Children can sometimes be terrified of being examined by the doctor or dentist. Our tips and advice to reassure it before a medical examination.
(Update of 10/10/2018). Often, it only takes a bad experience to fear children fear medical visits. “When she was 2 years old, my daughter did some physiotherapy sessions to treat bronchiolitis. She lived it very badly and developed anxiety. For almost a year, she was screaming as soon as a doctor approached her! “, Tells Alexandra, mother of Margaux. Sometimes also, this is the context that can impress children: hospitals with white and cold decor, white blouses, these worried patients that they rub shoulders in the waiting room or these instruments that seem gigantic. Their fear of hurting, apprehension of bites, the smell and taste of certain drugs … are all reasons that push them to hide behind dad or mom during these medical meetings. Here are some ideas to play down the situation:
Explain to the child the course of his medical examination
Do not hesitate to discuss, upstream, with your child the course of his medical appointment, so as to answer all his questions. There are a multitude of books on themes adapted to the age of your toddler. The Sparadrap association, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, is launching a campaign on the “desirable” effects of information before care, medical examination or hospitalization. “”By explaining to a child and his family what will happen, we will lower the level of stress, we will make them less anxious, while the opposite is catastrophic and can compromise all care in the future “explains in a press release Dr Catherine Devoldère, president of Sparadrap. On its website, the association offers practical guides to explain pain, but also the operation of tonsils or vegetation, anesthesia, bite, visit to the dentist, etc. Each sheet details, step by step, how the doctor or the surgeon will proceed, why must be visited and the instruments he will use. This allows the child to better understand his appointment because he will know more exactly what awaits him.
The Santébd site also offers practical sheets for each type of consultation, to download from a smartphone or tablet, for example in the doctor’s waiting room. The drawings can be personalized, in particular depending on the examination and the expected medical procedure, or if the doctor is a man or a woman.
You can also opt for a book intended for toddlers like “Doctor Lolotte”, “T’choupi with the doctor”, “Splat goes to the doctor”, “who is afraid of the doctor” or “Aaaah! Not the dentist!”. These works humorously approach the fear of the doctor. Without forgetting the collection of Dr Catherine Dolto intended for 2-5 year olds to reassure the little ones and make them discover the world of “emergencies”, of “the hospital”, as well as “the operation” …
Choose a pediatric dentist
Jona Andersen, a pediatric dental surgeon, welcomes her little patients in a fun setting, where the child feels at home. The waiting room broadcasts cartoons and offers video games while waiting for dental treatment, the medical team (dressed in blouses with the effigy of characters and heroes) is trained in the care of children and knows how to identify their fears. “”If they are afraid, it is often a bad experience in another dentist, or an overprotection of parents “explains the specialist. She also advises, if there is no emergency, to make a first session to create a link and establish an exchange so that the child is confident the next time.
Use the right vocabulary!
“”We talk to children with a lot of metaphors“Adds Jona Andersen.”To agree to sit on the chair, we talk to him about flying carpets, names are given to the instruments that help hunt for microbes in the mouth. We also use tastes with strawberry or cake, so as to make this session pleasant at the dentist pleasant“. She also advises parents to use a suitable vocabulary and not to dramatize the situation.”Avoid saying “you are not going to be in pain”, “‘is not afraid”, or “you are not going to feel anything”, but rather use “the dentist will be nice to you”, because the child tends not to hear negation and to remember only the DouleuR, “she explains.
Choose the right accompanying
If you are rather anxious, you too, by the medical teams or that you do not bear to see your child moan for a tooth torn off, or cry before the nurse did not take the blood test, then avoid accompanying your little to his appointment. He needs to feel reassured, but also to see that you are not afraid for him. Otherwise, you might stress it even more. Why not ask the dad or a grandparent to accompany him? By seeking less the protection of the mother, he will undoubtedly be more courageous. Do not forget to congratulate him in order to enhance his efforts!
Play with him to the doctor!
Should your child have an operation? Use toys, such as the Playmobil pediatric hospital, to explain to the little ones, in a fun way, what the care consists of. Through small characters that they know well and stories that you imagine, children dare to ask their questions more easily and express their anxieties by play. They then identify with the little patient who comes to treat his boho and who meets the doctor in this hospital containing a room, an operating room and all the medical equipment. Other games help children familiarize themselves with this universe, such as Doctor Maboul (to learn the different parts of the human body), Doctor Peluche, the classic Doctor case, or the new Barbie van, which turns into a mobile clinic.
