Going to the doctor’s office can be scary for your child. But there are ways you can support your child during a stressful visit without holding him or her down for a procedure. With some planning and help from you, your child’s appointment can go a little smoother.
“Comfort positioning,” also called “positioning for comfort,” can help you support your child during many procedures, including:
- A blood draw
- Inserting an IV
- Inserting a catheter
- Treating a laceration
- Immunizations
The Child Life Specialist Team at Swedish created a series of images to show parents various comfort positions that they can use to help a child through a procedure. We are sharing them here.
Child’s back to caregiver’s stomach/chest
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Child’s stomach to caregiver’s stomach on a chair
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Child’s stomach to caregiver’s stomach on a bed
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Catheter placement
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Tips for successful comfort positioning
- If you are the caregiver, make sure you are comfortable participating during the procedure.
- Ask your child before starting if he or she wants to watch or look away.
- Make sure something to distract your child is available during the procedure. A favorite toy, music, iPad or an “I Spy” book are examples of what would work well.
- Allowing your child one free hand provides a sense of control and the ability to use the distraction item, but make sure that free hand doesn’t touch or reach for items medical team members may have in their hands.
- If your child has anxiety about pain, there are topical medications that can help. Although your Swedish health care provider has been trained to make all procedures as pain-free as possible, we recommend you ask your nurse or doctor during the check-in process whether there are any medications that could be used to make the procedure more comfortable.
If you have questions or concerns about your child’s next visit, call your child’s provider at 206-215-2700.
