When I give vaccinations or other injections, I often see parents investing a lot of their energy in distracting their child. The distraction scenario looks big and sounds very loud which 90% of the time, adds to the child’s anxiety. The parent’s louder talking and...
If you have been following my series on childhood injections you will be aware of my aversion to holding kids down when they are getting a medical procedure. The alternative is really simple! Holding for comfort rather than restraint. Comfort holds are more gentle on...
A quote from Hippocrates about the role of medicine came to me when considering the case of Oshin and treatment for his cancer – “Cure sometimes, treat often and comfort always”. In 400BC Hippocrates was not able to cure much. Today we can cure some conditions...
We presented to the Doctors’ surgery right on time. Both of my daughters were having their injections. Neither of them showed any sign of being nervous and immediately entered the play area to pass the waiting time. I noticed one little boy, about 4 years old,...
Larissa was an 8 year old I saw regularly in ED. She had a chronic medical condition that will require regular medical attention for the rest of her life… When I first met Larissa, I arrived at her bedside with the numbing gel in hand. Larissa took one look at it and...
Stress is a part of parenting (and life). Unfortunately though, our stress can have a profound impact on our kids. Kids are MASTERS at reading our emotional state – so, if we’re stressed, it rubs off on them. Our kids might not know why we’re...
