Home | Health and Wellness | Health Tips | Babies and Children Health Tips

Prepare your child for doctor visits

22 February, 2012 05:20:00 All4women

Photo ©: © nyul - Fotolia.com

You can help by encouraging your children to express their fears and by addressing them in words that they understand and aren't likely to misinterpret. Here are some practical ways to do this:

Explain the purpose of the visit. Also stress that all healthy children go to the doctor for such visits.
Address any guilty feelings. A child who is going to the doctor because of an illness or other condition might have unspoken feelings of guilt about it. Be sure your child understands that adults also go to the doctor and that the doctor's job is to help people stay healthy and fix any problems.
Tell children what to expect during a routine exam, e.g use a doll or teddybear to show a young child how the nurse will measure her height and weight. Emphasise though, that doctors, nurses and parents are the only people who may sometimes examine different parts of their bodies.
Involve your child in the process - such as gathering information or writing down questions to ask the doctor.
Choose a doctor who relates well to children. You will want a doctor who understands a child's needs and fears and who communicates easily with them, in a friendly manner and without talking down to them.

Source: Mom&me magazine, June 2011

Did you enjoy this Health Tip? Read more health tips here. Come back regularly or (better still) subscribe and have new tips delivered to you by email. Click here to suggest / request a health tip.