Help Your Child Cope With Doctor’s Visits

Despite the friendly atmosphere, doctors’ visits can be unsettling for children. Children may not understand why they are being examined and they typically have little say in the matter. To top this off, the visit often ends with blood tests or shots.

How You Can Help

Children are sensitive to their parent’s emotional state, so a calm and reassuring tone on your part helps tremendously. Let your child know she is seeing the doctor before you leave for the appointment. This will give her a chance to ask questions about what to expect. If your child appears anxious, discuss a previous visit, emphasizing what she liked about the doctor or the office.

The most important thing to do at a doctor’s visit is to tell your child the truth. Above all, avoid the temptation to say something won’t hurt. The reason for this is because “the truth” varies from person to person. For example, even though throat cultures don’t bother most adults, they can be distressing to children. It’s better to say a procedure may hurt, but add that it will be over quickly and you’ll be there to help.

Plan Your Trip

Getting through a doctor’s appointment can be trying, so it’s helpful if you plan your day carefully.

• If possible, do not schedule a visit during your child's naptime.
• Bring a bottle or snack to the office in case your child gets hungry.
• Take a favorite book or toy for your child to play with.
• Bring as few children to the office as possible.
• Don’t plan another activity right after the appointment in case it lasts longer than expected.

Help Your Child Interact With the Doctor

Although pediatricians love children, the opposite is not always true. That said, there are a number of things you can do to make the visit go more smoothly.

• If you are new to an area, make a brief “get acquainted” visit with the doctor. This lets your child can meet the doctor in an informal way that does not involve an examination.
• If your child is nervous before the appointment, read a book about doctor’s visits.
• Bring a lovey to the appointment—they are not only comforting, but they foster communication between doctor and child.
• Bring a toy doctor's kit so your child can “examine” the doctor.
  

What To Say About Shots

Parents often ask if they should tell children about shots before the visit. If your child has a specific appointment for a shot, you should tell him before you leave home. Although this may make your child anxious, it gives him a chance to prepare for the procedure. If your child is having a routine checkup, the best approach is to say you don’t know if he’s getting a shot. The reason for this is because it’s hard to know for sure if a shot will be part of the visit—immunization schedules change and doctors sometimes run out of vaccines that are given at certain ages.

Techniques To Use Before and During the Shot

As mentioned previously, a calm and direct approach works best. It also helps to give children some choices. Your child can pick which arm gets the shot, which bandage to use, and whether you should rub the arm fast or slow when the injection is over.

Here are some additional tips that you can use to help reduce shot stress:

• Young infants: maintain eye contact, smile and talk to the baby, sing songs
• Older infants and toddlers: distract the child with toys, songs, a story, car keys, blowing bubbles, or looking at interesting objects in the room
• Preschoolers and school-aged children: same as toddlers plus look at family pictures, use electronic devices like a cell phone or Game Boy, talk to the child, watch a video on a portable DVD player

Techniques To Use After the Shot

Some children will cry despite your attempts to ease their pain—I always tell children that it’s okay to cry, but we need them to try and hold still. Once the shot is over you can tell your child that he did a good job getting through the procedure. Other things that help include hugs and kisses, rubbing the child’s arm, and stickers. Finally, it may help if your child knows he can do something special after the visit—a trip to the park, extra TV or computer time or even going out for a treat.