A pediatric anesthesiologist specializes in taking care of children during surgery and other procedures. Many different types of procedures require your child to stay still or may cause them discomfort if no anesthesia is used. An anesthesiologist can combine the right types of medicine to make sure your child is comfortable during the procedure. They may or may not need to be all the way "asleep" for some procedures done outside the operating room. Your child will need to be asleep for most surgery done in the operating room. A pediatric anesthesiologist can evaluate your child and make the best decision for their care.
For more information: http://www.aap.org/sections/sap/he3003.pdf.