Visiting the doctor or dentist

Your baby, toddler or preschooler will spend a lot of time at your pediatrician’s office although it won’t always be due to illness. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a child who’s a healthy as a horse, you’ll need to keep up with her immunization schedule to help her stay that way.

Unfortunately, the fact that many of those early doctor visits are for vaccinations means it’s common for young children to develop ‘white coat anxiety’ when it comes to seeing either the pediatrician or the dentist for those first tooth checkups. And the fact she’s more mobile as well as larger and stronger means it can be hard to keep her still and soothe her panic if she does have a tantrum. It isn’t too hard to see where she’s coming from – after all you probably don’t enjoy being poked and prodded by your own doctor! But there are simple solutions to make it easier…

Practice ahead of the visit

With a baby it can really help to get yourself accustomed to stripping her off as quickly and with as little fuss as possible. Make it easier for yourself in practical terms when it’s time for the checkup by dressing her in loose clothes that are easier to remove and put back on than fancy fitted outfits.

Act it out

With a toddler or preschooler try a little role play. Have her be the doctor and one of her soft toys be the patient (those little doctor play kits are really handy for this!) and have her look in its eyes, its ears and its mouth using a flashlight. She a might want to gently press her toy’s tummy, listen to its ‘heart’ and then weigh it on your weighing scale. If you trust her not to poke you in a delicate spot, have her check you out too!

Explain what’s going to happen

With a preschooler, use simple terms to explain what’s likely to happen during the checkup. Tell her the doctor might ask her to undress down to her underwear to weigh her, that she might use a special flashlight to look in her ears, wrap a special belt around her arm to make sure her heart is working properly and feel her tummy to make sure her inside bits are right where they’re supposed to be! Books depicting a child’s visit to the doctor can really help with this – your local children’s librarian can likely recommend one.

This applies to dental checkups too. Tell your child all about how the dentist has a special big chair that tips backwards and how it might make a grinding noise when that happens. Explain how the dentist will shine a light in her mouth to count her teeth and make sure they’re clean. Most drugstores sell dental mirrors, so buy one and have a practice run at using it to check your child’s top teeth and make sure she knows the dentist also will use one.

Time visits right

Monday mornings and Friday afternoons tend to be busy times at the pediatrician’s office, so book appointments outside of these hours. The office receptionist should be able to tell you when the doctor’s quiet times are. If you can, try to get a morning time slot as you won’t then be up against delays that might accumulate during the day and then make afternoon appointments run late.

Keep her healthy when she’s there!

Your pediatrician likely will have a range of toys there for children to play with while they wait to be seen but if you can, avoid them. The simple fact is that sick children will have been handling them and if your child is only there for a shot you’ll want to keep other kids’ germs at bay. Have a special bag of toys that your child only gets to play with at the doctor or dentist’s office so she isn’t tempted by what’s already there.

Stay calm yourself

Try not to increase your child’s fears about the visit by telegraphing any fears you may have about going to the doctor or any worries you have about the possibility of tantrums occurring while your there. If you seem stressed and anxious your child is likely to sense it and might be even more on edge herself because of it.

Make the doctor a superhero!

Ahead of the visit, be sure to keep telling your child just what’s great about the doctor. Your child will have much more confidence if they see the doctor or dentist as someone who can help them feel better and keep healthy. You can make them seem less scary by talking about their own kids too – tell your child about how even the doctor’s children have to get weighed and have shots!

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

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Last Modified: 29/03/2009

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