
Visiting the Doctor: Helping Kids Grow Up Strong & Healthy
Preparation and communication help you get the best care for your child at every medical visit.
Print and use these pages (or just view on screen) before your child’s next sick or well visit! In this guide for both you and your child, you’ll find:
- information to help you prepare for children’s sick and well visits
- tips for before, during, and after a visit
- activities and games to help children feel comfortable, calm, and reassured
- suggestions for coping with chronic illnesses such as allergies, asthma, and diabetes
Special thanks to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Sleep Struggles... and Successes

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.

Questions, Questions
Wellness visits are important moments to check in about your child’s growth and development, and good conversations are the cornerstones of each visit.

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.