When Your Child is Worried About Going to the Doctor

Going to the doctor’s office can be anxiety provoking for children. This is often because they either don’t know what to expect, or remember getting a shot the last time they were there and don’t want to get another one. However, parents can help their kids be more relaxed about going to the doctor’s office. Here’s how.

Acknowledge Their Feelings

Allow your children to express their concerns. Just the act of saying them out loud can help reduce their anxiety. When they are done sharing what worries them, tell your children that you understand how they feel. Let them know that even though they’re scared, it’s important to go to the doctor’s office to help them stay healthy.

Tell Them What to Expect

Parents can help reduce their kids’ anxiety by helping them understand what will happen during the doctor’s appointment. One way to do this is by reading books to your child about going to the doctor’s office. There are a lot of great books on this subject, including Going to the Doctor by Anne Civardi, Corduroy Goes to the Doctor by Don Freeman, The Berenstain Bears Go to the Doctor by Stan and Jan Berenstain, and What to Expect When You Go to the Doctor by Heidi Murkoff. While reading these books, it’s helpful to insert the name of your child’s pediatrician as the name of the doctor in the book. Also, add or omit details to make the book more relevant for your child’s experience.

Another way to help children understand what will happen at the doctor’s office is to have them play with a toy doctor’s kit. You and your child can take turns pretending to be the doctor and use the stethoscope and other medical items to give each other a check-up. Then your child can pretend they are the doctor giving a check-up to one of their stuffed animals.

Be Honest About the Shots

Shots are often the most dreaded part of a doctor’s appointment. Therefore, it’s important that they understand that the doctor gives them a shot to help keep them healthy. When discussing how it feels to get a shot, don’t tell children that the shot won’t hurt; instead, tell them it feels like a pinch and will be over quickly. Be honest with your child if any procedure will be uncomfortable because if you tell your child something will not be painful and it is, your child will be less likely to trust you in the future.

Provide Comfort and Praise

Provide comfort and praise to children while they’re at the doctor’s appointment. In addition to soothing words and physical affection, it helps to bring along a favorite stuffed animal or blanket to give them a sense of comfort and security. Your support and understanding will help your kids gain confidence and influence their ability to cope in the future.

Give Them Something to Look Forward To

Parents can help reduce anxiety in children about going to the doctor’s office by giving them something else to think about. Therefore, it helps to give your child something to look forward to after the appointment. This could be going out for ice cream, having a friend over, or going home and playing a game together.

These suggestions can help reduce your child’s anxiety about going to the doctor’s office and therefore help the visit go more smoothly.

I’m a certified school counselor who works with students on various issues including anger management, social skills, anxiety, divorce, self-esteem, study skills, impulsivity and bullying. If you have any parenting or school issues that you would like me to address, please leave me a comment. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have in my weekly Ask the School Counselor segment.