A young child's visit to a pediatrician can be an adventure. Prior to your child's pediatrician appointment, talk about all aspects of the coming appointment and explain to your child that the pediatrician will look at their body to make sure that they are healthy. Here are some things that you can do to prepare your young child for a pediatrician appointment:
Inform Your Child
Tell your child about the coming pediatrician appointment and go into as much detail as possible. Tell them about the waiting room, describe how the pediatrician will be dressed, and explain what the pediatrician's stethoscope is for and how it will be used. Tell your child that the pediatrician will examine their whole body to make sure that they are growing correctly.
Make a Preparatory Visit
Visit the pediatrician's office on a day when your child is not scheduled for an appointment. This can be a day when a sibling or cousin has a pediatrician's appointment. Introduce your child to the pediatrician, the nurse, the receptionist, and any other personnel in the office. Ask the nurse to show your child one of the examination rooms and explain where your child will sit during their appointment.
Practice at Home
At home, show your child a thermometer and explain how the pediatrician will take their temperature. Make a play stethoscope with a round piece of cardboard hanging from a chain and show your child how the pediatrician will listen to their heartbeat and listen to the air in their lungs. Look in your child's eyes and ears with a flashlight and explain that the pediatrician will do the same with a special flashlight. Look in your child's mouth with the flashlight and explain that the pediatrician is looking to see how they swallow their food. Place your hand on your child's abdomen and press your fingers into several areas explaining that the pediatrician will be feeling their tummy and other organs inside their body. Ask your child to walk ten steps away and turn around and walk ten steps back. Explain that the pediatrician will be watching how they use their legs and feet.
Read a Children's Book
Get a children's book about a child going to the pediatrician and read it a few times to your child. Look at each illustration with your child and talk about the pediatrician's tools and examination table so your child can become familiar with their pediatrician's office.
You can thoroughly prepare your child for their pediatrician appointment by talking to them and demonstrating what the pediatrician will do during their appointment. Answer all of your child's questions and always speak calmly and clearly about the appointment. All of these explanations and demonstrations will calm your young child and prepare them for this visit and all future pediatrician visits. For more information, contact a business such as Advocare Lerch & Amato Pediatrics.
