(Today’s guest post is from Sarah Scrafford in which she gives some very good tips for taking kids in to see a doctor!)

There are some things that moms dread, and taking their children to the doctor must rank highly on this list. It’s not surprising that kids are scared of needles and see the doctor as a big bad wolf when most adults themselves are terrified of medical check ups and hospital visits. Here are a few tips to help parents cope with the ordeal that a trip to the doctor’s usually ends up becoming.

• Talk to your kids (if they are old enough to understand) about what a trip to the doctor’s office will entail. Be as honest as you can with them without scaring them away. If you tell them that there’s going to be no pain at all and then let them have a shot, they’re going to find it hard to trust you. Sugarcoat the message by telling your child that they need to get better, which is why they are going to see the doctor.

• Get there ahead of time to give them time to get used to the atmosphere of a clinic. You don’t want to arrive a few minutes late all flustered and out of control dragging a child who’s reluctant to be there in the first place.

• Keep them occupied in the waiting room with their favorite toys or books. Don’t let them spend anxious moments sitting without doing anything. Kids are easily bored, so make sure you’re prepared to spend a long time waiting to see the doctor.

• Don’t take along snacks and drinks other than water.

• Discourage your children from touching things at the clinic since doctors’ waiting rooms are filled with germs from sick kids.

• Don’t make your doctor out to be a boogie man with monstrous proportions each time you need to get your child to eat his vegetables or do something you tell them. This will only make the clinic visit more of an ordeal than it usually is.

• Most moms dream of good pediatricians who have a good bedside manner with kids. They talk to them all through the examination and alleviate their fears. If your doctor is taciturn and reserved, get him to talk to your child by explaining that it will help smoothen the process.

• Make sure your appointment is a sure thing; you don’t want to go through the ordeal of dragging your kid to the clinic only to be told that you’re not scheduled to be there that day.

• Be prepared with a treat when your child is scheduled for shots or vaccinations that are a little painful.

By-line:

This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the subject of nursing degrees. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.