Doctors’ offices are busy, busy as camp check-ups are in full swing! The dreaded annual check-up is never a walk in the park for parents because NO child is happy about getting a shot or blood test. Though we know it is mandatory, our kids want to know why we are torturing them by making them go! Most children get nervous the moment that hear they are going. This makes parents anxious to take them. How can parents make going to the doctor a more positive experience?
I thought it would be helpful to ask my own kids if they get worried about going for their check-ups. My 6-year-old said, “I’m afraid of the blood test because it hurts me too much.” He did add that getting candy after makes him feel much much better! Amazing isn’t it! My 9-year-old said that she was also very nervous to get the blood test but when it was done she felt silly because it really didn’t hurt as bad as she thought it would. She agreed that a lollipop after usually makes her feel better too. My 11-year-old, wise beyond his years, says, “Now that I’m older, I know that it’s good for kids to go to the doctor because it is important to find out that you are healthy and to make sure nothing is wrong with you.” However, he admits he does remember being much younger and hating to get shots like his brother and sister!
Here are a few tips that can help parents whose children are anxious about going to the doctor.
- Don’t give your child too much time to think about the appointment. Telling them a week in advance will only give them more time to be nervous. Giving them a heads up the morning of the appointment is just enough time.
- Validate their feelings. Shots hurt, that’s a fact. Telling your child they are being a baby and not to cry isn’t going to make them feel better. Let them know that it is okay to cry for a few minutes, and that it will hurt for a second but then it will be over before you know it.
- Going for an appointment first thing in the morning is usually a good idea. It gives a child very little time to think about it. In the morning they are fed and well rested, not cranky and exhausted from a long day at school.
- Focus on other parts of the appointment that are fun or interesting for them. Maybe it is seeing how tall they have grown over the year, or teaching them about different parts of the body so they are distracted and interested in something they never learned about before.
- Be honest. Many kids will ask their parent if they are going to get a shot at their check up. Tell them the truth. Lying to them will make them mistrust you next time. Even though it may not be the answer that they wanted to hear, telling them in a calm way that they will have to get the shot is the better way to go. You don’t want them to be shocked when they get there.
If your child is very anxious about the shot or the blood test, have the pediatrician do it at the beginning of the check up to get it over with. It will make your child calmer for the rest of the appointment, and that way you can focus on other important aspects of the appointment and hear what the doctor is saying to you about your child’s development.
Children need to know that in life, sometimes they are going to experience things that aren’t always pleasant. Going to the doctor for many kids is one of them. However, choosing a patient and understanding doctor that takes extra time to empathize with an anxious child is very important. As parents we certainly have control over making sure that our children are in a supportive environment that will make them as comfortable as possible. This will definitely help make the child more at ease and make the experience more tolerable. If all else fails… it never hurts to have a few lollipops in your purse just in case you need them. My kids certainly did! Desperate times call for desperate measures!
ASK STEFANIE
Mental Health Consultant
Follow Stefanie on Twitter at @askstefanie.
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