How to Explain Tonsils & Adenoids to Your Child

Only a little imagination is needed to explain the role of the tonsils and adenoids to your child. If you need to explain, it's likely he is having trouble with them. He may be having recurrent tonsillitis, strep infections, or obstructive sleep apnea. He may be facing surgery. More than 400,000 tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy procedures are safely performed in the United States each year, according to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, usually on an outpatient basis.

Instructions

• 1

  Explain to your child her body has guards inside to protect her from germs. These guards are called the immune system, and the tonsils and adenoids at the back of her throat are part of that immune system. They are almost the first thing the germs run into when they try to sneak into her body to make her sick.

• 2

  Explain to your child that his tonsils and adenoids surround the germs and trap them before they can get into his body. Sometimes, sadly, the tonsils and adenoids get hurt in the process of protecting him. When this happens, his throat might feel sore for a while, but usually, it will be back to normal in a few days.

• 3

  Explain to your child that sometimes, the tonsils and adenoids have to let the really bad germs make them sick so that the rest of her body won't get sick. The tonsils and adenoids might get swollen and make it hard for her to swallow. They may make it hard for her to breathe at night, and she might snore. They might give her a fever and earaches. She may have to take medicine to help the tonsils and adenoids fight the germs or just wait for them to get better by themselves.

• 4

  Explain to your child that when the tonsils and adenoids get sick over and over again and make his throat sore all the time, or make him snore every night, it might be time for them to stop working so hard. Explain that he is old enough now for his body to stop the germs without help from the tonsils and adenoids. Tell him that he won't feel any different when they are gone, except that his throat will feel a whole lot better and he probably won't snore anymore.