One day before surgery

These sections will help prepare you for your upcoming surgery and answer many questions you may have:

Checklist: the day before surgery

Children and youth:

take a bath or shower the evening before (or the morning of) surgery
remove all make up and nail polish
remove all jewellery (including plastic jewellery) from piercings (from nose, tongue, belly button, eyebrows, ears, etc.)
use a pad instead of a tampon on the day of surgery if you are having your period

Parents, guardians and caregivers:

arrange child care for your other children
speak with CHEO staff to confirm the time you should arrive
arrange for a ride home from the hospital
prepare your child or youth so they have an age-appropriate understanding of what’s going to happen at the hospital (see Speaking to your child about surgery)
have acetaminophen (Tylenol® or Tempra®) and Gravol® on hand at home
pack a bag with comfortable clothes, slippers, music, books and a special comfort toy

We do not have lockable storage for your valuable items. You are responsible for keeping track of any valuable items that you bring to the hospital.

Confirming the time of your surgery or procedure

We will call you 1 to 2 days before your surgery or procedure to confirm the time you should arrive at CHEO. If we do not call you by 8 pm the evening before, call CHEO’s Admitting Department: 613-737-7600, ext. 2310, before 11 pm.

What if my child or youth is sick before surgery?

Call your surgeon’s office as soon as possible if your child or youth has had or been in contact with someone who has these contagious disease illnesses in the three weeks before surgery: chicken pox, mumps, measles, tuberculosis (TB), whooping cough or scarlet fever.

Contact your surgeon’s office if your child or youth has had any of these symptoms in the last week:

has a cold or cough with mucus (and doesn’t feel like eating or is very tired)
is wheezing
has a fever (above 38 C)
is vomiting or has diarrhea

Between 4 and 11 pm the evening before surgery (or if you can’t reach your surgeon), call Admitting at 613-737-7600, ext. 2310, and tell them your child or youth is ill.

After 11 pm the evening before surgery, call 613-737-2346 (Surgical Day Unit) and leave a message. Be sure to include your child’s name, date of surgery, surgeon’s name and the illness (for example, a cold or fever).

We may ask you to come to the Surgical Day Unit in the morning to have them assessed by the anesthesiologist to decide if we will go ahead with the surgery or procedure.

For their safety, we may have to reschedule their surgery

Driving after surgery

You are not allowed to drive for 24 hours after having an anesthetic.

Fasting guidelines

Your child’s or youth’s surgery may be delayed or rescheduled if they have had something to eat or haven’t followed the fasting requirements for liquids.

Stop solid foods at midnight the day before your procedure

Stop formula 4 hours before your procedure time

Stop breast milk (with or without fortification) 3 hours before your procedure time

Stop clear fluids (apple juice, water) when you arrive at the hospital

Why can’t my child or youth eat or drink before surgery or a procedure?

Everyone having anesthesia must have an empty stomach

While a patient is asleep during surgery, food or fluid in the stomach can come back up into the throat and go into the lungs. This can cause problems with breathing and infection.

Please note: Some children may require different fasting times and this will be discussed with you by your care team.

On the day of the surgery or procedure:

do not give your child or youth gum or candies
encourage your child or youth to drink water or apple juice until arrival at hospital

Does your child have to take medication?

If the surgeon or anesthesiologist tells you to give your child or youth regular medication on the day of surgery, give the medication with a very small amount of water only. Do not give with apple sauce, yogurt or other foods.

Is your child or youth having an endoscopy?

If your child is having an endoscopy, please follow the special fasting guidelines from your doctor or nurse.

Who should come to CHEO?

Parent, caregiver and visitor presence policies

Please review the following information before arriving at CHEO.

Parents and caregivers are important members of the care team. They actively work with us to provide vital health information only they know and give emotional support in the way only a parent or caregiver can.

For infection prevention and safety reasons, we have limits on how many parents, caregivers and visitors can be onsite at one time. We also limit the number at the bedside.

We appreciate your patience and understanding in keeping everyone safe, particularly during the peak viral season.

Allowed number of parents, caregivers and visitors

Last updated: April 2025

Clinic and Surgical Day Unit appointments

TWO parents or caregivers are allowed to accompany children and youth while at CHEO for clinic and Surgical Day Unit appointments.

Emergency Department visits

ONE parent or caregiver is recommended to accompany children and youth while at CHEO's Emergency Department.

Staying at the hospital (admitted to CHEO's inpatient units)

A maximum of TWO parents or caregivers are permitted at the bedside at a time.

Visitors

A maximum of TWO people are permitted at the bedside at a time.

Exceptions to these rules

We recognize that some families (e.g., people with disabilities) require additional support to help the patients, parents or caregivers. If you are coming to Emergency, please discuss your need for an exception upon arrival at CHEO Emergency. If you are staying as an inpatient, please discuss this with your care team.

Who can't enter

Parents and caregivers who do not pass the entrance screening.

It is important to us that your child or youth receives the care they need. If you require an exception to any of our caregiver/visitor policies to ensure that your child/youth can access care, please contact a member of your care team or reach out to CHEO's Patient Experience team (experience@cheo.on.ca or 613-737-7600 ext. 3078).

Self-screen for illnesses including measles, cold and flu

To make sure we are always putting safety first and minimizing any chance of transmission of infections, please use our quick and confidential illness self-screening tool if you have symptoms or may have been exposed to viral illnesses like cold, COVID, flu or measles.

It will guide you on what to do next and help keep everyone at CHEO safe.

Illness self-screening form

Where to enter

All children, youth, parents/caregivers and visitors must enter through the Main Entrance unless you are seeking care from our Emergency Department. Other entrances are closed.

Frequently asked questions about coming to CHEO

What is the difference between a parent/caregiver and a visitor

Parent/caregiver: Someone who is over 12 years old and helps a child or youth with activities of daily living – e.g., parent, grandparent, older sibling, legal guardian, etc. A parent/caregiver can be designated by a patient. A parent/caregiver is never considered a visitor because they are a vital part of the care team.

Visitor: Someone who is part of a child's or youth’s family or support network (e.g., sibling, extended family member, friend, etc.) but not a designated parent or caregiver.

Will I be required to wear a face mask while at CHEO?

Visit our Masking at CHEO page for up-to-date information:

Face masks at CHEO

Preventing the spread of infections

We want to make sure our patients get well quickly. Please help us prevent the spread of infections:

Clean your hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand gel. You must wash with soap and water if you can see dirt or if there is mucous on your hands.
If you are sick (a fever, cough, runny nose, diarrhea, a new rash or are feeling ill) and your child or youth is having surgery, stay home and send another parent or legal guardian with your child or youth.
Remember to have a bath or shower the night before (or the morning of) your surgery.

Surgery delays or rescheduling

Unfortunately, surgeries and procedures are sometimes delayed or rescheduled because:

we need to do emergency surgery on a seriously ill or injured child or youth
another surgery takes longer than expected.
we do not have an inpatient bed available for children or youth needing to stay overnight after surgery (caused by high numbers of patients in the hospital)

We will do our best to keep you informed about any delays. We only reschedule surgeries if we have no other choice.

If your child’s or youth’s surgery gets delayed, we will book a new surgery date as quickly as possible. We appreciate your understanding!

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Disclaimer
This resource is for educational purposes only, and was originally written in English and translated to French. Translation to any other languages is automatically provided through Google Translate, and not official. There may be subtle differences or inaccuracies. If you have any questions about medical matters including your care and treatment, please reach out to your health-care team.