Practice Doctor's Visits
Going to the doctor is a scary experience for many children, but you can make it less frightening by playing doctor at home! Familiarize your child with the steps and tools used in a pediatric appointment. You can either pretend to be the doctor, or you can let your child try and let them practice on you or one of their toys.
Go through all the steps you can at home. Use a toy stethoscope to pretend to listen for your child’s or a stuffed toy’s heartbeat. Use a tongue depressor and get them used to saying “ahh” for the doctor. Don’t give different names to the instruments so your child will be accustomed to hearing what they’re called when they visit the doctor.
You can also read books to them about children going to the doctor to make the idea less frightening. You can even bring them to one of the teddy bear clinics hosted by HealthCARE Express and let them see a real doctor take care of their stuffed toys!
