“Is general anesthesia scary for children?”

Kids are marvelous. Do not lie to them. He must meet the anesthesiologist before the procedure. Maybe dad or mom could be present during the induction.

General anesthesia can be scary for anyone, especially children. That does not mean it has to be. there are a lot of ways that is can be made less scary. With a patient anesthesiologist who has experience with children, it can be made into a game. With adequate explanations, especially if the interventions are done in an age-appropriate manner, most children will do fine. Also, with the use of premedications that minimize anxiety, often children do not even remember much of the experience. Finally, with a good child life program that incorporates much of the above, and does pre-op teaching, perhaps a tour of the operating room, sometimes may allow parents to be present for the induction in a controlled manner so as to minimize anxiety for the parent or for the child, a lot of the "scariness" may be minimized or eradicated.

Not if you are working with a trained pediatric anesthesiologist