Does your child typically behave poorly while visiting the doctor? Do they often sob in the waiting room, disregard the toys provided, and cling to you walking towards an examination room?
They aren’t alone. Most children have anxieties and fears about visiting the doctor’s office. The waiting rooms can often feel tense and ominous and although the rooms are often decorated to be appealing to children, the cartoon animals rarely distract them from the instruments on the table.
Whether children are visiting for a routine checkup or are getting a procedure done, lots of kids feel stressed out while at the doctor’s, as many adults do too. However, it is important that your child does not grow up to be afraid of the doctor. Parents must consider how they might be able to change their child’s attitude about doctor, and the University of Nebraska Center College of Nursing has a few ideas.
The college recently partnered with the local zoo to hold a teddy bear check-up day: kids brought their stuffed animals down to the zoo where they were able to help medical professionals give the teddy a check-up. The medical professionals checked the ears, eyes, reflexes, and stomachs of the bears, and the kids were able to watch the exam happen.
Children at the event were encouraged to interact with the medical professionals and communicate any health issues their teddies may have been having lately such as upset stomachs and ear aches.
The event was designed to make children more comfortable with the prospect of a physical examination by a non-parent: in a comfortable environment, at the zoo, they take on the role of caretaker so that they can become familiar with the process of having a check-up.
Hoping to create a teddy bear that the child in your life will love? Head over to the Zoo Factory.
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