Guest blogger: 10 tips for bringing your preschoolers to the Emergency Department

by Kelly Leahy

A trip to the Emergency Room can be a frightening experience for both preschooler and parent alike. This is why I asked Samantha Leahy to come up with a few tips that can help ease some of the fears prompted by a hospital setting. Samantha has an MA in Applied Developmental Psychology and currently works in a Pediatric Emergency Department in Northern Virginia.

After working for almost three years as a Certified Child Life Specialist in a Pediatric Emergency Department I have 10 tips for bringing your preschooler to the Emergency Department.

Do ...

Come Prepared Our goal wait time from sign in to discharge is two hours but in reality it can be many more. Bring books, crayons, coloring books, etc to keep your child occupied for these many hours.

Bring Child's Comfort Item - Whether it's a teddy bear, blanket, or favorite doll if this makes your child feel more secure, bring it along. This will help your child calm down after any difficult or painful procedures.

Advocate for your child - If blood work or an IV is necessary but not a life or death necessity, ask if a topical numbing agent is available for your child. There are two products on the market that we use, LMX and EMLA. These products take 20 minutes for LMX and 45 minutes for EMLA and they numb your child's skin so they feel only pressure but no needle stick. Note: Not all facilities have these options but don't hesitate to ask.

Preparation and Distraction Ask if a child life specialist is available to provide procedural preparation and distraction for your child. These professionals are trained to make the hospital process easier for you and your child especially during painful and difficult procedures.

Remain Calm Children feed off their parent's emotions. Even if you are very worried about your child, please remain calm. If you are panicking, so will your child and if you remain calm, so will your child. This will make the entire Emergency Department experience easier.

Give choices only when there are choices For example, do you want to take your medicine This is not a choice. Medications are prescribed because they are necessary. Instead give your child a real choice. Would you like apple or orange juice to drink when you finish your medicine This still gives preschooler choices but only where there is a choice. If you ask your child Do you want to take your medicine and the child says no, aren't you still going to make them take it? Instead give the true choice.

Don't ...

Make Promises you can't keep - If your child asks if he/she will receive a shot be honest and say when I know, you'll know." First, even if you assume an IV or lab work will be necessary you don't want to give a preschooler more than a minute to fret over the upcoming procedure. Second, if you promise that he/she will not receive any shots and you are wrong, how will your child trust you in the future?

Make the medical staff into the enemy When a doctor or nurse arrives to talk to you and your child, don't make comments such as, This is the person who's going to hurt you. This is not helpful for your child. Rather say the doctor or nurse is going to help you feel better.

Make this a family affair In the case of a life or death emergency, if you have other children they obviously come with you. However, if you have the option to leave one parent and a sibling at home or ask a grandparent or neighbor to watch your other children that would be much easier. The wait times can be long and the other children will get tired, hungry, and bored by waiting around.

Make the Emergency Department a punishment Preschoolers are known for their imaginations or magical thinking. Even if your child was doing something they were not supposed to be doing and that's what got them injured enough to come to the Emergency Department, this is not the time to make that point. We want to explain to preschoolers that they didn't do anything wrong to get blood work done or any other procedure; we are just trying to make them better. If you choose to discuss the behavior that caused the incident later that is up to you, but make sure your child is home before that discussion occurs.