How to Prepare Your Child for a Pediatric Appointment
For some children, going to the doctor can cause anxiety and stress. At Primary Pediatrics, our priority is delivering exceptional service to your child and making sure he feels comfortable. (We even have a child life specialist on staff to help your child during his appointment!) And, mom and dad, you can help us! When your child’s appointment is approaching, follow these tips to ease his anxiety:
Be Mindful of Timing
Timing is a crucial component of your child’s doctor’s appointment. If he’s a slow riser, a morning appointment might not be the best choice. Or, if you schedule the appointment too close to naptime, a meltdown may occur simply because he’s tired!
Also, we suggest telling your child that he will be going to the doctor’s office within 24 hours of his appointment. If you tell him several days before his appointment, he may have unnecessary anxiety for days about it.
Bring an Item from Home
A comfort item can help the child feel safe and ease his anxiety. If your child has a favorite toy or stuffed animal, bring it to the appointment! He can even “introduce” his comfort item to his pediatrician which allows for an easy segue into his appointment.
Use Child-Friendly Language
Your child may not understand what vaccination or bloodwork means. It’s important to tell him what to expect at the doctor’s office using child-friendly language so he understands! Additionally, you can play “pretend” before the appointment to get your child ready. He can be the doctor and he can pretend to give his teddy bear medical care.
Our Child Life Specialist Can Help!
If you have a child with special needs or any developmental disability and coming to the doctor puts stress on you and your child, please ask for our child life specialist. Our child life specialist is here to provide the extra support and coping techniques to our patients and families so they can have the best clinical experience possible.