Whether they have a well-child visit or they\u2019re sick, kids can be scared about coming in to the doctor\u2019s office. They may be afraid of the blood pressure cuff squeezing their arm, or think the otoscope (ear flashlight) might be hot. They might not understand what their parents and the doctor are talking about. There\u2019s also that little issue of shots!<\/p>\n
So what\u2019s the best way to help them through the process? Some preparation can make doctor visits go smoothly \u2013 you can talk them through it ahead of time!<\/p>\n
You can explain that the visit begins with sitting in the waiting room until the medical assistant comes and calls your name. Then explain that the nurse will likely:<\/p>\n
Sometimes our medical assistants need to do a few more things, including:<\/p>\n
Then you\u2019ll sit in the exam room and wait (hopefully not too long!) for your doctor. When the doctor comes in, they\u2019ll talk with both of you, listen, and ask questions. Your child can have a chance to ask questions too!<\/p>\n
Then they\u2019ll examine your child by looking in eyes, mouth, nose, and by feeling their neck, abdomen and other places. They listen to hearts and lungs with a stethoscope \u2013 and maybe your child will get a turn too!<\/p>\n
The ear exam usually scares young kids the most. I\u2019m convinced that it\u2019s because they think the light is hot! Getting to touch the light and hold it can help them learn it doesn\u2019t hurt and helps them feel brave.<\/p>\n
Sometimes doctors do need to examine private parts. This happens during many checkups and visits for concerns that involve their genitalia or any discomfort there. Talking about this possibility ahead of time will make it go much smoother! Please remind them that only certain people are allowed to do this, for example doctors if a parent is present.<\/p>\n
And what about those shots?<\/strong>\u00a0Please never promise there won\u2019t be shots! The vaccine schedules are complex, and your child may actually need one! Or there may be a lab test your child\u2019s doctor recommends. You can explain that sometimes shots and tests are needed. Shots keep us healthy and they hurt, but only a little. After the shot goes in most kids will agree it was pretty easy! You might also remind your child that the last time they got a shot they were fine right afterwards!<\/p>\n Here are a few more tips to help with shots:<\/p>\n Whether they have a well-child visit or they\u2019re sick, kids can be scared about coming in to the doctor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3031,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[106],"tags":[552,548,122,549,230,229,233],"class_list":["post-3029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-issues","tag-checkups","tag-doctor-visits","tag-keep-kids-healthy","tag-pediatrician-visit","tag-shots","tag-vaccines","tag-well-child-visits","ages-grade-school","ages-preschool","ages-toddler"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1758934351:6"],"_edit_last":["8"],"slide_template":[""],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_custom_body_class":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["60"],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["106"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":["290"],"_thumbnail_id":["3031"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":["well"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["well"],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["61"],"qode_seo_title":["You Can Help Your Child Be Brave for Well-Child Visits"],"qode_seo_keywords":["doctor visits, checkup, pediatrian, blood pressure, ear and eye exam, weight and height check, shots, immunizations"],"qode_seo_description":["You can help your child be brave for doctor visits by preparing them ahead of time. Talk to them about what will happen. Let them know they'll have their eyes and ears checked. You can help your child with shots by bringing a book or favorite stuffed animal or doll to distract them. "],"wpfp_favorites":["18"],"_yoast_indexnow_last_ping":["1759324146"],"cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":[""],"ase_chapter_enable_timeline":["off"],"_wpb_vc_js_status":["false"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["5"],"_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":["If you know your child is likely to be scared at the pediatrician\u2019s office, Here's how to help them feel brave."],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.76;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.38;}"],"ase_mapbox_style":["openstreet"],"_cmplz_scanned_post":["1"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3029"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5102,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3029\/revisions\/5102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Resources for parents<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Kids Health from Nemours:
\nWhy Do Kids Need to See a Doctor?<\/a> This is written for kids and explains everything about basic doctor visits step by step.<\/h4>\nMedline Plus
\nPreschooler test or procedure preparation<\/a>. If your child needs surgery or another procedure, this article is a good way to help prepare them.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"