From Tears to Trust: Helping Kids Navigate Appointments with Ease
Doctor and dentist visits are often part of childhood—but that doesn’t mean they feel easy. For many children, the bright lights, new faces, and unfamiliar tools can trigger big feelings of fear and uncertainty. Parents may find themselves bracing for their child’s tears, resistance, or anxiety each time an appointment appears on the calendar.
But here’s the good news: with a little preparation and creativity, you can help your child feel safe, supported, and in control during these visits. Research shows that when children know what to expect, are given choices, and feel emotionally supported, their stress responses decrease and their cooperation improves (Lerwick, 2016; Koekemoer et al., 2025; Lang et al., 2017).
Practical Strategies That Make a Difference
Create Visual Schedules
Children benefit from seeing the day laid out in pictures or words. This helps externalize time and reduces surprises.
Practice Routines in Advance
A few “dress rehearsals” of the morning routine or even a pretend doctor’s visit at home can ease anxiety by making the unfamiliar more familiar.
Anchor Rituals
Small, repeated connection points—a morning hug, a goodbye mantra, an after-appointment snack together—signal safety and predictability.
Validate Feelings
Instead of dismissing worries (“Don’t be nervous”), reflect them (“I hear that you’re worried about making friends. That makes sense. I’ll be here to talk about it after school”).
Set a Timer
Feeling rushed can trigger the amygdala, the brain’s alarm system, flooding a child with stress hormones and making transitions harder. Timers externalize time, remove the parent as the “enforcer,” and help the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s thinking center, stay online for calm cooperation.
Care for the Caregiver
Children regulate through us. Prioritizing your own rest, stress management, and support system allows you to meet their needs with steadiness.
Comfort Items and Role Play
Bringing a beloved comfort object can help children feel safe and engaged. Many pediatricians and dentists welcome the inclusion of a stuffed animal or doll. For example, a pediatrician might “check the puppy’s heartbeat” before checking your child’s. This builds predictability, models the procedure, and gives children a sense of control.
At home, role play with a toy doctor’s kit can be powerful. Pretend play allows children to explore the process in a calm environment, ask questions, and become familiar with tools they may see later in the exam room. Research on medical play shows it reduces fear and increases cooperation in pediatric care (Li & Lopez, 2008).
Using Familiar Characters to Ease Anxiety
Children learn best through stories. Many popular shows include episodes about doctor or dentist visits, helping kids see what to expect in a playful, non-threatening way:
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
“Daniel Gets His Teeth Cleaned”: Daniel visits the dentist, and Dr. Plat explains tools with a calming song.
“Daniel Goes to the Hospital”: Daniel has an operation, explained step by step to reduce fear.
Peppa Pig
“The Dentist”: Peppa and George get a dental check-up, and even George’s toy dinosaur gets cleaned.
“The Doctor’s Visit”: A routine health check-up normalizes care.
Sesame Street
“A Trip to the Dentist”: The muppets meet a hygienist who teaches brushing and flossing.
Blippi at the Dentist (Season 2, Episode 14)
In an educational episode, Blippi visits the dentist, learning about tools used during cleanings and the importance of oral health.
Curious George
“George Goes to the Dentist”: George learns why brushing and checkups matter.
Bluey
“The Doctor”: Bluey plays receptionist while Bingo plays doctor in a pretend office, teaching about waiting turns and what happens during a check-up.
“Hospital”: Bluey and Bingo play doctor and nurse, introducing kids to medical tools and showing how checkups help us feel better.
Ms Rachel
“Doctor Checkup”: Ms Rachel takes kids through a gentle real-life checkup, modeling what to expect in child-friendly language.
Silly Miss Lily
“Going to the Doctor for a Check Up”: Silly Miss Lily walks children through a routine doctor visit, helping younger viewers understand what happens in a playful, reassuring way.
Talk About Safe Touch
Healthcare visits also offer opportunities to reinforce body autonomy. When children know the rules about who can and cannot touch their bodies, they feel safer and more confident—and are better able to speak up if something feels wrong.
It’s important to tell children: “The doctor may need to look at or touch your private parts, but only to make sure your body is healthy, and only if a caregiver is in the room.” Clear, age-appropriate language builds trust and helps children understand safe touch boundaries.
Body safety education isn’t just about preventing harm—it’s about building confidence, trust, and healthy lifelong attitudes toward one’s body. Healthcare visits can become a natural place to reinforce these values, ensuring that children learn both that their bodies are precious and that their voices matter.
Why Education Matters
Anatomically Correct Terminology: Teaching children the proper names for genitals (e.g., penis, vulva, vagina, testicles) reduces shame, increases clarity, and empowers children to communicate accurately if they ever need to disclose discomfort or abuse. Research shows children who know correct terms are less vulnerable to exploitation because they can describe their experiences clearly and confidently.
Body Autonomy: Reinforcing that their body belongs to them helps children understand consent from a young age. Simple phrases like, “You get to decide who gives you a hug,” or “No one should touch you without your permission,” extend into healthcare settings where exceptions are clearly explained.
Predictability and Permission: When doctors or caregivers ask before touching, children learn that respect for their bodies is the standard. Modeling this helps them develop expectations of healthy boundaries.
Reducing Secrecy and Stigma: Normalizing conversations about genitals with accurate words avoids the “taboo” effect. When children feel these topics are safe to discuss, they are more likely to ask questions and less likely to keep silent if something inappropriate happens.
Anchor Point Perspective
Doctor and dentist visits don’t have to be moments of fear or resistance. With preparation, predictability, and connection, these experiences can become opportunities for children to learn trust, confidence, and resilience.
When we use tools like visual schedules, timers, role play, comfort objects, and post-visit rituals, we provide children with the structure and safety they need to feel in control. When we validate their feelings, use clear language about safe touch, and model calm ourselves, we reinforce that their bodies and emotions are respected. And when we connect these lessons to familiar stories and characters—whether from Daniel Tiger, Bluey, or Ms Rachel—we give kids playful ways to see that they are not alone in their experience.
At Anchor Point Behavioral Health, we believe that every transition, even those in exam rooms and waiting chairs, can be a chance to teach children that their voices matter, their feelings are valid, and they can move through challenges with support and courage. Helping kids go from tears to trust is not only possible—it’s a gift that builds lifelong confidence.