Going to the doctor is just a part of life, and you're going to have to introduce your child to pediatrician visits. At first, kids might find visiting a new pediatrician frightening or unpleasant.
You can make your child's first doctor visits easier by avoiding the following five mistakes:
Not being communicative enough with your child about the upcoming experience
Your child may have many questions about seeing a pediatrician and what will happen during the visit.
It's important that you answer these questions carefully and put your child's mind at ease about the upcoming experience. Ignoring your child's questions or failing to answer them adequately could raise your child's stress at seeing a pediatrician and leave your child feeling ignored.
Neglecting to prepare your child in advance
You should tell your child about an upcoming pediatrician visit immediately after scheduling it. Don't surprise your child about an upcoming visit. Make sure that you let him or her know well in advance so that your child has time to take things in and have any questions answered.
It might even be a good idea for your child to see the doctor's office in advance and walk around to check things out before the actual day of the appointment. This way, your child will feel more comfortable with the place and won't be overwhelmed on the day of the appointment.
Overwhelming your child with details of the upcoming experience
Try not to make too big a deal of the fact that your child will have to go to see the doctor. It's important to be attentive to your child's questions, but don't go on about the upcoming event too much.
Setting an appointment at an inopportune time
Be sensitive to what's going on in your child's life when you're planning for an upcoming pediatrician visit.
If your child is likely to be very stressed out with other events like starting school or moving, don't schedule an appointment with a new pediatrician right away. Put things off until a less stressful time if possible.
Failing to offer a reward for getting through the experience
Once your child has gotten through a pediatrician visit, you should reward him or her by going out somewhere special or taking part in some activity your child really enjoys.
It's not easy to get used to going to see a new doctor. Make sure your child knows that you're proud of how well he or she handled things by offering a reward afterward.
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