Comments on: This May Hurt (Why Some Kids Like Doctors, Dentists and Haircuts)

By: Sofia Monteiro

Sofia Monteiro — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 17:51:05 +0000

My 19m son had his finger stitched yesterday. I told him that the procedure would hurt but it would be over quickly (around half an hour before), however the whole thing went terribly. He was upset from the moment we entered the OR and cried for a long time after he got the anesthetic and even after the procedure was over. I might have overdone the preparation, also it didn’t help that I didn’t anticipate two nurses would hold his arm forcefully, so it wasn’t mentioned in the preparation. I was relatively calm and tried to validate his discomfort and wish to leave, though I felt that the staff in the room did not really approve my approach. He was really upset with the bandage as well and tried to remove it. He later fell asleep from all the distress and ever since he woke up he seemed to accept his bandage and has been in a good mood. I’m half afraid that he might become fearful of hospitals, half hopeful that he was able to let his feelings out and overcome the stressful event… I’m not entirely sure how I should have phrased things differently to prepare him better.

By: Cemone

Cemone — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 23:39:45 +0000

My son has to have an echo on his heart periodically. We prep him at home by explaining what will happen and use an object to run over his chest so he is familiar with the sensation. It has really helped keep him calm and he’s never needed the sucrose that they prep. Calm practitioners who are confident make the world of difference too.
I also remember I told him that his needle would hurt but then we could have a cuddle and I heard the doctor scoff a little, I think in shock. I was surprised that people try to pretend that a needle might not hurt!

By: janet

janet — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 21:03:49 +0000

In reply to Savitha. Great news! Thanks so much for your encouragement, Savitha.

By: Savitha

Savitha — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 23:02:48 +0000

In reply to janet. Oh Janet!How nicely you have nailed the problem. I was exactly in the same boat sometime ago, repeating to my son the events would occur at the docs office/hair cut and wondering why it wsnt working for us. We modified our approach this time around and told him the day before that we were going fir doc visit and then the next morning we calmly told him the process their. Wow! The visit went like a breeze and the nurse who gave him the flu shot was all praises for him. Thanks again for all that you do towards educating us parents.

By: Brigitte

Brigitte — Sat, 04 Jan 2014 18:59:46 +0000

My daughter’s first visit to the dentist was much the same. The dental assistant coached me on how to pin her arms down (I just gently held her hands to satisfy her), and then proceeded to natter on about stickers and rewards. Meanwhile, my poor daughter was genuinely interested in what the dentist was doing and I had to tell the assistant to back off because she was just confusing matters. Oh, and on top of that, my daughter was simply handed the pink toothbrush out of a bucket that had at least 4 different colours in it, she was not given a choice.

That visit was 7 months ago, and my two-year-old still talks about it with fascination and wonder!

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sat, 24 Aug 2013 06:28:08 +0000

Hmmm… at 12 months, yes, my son was all smiles and happy-go-lucky at the doctor’s office. At 2 years old? He freaks out and cries and cries starting with just getting weighed and lasting through the appointment. I think that he learned to be terrified because of the shots he got on some visits…

By: Sara

Sara — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 02:24:22 +0000

In reply to krissi. I know that for my own son, who is not quite three yet, I have found that it is so far best to tell him about things like doctor's visits a little bit in advance, but not days in advance, if that makes sense. I migth tell him in the morning that we're going to the doctor's office. On the way there I might talk about what would happen there, and then conclude with the fact that the shot would pinch for a moment. We just did the flu shot, and I found it was also helpful that my husband and I had ours first, so my son could watch and see that we were ok. He was upset for a moment when the shot went in, but calmed down really quickly and recovered fast.

By: Deb

Deb — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 10:46:33 +0000

This just happened to us yesterday with our 2-year-old son. He had a challenging procedure done and there were quite a few people in the room. They would only allow ONE parent in the room (ridiculous rule)… They also had a ton of toys with bells and lights to “distract” him and weren’t planning on telling him a thing. I told them he does understand everything, and just needs to know what is going to happen in ways he can comprehend… in simple terms. I still had to keep asking them what was happening since I couldn’t see much (machines)… to tell him what was going on. It was frustrating for both of us.
I do think he did much, much better because I was able to explain things to him.
Even though the people doing the test obviously liked my son and wanted him to do well during the test, and they worked hard to talk to him and show him fun toys, I was disappointed that they didn’t seem to understand that he could indeed participate and comprehend what was actually occurring. I hope that they learned something from how we did things and maybe will start to do things differently in the future.
We have also found over the years with our kids that telling very young children too far in advance can produce way too much anxiety. The older the child, the more in advance you can talk to them about what’s going to happen.

By: janet

janet — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 06:26:15 +0000

In reply to Kathy Radigan. Oh, I love that, Kathy! Thanks for sharing!

By: Kathy Radigan

Kathy Radigan — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 06:08:15 +0000

Janet reading your piece I was reminded of time my son, now 14, was 6 and needed stitches. I have always used real words to explain what is going on and my kids have always found it comforting. When the doctor started doing Tom’ stiches he called the shot, a pinch of “Silly Juice,” Tom said to the Doctor, “you mean a shot of Novacaine.” The doctor gave me the funniest look, but I thought it was great! Thanks for a great piece!