Topic: Lab draws
Prepare children for a blood draw with honest, simple words about the tourniquet, cleaning, quick poke, tubes, bandage, and comfort plan.
“The lab helper needs a small amount of blood to learn more about your body. You may feel a tight squeeze on your arm and a quick pinch. Your job is to hold still, breathe, and squeeze my hand or Benny.”
Topic: MRI scans
Help children understand that an MRI is a camera that takes pictures inside the body, and prepare them for loud sounds, lying still, headphones, the scanner bed, and possible IV contrast or sedation.
“The MRI is a big camera that takes pictures of the inside of your body. It makes loud knocking and tapping sounds, but it does not hurt. Your job is to stay as still as a statue while the camera works.”
Topic: Hospital stays
Help children understand that a hospital stay means sleeping somewhere new so the care team can help their body, check vitals, use monitors, give medicine, and keep them safe.
“Tonight we are having a hospital sleepover so the doctors and nurses can help your body. The room may look different from home, but I will help you feel safe. We can bring things that remind you of home.”
Topic: Ambulance rides
Help families explain that ambulances are used when a child needs medical help quickly or safely during transport, and prepare children for lights, sirens, straps, monitors, oxygen, and EMS helpers.
“The ambulance helpers are here to take care of you and get you to the hospital safely. They may use lights, sounds, straps, stickers, or a mask to help your body. I will stay as close as the helpers say is safe.”
Topic: Surgery day
Help children understand surgery day in calm, truthful language, including check-in, waiting, vitals, gowns, anesthesia, separation, recovery, comfort, and going home or staying overnight.
“The doctors are going to help fix something inside your body. You will get sleepy medicine so you do not feel the surgery. When you wake up, I will be close by and the nurses will help keep you comfortable.”
Comfort and coping
Questions to ask
Financial and practical help
Eligibility varies by diagnosis, income, insurance, state, age, and program funding. Families should contact each organization directly and also ask the hospital social worker, case manager, or clinic team for local support.
Ask for the hospital social worker, case manager, financial counselor, insurance authorization team, nurse navigator, home infusion pharmacy support team, or family resource center.
Medicaid and CHIP may provide health coverage for eligible children and families. Program rules vary by state and household situation.
Some nonprofit programs offer case management, copay assistance, medication cost help, financial aid funds, disease-specific assistance, or transportation support.
Families who must travel for pediatric care may be able to ask hospitals about lodging, travel help, transportation grants, and local family-support programs.
Caregiver mental health
Children may feel anxious before procedures, worried about pain, or frightened by medical equipment. Caregivers may feel overwhelmed, exhausted, financially stressed, or emotionally drained. Support is available for the whole family.
Medical experiences can feel frightening for children and caregivers. Support is available when pain, serious illness, procedures, hospitalization, or treatment experiences feel overwhelming.
Caregivers may feel exhausted, anxious, financially strained, or emotionally drained. Asking for support is part of caring for the whole family.
Safety and advocacy
Some families need more than medical preparation. If a child or caregiver is experiencing abuse, neglect, unsafe caregiving, domestic violence exposure, exploitation, or fear at home, support is available. If a child is in immediate danger, call emergency services.
Children’s Advocacy Centers coordinate child-focused services for children and families impacted by suspected abuse, including advocacy, therapy, medical exams, forensic interviews, and coordination with protective and legal systems.
If a child is in immediate danger, call emergency services. For suspected abuse or neglect, families and professionals can use official state and national reporting resources.
School support
Children with chronic illness, medical devices, infusions, surgery recovery, frequent appointments, fatigue, pain, or anxiety may need a 504 plan, IEP evaluation, school health plan, medication plan, absence plan, activity restrictions, or emergency action plan.
Printable checklist
Support these causes
These organizations support pediatric care, hospital programs, equipment, research, family support, and child life services.
These organizations support child and family mental health resources, education, advocacy, and abuse-prevention programs.
The resources listed on this page are provided for educational and family-support purposes only. Inclusion of a resource does not mean endorsement, and eligibility for financial, insurance, lodging, school, or advocacy programs may vary by diagnosis, state, income, insurance status, age, and program funding. Families should contact each organization directly and speak with their child's healthcare team, hospital social worker, or case manager for guidance specific to their child's needs.
Last updated: June 18, 2026