Both of my children show anxiety
towards things that are new. New people, new situations, new items, and new
places can get them really worked up. They thrive with routine and schedules,
the known. So when we go to the dentist
twice a year or the doctor a few times a year, it is not a fun experience. They
go into sensory overload or have extreme anxiety and a meltdown or bathroom
trip follows.
A month ago before my daughter
went to the doctor, I asked a few moms for advice since our trip to the doctor
is always disastrous. One mom told me to
role play at home, and continue to role play in the office. I followed her
advice, and it worked!
Before we went to the doctor, we
read a book “The Berenstain Bears Go to the Doctor”. Then, we got her doll and
pretended to give her doll a check- up. She knew how to do this from her
favorite show, “Doc Mc Stuffins”. The next day, when we went to the doctor, we
brought the doll. I then explained to the nurse and the doctor about role
playing with the doll, so there would not be anything that was unexpected. So,
the nurse asked the doll to get on the scale. She weighed the doll, and then
she asked my daughter to get on the scale. To my surprise, she did it with
ease! No meltdown! Then, the nurse took the dolls vitals. Following that, she
took my daughters vitals. Once again, we had no issues. The doctor came in and
did the same thing. She looked over the doll first while explaining to my daughter
what she was doing, and then she did it to my daughter. It was our first
successful trip, ever! I was so excited that I found something that worked.
Today we are going to the dentist
for the first time. We have done our prepping at home, and I hope role playing
with the doll will once again take fear out of the unknown.
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