#12: Helping your Child with Injuries & Medical Procedures

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Spotify

My son George, 4, recently bashed his head against the coffee table and needed 4 stitches at the hospital.

One week later, he needed to have those stitches taken out.

Here's how I helped him throughout which led him to lying there calmly & relaxed whilst the stitches were removed.

• When your child hurts themselves, allow them to cry freely immediately afterwards whilst you hold them & offer empathy
  • don't distract them, diminish their feelings, or jump in & fix it
• Before an upcoming medical procedure:
  • Provide information about what's going to happen.  Talking with your child is helpful, but you're also going to need to help them with their emotions.
  • Play! Encourage your child to pretend to be a doctor chasing you to give you an injection, or perform a procedure.  Wrestle & do all the fun games to help them feel more powerful
  • Listen.  Notice when they get upset or annoyed over seemingly small issues.  Allow their feelings to flow.  These are perfect catalysts for upset feelings about the bigger issue to be released.
  • Offer empathy throughout
  • If it's a scary procedure, be sure to find & receive support for you too

If you'd like to ask a question for me to answer in an episode, please submit a question here. If you're struggling with a particular challenge, it's guaranteed others are too, so don't be shy!