Urgent Care – Preparing Your Child

Going to the doctor is always a bit nerve wracking for your child, but a visit to urgent care can be even more so. Sometimes it is the haste with which the parents take the child to the facility, and sometimes it is the severity of whatever is wrong, whether it be a sudden or severe illness or an unexpected injury. While you may not have much time to prepare your child for the visit, there are some things you could do to make it a little easier. If you take some time before you go to prepare your child for what lies ahead, you can hopefully avoid some crying and temper tantrums while you are there.

Start by giving your child some warning about what is going to happen. As soon as you know that you need to go, let your child know that he or she will be taking a trip to the doctor’s office. Time your information properly, though. If you tell some children too early, they will have time to fret. For some kids, it may be best to tell them when you are on the way to the doctor.

Pack a “bag of tricks” before you head out to the urgent care. This can be a small bag of entertaining items that your child doesn’t normally play with. This will give you something to do during a potentially long wait. Because these facilities rarely take appointments, you can be looking at a long wait depending on how many other people are not feeling well that day. Be sure to throw in some interactive items, like a small coloring book or notebook and some crayons or a reading book or two.

If you have your choice of facilities, choose one that has an area for children. While you may not want to let a sick child play with toys, there may be kid-friendly movies playing, a coloring sheet or two, or a few books to look at that your child has not seen before. You can always sanitize their hands when you are called back to see the doctor.

If you have a situation that requires you to visit the urgent care on a regular basis, try to choose one that has a doctor you like and will continue to see when you go. The more comfortable your child is with the particular doctor, the better your overall visit will be.

Consider having a reward after your trip to the urgent care. If your child does a great job, you can let her have a small toy or candy treat, provided the doctor’s office does not give these out. You also want to be sure to praise the good behavior when it is exhibited, so your child will want to behave the same way the next time you must go to the doctor. End the visit with lots of hugs, kisses, and verbal praise, and you will be setting yourself up for a successful return visit in the future.