Purpose: To investigate whether children undergoing a tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy (AT) with Coblation^? will experience less postoperative pain and return to a normal diet and a regular activity level sooner compared to the same procedure using electrocautery dissection. This may manifest less school and work missed by the child and caregiver, respectively. Materials and Methods: Seventy-four children between the ages 2-13 years with either obstructive sleep apnea or chronic tonsillitis were recruited at a single tertiary-care center from January 2011 to November 2012 and underwent an AT via electrocautery or Coblation^?. Caregivers were given a ten-point Wong-Baker FACES pain scale and questions inquiring the degree of oral intake, activity level, and impact on both the child and caregiver in regards to missing work or school on postoperative days (POD) 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 14. Results: Children in the Coblation^? arm required less pain medications (p < 0.0022) and improved drinking subjectively (p < 0.0049) on POD 0. Subsequent results were not significantly different for any other day. Age- and gendered-controlled multivariate analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in pain medications administered (p < 0.0001) but not pain scores (p < 0.2115) between the two techniques, although this difference in medications is likely related to the results observed on POD 0. There was no incidence of postoperative hemorrhage in either group. Conclusions: While there was less pain medication administered and slightly improved oral intake of liquids on POD 0 for children in the Coblation^? arm, there was no difference in subsequent postoperative outcome or hemorrhage rates.