Surgery eating and drinking guidelines
For your child’s safety, it is very important that they have an empty stomach when anesthesia is given. If these guidelines are not followed, your child’s surgery will be cancelled.
Your will receive a call from a nurse 5-7 days prior to surgery to review health history and review arrival time and pre-surgery eating/drinking instructions.
Clear liquids include:
- Water
- Popsicles®
- Apple juice
- Kool-Aid®
- Jell-O®
- Soft drinks
Clear liquids DO NOT include:
- Hard candy
- Gum
- Milk
- Juice with pulp in it (such as orange juice)
If your child takes medicines regularly you may give them as scheduled with a sip of clear liquids. DO NOT give medications with pudding, applesauce, yogurt or other solid foods.
Before surgery
If your child’s surgery is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., for example:
- Your child may eat or drink any type of food or beverage until midnight the night before surgery (eight hours before surgery is scheduled to begin.)
- Your child may drink formula or cow’s milk until 2 a.m. the morning of surgery.
- Your child may breast feed up until 4 a.m. the morning of surgery.
- Your child may have clear liquids up until 5 a.m. the morning of surgery (see above note for the definition of “clear liquids.”)
- Your child may not have anything to eat or drink after 5 a.m. (three hours before surgery.)
- Remember, if these guidelines are not followed, your child’s surgery will be cancelled.
What happens if I need to reschedule surgery?
- If surgery needs to be rescheduled, parents will be asked to call the surgery schedulers to do so.
- Once a new surgery date is selected, patients will get another phone call 5-7 days before surgery.
