Parent's Page
Prepare a Child for a
Visit | Make Visits Go Smoothly
Health & Safety Tips
How
To Prepare a Child to Visit the Doctor
 When
children anticipate "going to the doctor," many
become worried and apprehensive about the visit. Whether they're
going to see their primary care doctor or a specialist — and
whether for a routine exam, illness, or special problem — kids
are likely to have fears, and some may even feel guilty.
Most Common Fears and Concerns About Medical
Exams:
Things that often top children's lists of concerns about going
to the doctor include:
• Separation. Children often fear that their parents may leave
them in the examining room and wait in another room.
• Pain. Children may worry that a part of the examination or
a medical procedure will hurt.
• The doctor. Unfortunately, one of a child's concerns may be
the doctor's manner. A child may misinterpret qualities
such as speed or efficiency and read into them as sternness or
dislike.
• The unknown. Apprehensive about the unknown, children also
worry that their problem may be much worse than their parents
are telling them. Some who have simple problems suspect
they may need surgery or hospitalization; some who are ill worry
that they may die.
What Can I Do to Help?
As a parent, you can help by encouraging your child to express
his or her fears and by addressing them in words that
your child understands and isn't likely to misinterpret.
Below are
some practical ways to do this.
• Explain the purpose of the
visit.
 If the upcoming appointment is for a regular
health checkup, explain that: "It's
a 'well-child visit.' The doctor
will check on how you're growing
and developing. The doctor will
also ask questions and examine you
to make sure that your body is healthy.
And you'll get a chance to ask any
questions you
want to about your body and your
health.” Also,
stress that all healthy children
go to the doctor for such visits.
If the visit is to diagnose and treat
an illness or other condition, explain — in very nonthreatening language — that
the doctor "needs to examine
you to find out how to fix this and
help you get
better."
• Address any guilty feelings your child
may have.
If your child is going to the doctor because
of an illness or other condition,
he or she may have unspoken
feelings
of guilt about it. Discuss the
illness or condition in neutral language and reassure
your child
that
it isn't
his or her
fault: "This
isn't caused by anything you
did or forgot to do. Illnesses
like this happen to many
children. Aren't
we lucky to
have doctors who can find the
causes and who know how to help
us get well?"
If you, your spouse, other relatives,
or friends had (or have) the same
condition, share this
information.
Knowing that you
and many others have been through
the same thing may help relieve
your child's guilt and fear.
Of course, if your child has
suffered an injury after disregarding
safety
rules, it's
a good
idea to point
out (as matter-of-factly
as possible) the cause-and-effect
relationship between the action
and the injury. However,
you should still
try to relieve
guilt. You could say, "You
probably didn't understand the
danger involved in
doing that, but
I'm sure you
understand now, and I know you
won't do it that way again."
In any of these cases, though,
be sure to explain, especially
to young children, that going to
the
doctor for an examination
is not a punishment. Be sure your
child understands that adults go
to doctors just like children
do and that the
doctor's job
is to help people stay healthy
and fix any problems.
Tell your child what to expect
during a routine exam.
You can use a doll or teddy bear
to show your young child what may
be done in an exam, go to
this page to see what
procedures
may be done.
Involve
your child in the process.
• Gather information for the doctor.
If the situation isn't
an emergency, allow your child
to contribute to a list of symptoms that you create for the doctor. Include
all symptoms you've
observed, no matter how unrelated
they may seem
to
the problem at hand.
• Write down questions.
Ask your child to think of questions
that he or she would like to
ask the doctor. Write them down and give them to the doctor. If the problem
has occurred
before, list the things that have worked and the
things that haven't worked in previous treatment. Your child will be
reassured by your active role in his or her medical care
and will learn from your example. At the same time, you'll be prepared to
give the doctor information
vital to making an informed diagnosis. Doctors report that this information is
very
helpful in
determining
diagnoses.
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Tips to Help Visits to the
Pediatrician's Office Go
Smoothly Include:
• Call a few days in advance if you need a refill on a medication,
a referral to a specialist,
immunization records, a school/camp form filled out or some other non-urgent
request.
Don't wait until the last minute when you need something done by the
office.
• Show up to your appointment on time. If it is your first visit,
you might even want to show
up 15-20 minutes early, as you will likely need to fill our forms with your contact/insurance
information. People showing
up
late for their
appointment is usually the main reason that offices get off schedule
and other patients have to wait.
• If you can, call early when your child is sick and you need
an appointment. In most offices,
if you call first thing in the morning, you will likely be seen later that
morning or
in the early afternoon. If
you wait until later in the day, you might not be seen until the end of the day
or
the next
morning.
• Consider scheduling your well child checkups in the morning
and in the middle of the week
when there will be less sick children. This may give you more time with the
doctor and
you will be less likely to have to wait for your
appointment.
• Prepare a list of questions or issues that you would like to
discuss with your Pediatrician
during the visit. It is hard to remember everything you want to talk about,
but getting
all of your questions answered
can prevent your having to call back or schedule another appointment.
• Ask questions if you don't understand or don't completely agree
with what your doctor has said.
A little bit of discussion about your concerns can help prevent misunderstandings
and reassure you about what your Pediatrician thinks
is going
on.
• If possible find someone to watch your other kids when you
take your child to the doctor.
This isn't always possible, but you will likely have a better visit if their
aren't
2 or 3 extra kids running around the room.
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Health & Safety Tips
Backpack Safety
-
Choose a backpack that has two straps and
be sure your child is wearing it with both straps over
the shoulders.
- Avoid messenger bags
- Keep the straps tight so as to keep the backpack higher
on the back.
- The weight of your child's backpack should not be greater
that 15% of your child's body weight.
- When picking up a heavy backpack your child's knees should
be bent.
- When loading the backpack, heavier books should be placed
toward the back.
Dental Tips
- Start brushing your child's teeth at the first sign of
the first tooth.
- Begin using fluoride toothpaste at 2 years of age.
- Always be sure an adult is brushing the child's teeth in
the evening up through about 6 years of age. Adult supervision
should occur even after 6 years old.
- Start taking your child to the dentist at 2-4 years
of age (unless discoloration, obvious malformation or injury
occurs – then sooner.)
- No night time bottles in the crib from the first sign
of a tooth. In general, total weaning from the bottle should
be complete by 12 months old.
Holiday Safety
- Watch toddlers safely to avoid them pulling Christmas trees
over.
- Don't place lit candles where children can reach them.
- Tuck cords where children cannot reach them.
- Be careful not to buy decorations that look like edible
food
- Don not place glass or breakable ornaments where children
can reach them.
- Use caution with spray snow as it is poisonous if ingested.
- Keep a fireplace screen over an active fire in the fireplace.
- Keep extra blankest in the car in case of being stranded.
- Use caution with space heaters.
- Keep small, hard candy away from smaller children.
- Keep stove handles turned toward the back of the stove.
Internet Safety
- Set limits on the amount of time your child can spend on-line
each day or week.
- Do not let internet time replace socialization, homework,
or outside time.
- Make sure your child knows that people on-line are not
always who they say they are and that on-line information
is not necessarily private.
- Teach your child the following:
NEVER give out personal information without permission
NEVER use a credit card on-line without permission.
NEVER share passwords, even with friends
NEVER arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they meet
on-line.
NEVER use bad language or mean messages on-line
ALWAYS immediately report any suspicious messages received.
- Intermittently read and check your child's messages
Smoking in the home
Smoking in the home and/or car is always a health risk both
short and long term. Your child can be at risk for more frequent
infections, asthma, car infections, and other
respiratory complications. In addition, your child is more
likely to smoke if exposed frequently to other smokers.
However, if adult people in the home smoke, it is best to
follow these recommendations:
- Smoke at least 20 feet from the home and not in a garage.
- NEVER smoke in the car, even if the windows are open.
- Change your shirt or jacket after smoking.
- Always wash your hands and face after smoking.
Did you know?
Did you know that the safest car restraint policy is to keep
your child restrained in a booster until they reach at least
60 pounds?
Did you know it is illegal for your child to ride a bicycle
without a properly fitting bicycle helmet.
Did you know that children should consume at least 9 servings
a day of fruits and vegetables? |
