Kids headed to surgery at Atlanta hospital show off their 'comfort items'

— -- Surgery is scary for anyone, but especially for kids.

From Paw Patrol stuffed animals to favorite blankets, the kids headed into surgery at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta showed off the comfort items they had brought with them for the camera. These are the items that help kids feel calm before undergoing surgery and are there when they wake up from anesthesia to provide a sense of normalcy.

"For patients who forget their comfort item, we provide them with one—a teddy bear, blanket or even a light-up wand," Jessica Palumbo Dufur, a child life specialist, wrote on the hospital's blog, where the photos were first featured. "Comfort items are a great coping mechanism for patients on the day of surgery, and provide us an opportunity to give the child a choice in a situation when so much is chosen for them."