Visiting the doctor’s office isn’t a child’s idea of fun. Truth is, many young kids remain frightened with the idea of talking to the professional who’s cal up in white. So why do kids have this innate fear of doctors? According to child development experts, a child’s experience with the physician over the years may play a significant role in generating his or her perception of the health professional.
A child who had flu shots before may associate the doctor with the pain of the needle insertion. A kid left in the examination room may think that the medical doctor is responsible for his or her parent’s absence. Also, going to the doctor’s office might bring out a child’s fear of the unknown and may even provoke a kid to think that some sort of bizarre disease will take him or her away from the family. This line of thinking arises particularly when a child witnesses the death of a family member inside hospital premises.
[[Does this scenario capture what your child is going through? Is your beloved angel terrified of going to the doctor’s office? Have you run out of methods to persuade your kid to pay a visit to the doctor, especially the ENT doctor? Have you exhausted all possibilities just so your kid can meet up that children ENT specialist who can assess your child’s worsening tonsillitis or odd snoring pattern? Here are some tricks that may change your child’s attitude towards the physician:]]
Let your kid know what is going to happen. Fear of doctors is associated with fear of the unknown. Talk to your child about the vitality of a check up and give assurance that you’ll be there by his or her side. Relate how a check up is crucial to a person’s health. If your child ackowledges the importance of a visit to the clinic, he or she can start appreciating the doctor’s role.
Go for role playing. Acting out the doctor patient scene will ease your child’s fears. You may want to get her a toy doctor’s kit to make her feel relaxed with the idea of medical examinations.
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