One thing that isn’t fun as a parent is taking your young children to the pediatrician’s office. There are tons of reasons why the doctor’s office isn’t fun – it means your child is injured, sick, or has a wicked rash; it’s an annual check-up which could mean shots are in their future; Your child will find gross things to lick; and the doctor’s office is secured so your child has to wait.
We can’t always keep them from getting injured, sick or from needing a syringe, but we can keep them aseptic while you wait for their doctor in the exam room: just bring washable markers and some stickers to decorate the paper cover of the exam table.
This is how you keep your child busy in the pediatrician’s office
The idea comes from Susie Allison from Busy Toddler (whose Instagram feed is full of brilliance, Speaking of which). Allison says:
After countless cases in which my kids have tested the legitimacy of “Lord of the Flies” in their check-ups … I came across this hack years ago and still do it every time.
BRING A WASHABLE MARKER AND DOT STICKER.
Draw their names, letters, squiggles, math problems … EVERYTHING on the paper. It’s complicated work, requires focus and TIME (which we usually have ample waiting for).
This paper is one of the few things you can count on to be germ free, and the doctor will dispose of it as soon as you walk out the door anyway (even though your child might want to take their masterpiece home with them, and that’s ok too).
Allison has an important caveat To make sure we do this responsibly: Make sure the marker is washable (no sharpies). And do not forget Use this trick to make peeling off stickers for little fingers easier and less frustrating.
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