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Doctor, Doctor!



“Please relax, calm down, love” said the nurse at our local doctor’s practice. I was in a jittery state soon after Little R was jabbed four times in his tiny arms and legs. He was crying and screaming at the top of his lungs. This immunisation process was getting far too intense. I’m sure everybody in the clinic heard him. He didn’t sound much different from Himesh Reshamiya singing Naam tera, tera…..It was equally if not more distressing. He finally calmed down and drifted off to sleep in the pram on our way home. I remember psyching myself up before the kids’ immunisation in their first year. Although I still do this for Baby R, Little R now who is at the very curious age of 4 needs some preparation for visits to the doctor and dentist.


Bringing up a dentist visit with a 4 year old is tricky. They can either get excited about it or become far too anxious. You need to take into consideration how your child is likely to respond before broaching the subject. A craft activity, a book and an episode of Peppa pig really helped Little R. 


Now, a visit to the doctor for routine immunisation at 3.5y is challenging because the child is more aware of his/her environment. We started talking to Little R about this visit a few days before it was due. On the day, he was absolutely brilliant. We couldn’t believe our luck. Then that evening he refused to take a bath as he didn’t want the plaster to come out. We let him be that day but the same thing happened the following two days. Nothing worked - not candy, not the offer of new bath toys; nothing. Then finally I had to invent and I kid you not…A Bandage Fairy! “She” left him a letter asking him to give away his plaster to other kids who don’t have access to plasters. And this worked like a charm with my little thoughtful child!


Moving on, did you know that blood is drawn similarly (through the veins) for both adults and toddlers?! I wasn’t aware and it was a bit of a shock to learn this. We had taken Baby R once for a blood test and it was a stressful experience to say the least. The nurse very confidently, in a very Salman Khan esque manner said that she would numb the area and that baby wouldn’t feel a thing. Yaaaa right!! Not only did he feel things he made sure others felt them too! I don’t entirely blame the poor chap because the process was unnerving from the beginning. This confident nurse soon started cracking under pressure as the task was taking longer than expected and she had a distressed little patient. At one point I thought she would say she can’t do it but thankfully she persisted and the mammoth task was complete putting Baby R out of his misery .


The after effects of immunisations especially can be quite rough for kids as there is some soreness around the jab plus a mild fever may be expected. Kids may be irritable and clingy too. At such times lots of TLC and cuddles is the way to go !


What are your experiences like? Any other tips to make these doctor visits a grand success? Do share in the comments section below 😌


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