Preparing Your Toddler for a Doctor Visit

Going to the doctor is extremely scary for a little child. Most children do not know what to expect when they go to the doctor and it makes the visit even scarier. The unknown is scarier than the actual doctor visit. How can you prepare your toddler for a doctor visit? What can you tell the child to ease his or her fears about vaccines?

My daughter was always inquisitive whenever we were going to go to the doctor. If your child overhears you making a doctor visit for them, they will want to know all the details. If you do not tell them about the doctor visit and they realize where you are going while you are on the way, then you have all kinds of questions and the child is even more frightened than if you had told them ahead of time. The best advice is know your child well enough to guess at how he or she will react in each circumstance.

I have always found it best to be honest with my daughter. It eases her fears and she knows she can ask any question she wants to. When you talk to your children, talk to them on their level. Let them ask all the questions they have about the scary doctor. There will be questions about everything to do with a doctor's office and then some.

The first thing you want to do is to tell your child you have a doctor's appointment for them. Say it like you are telling them they are going to the grocery store or the playground, something that is fun for them. Do not make it sound like it is something that you dread. Let them know they are going somewhere that can be exciting.

Tell them everything they can expect. If they are going to the doctor because they are sick the visit will be a little different than if they are going to get a vaccination. If your toddler is going to the doctor because he or she is sick, let them know that the doctor may push on their belly. Show your child to the best of your ability, how the doctor listens to their lungs and heart. If your child has a stomach ache the doctor will probably listen to their tummy after pushing on it. This usually ended in a tickle for my daughter when I would show her how the doctor would listen to her stomach.

If your child is going for a vaccine, they are probably going to have their heart and lungs listened to. They might even have their blood pressure checked. Many children do not like the blood pressure machine because of the pressure on their arm. Prepare your toddler by squeezing their arm and telling them that this is how it feels and then it makes a noise and lets go.

This is usually when your child's height and weight are checked. Let them know that they measure height with a flat surface resting on your child's head. For some reason, this would put my daughter in panic mode and she would keep crouching down until she was sitting on the ground. I think the slide was heavy or she just really did not like the pressure on her head.

If the child is going for a vaccine, you need to let them know that the shot does hurt, but only for a little. You may want to compare the shot to being pinched. Tell them that the pain goes away. Tell them why they are getting vaccines. If you let your child know that he or she is at the doctor's office to stay healthy, that usually subsides fears. Let your toddler know they will get a prize when they leave the doctor's office. Most doctors give at the very least, a sucker.

Whenever a child is told what to expect he or she is more willing to face the encounter bravely. If a child has questions about their doctor visit, you should answer them honestly and to the best of your ability. Do not say something will not hurt if you know it will. Kids will lose their trust in you if you are not honest. Give your child the knowledge he or she needs to confront the doctor's visit without fear.