Dentist Visits
Ease your child's worries about visiting the dentist.
Describing what will happen at the dentist can help visits go smoothly. Prepare by explaining the important job dentists do: they check teeth to make sure they are healthy. You can mention what kids might experience:
- Sitting in a big chair
- Having their teeth counted
- Having pictures (x-rays) taken of their teeth
- Having gooey fluoride put on their teeth
- Getting their teeth “tickled” by a special kind of toothbrush
Try acting out each step of the visit. Then ask kids to pretend to be the dentist and practice each step on you or on a stuffed animal (just pretend it has teeth!). As you pretend together, encourage kids to ask questions and share any worries.
Lessening Children’s Fear of Needles
Preparing, distracting, and comforting your child can go a long way in helping them get through these moments.
To Like or Not to Like
Like most children, Cookie Monster’s niece is a little… choosy. Check out his strategy for helping her try a new food!
Go To Sleep, Elmo!
Handling a middle-of-the-night monster moment.
Cookie Monster’s Beach Day
When children are in the hospital, their imagination can become a valuable tool in soothing themselves.
Listen, Feel, and See with Elmo
When children are in the hospital, this mindfulness game can help them soothe themselves.
Today, Tonight, and Tomorrow
It takes a special kind of patience to handle children’s middle-of-the-night wakeups! Read about how a Monster-Fairy family manages it.
Small Steps, Healthy Wins
A course for clinicians that offers evidence- and strengths-based guidance to aid in your work supporting families in building healthy habits that last a lifetime.
