Before I became a mom, I was one of those people who avoided watching medical dramas because the wounds made me uncomfortable. I often flinched if a friend tried to show me a paper cut or something minor.
But something happened when I became a mom. A mom to two boys. I am at the ready with bandages, and ice packs, and of course ready to kiss a boo boo.
Hudson turned four this summer. I had heard from quite a few friends that the four-year-old well visit is the “big one.” They test their vision and their hearing. They have to give a urine sample. And the kids have to get the big booster shots. And apparently those booster shots are a doozy.
Before the appointment, I did everything I could to prepare Hudson without scaring him. And without telling him about the shots. It’s not that I wanted him to be totally shocked, but I just didn’t want him to be scared.
In the week leading up to the appointment, I talked to him about the vision test. And I talked to him about the hearing test. I even told him he’d get to pee in a cup for the first time. But I left out the part about the shots.
We made it through the first part of his appointment, and he was so proud of himself. He felt like such a big boy. And when the easy part was over, I told him that he was about to get some shots, but I’d be holding his hands and I’d kiss the boo boos when it was over. And, most importantly, he’d get to pick out a special prize when it was over.
And that did it.
He got two fun bandages with his favorite Disney characters, and he was happy as he could be. He survived the big appointment. It helped that he was prepared, but not scared. I think he had just enough warning for his shots.
But the biggest comfort to him was that I was there, holding his hands, and kissing his cheeks while he whimpered and got his big boy shots.
When my boys have had to go in for tubes for their ears, we did our best to prepare them as much as a toddler can be prepared. But the whole process was much worse for me than it was for them. When my sweet babies were taken back to the operating rooms, I cried and tried so hard to be a brave mommy, but seeing your sweet baby being taken out of your arms and placed into a nurse’s arms will just tear you up.
I love that my kids can become more familiar with doctor’s visits and think of it as a fun experience thanks to Doc McStuffins. Doc is such a sweet character, and her mom being a real doctor sheds a little light on upcoming doctor visits for my boys. Visit the Doc McStuffins site to see the new viewing schedule for Season 2 of Doc McStuffins!
Find out if The Doc Mobile Tour is coming to your city and get healthy tips for your kids from Doc!
For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, tell me how do you keep your kids healthy on the go with snack ideas or other fun activities?
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I only have a baby right now, but I love your idea of prepping for the doctor’s appointment by telling him what is going to happen. I will try that in the future!
We love watching Doc McStuffins and we also play with our doctor kit with baby dolls and stuffed animals to show that the doctor isn’t scary she’s helping us to stay healthy or feel better! It helps when the kids know what all the tools are for and what’s going to happen when they visit the doctor! 🙂
My little boy has gone to the dr with me lately since I’m pregnant. At home now he wants to play dr on my tummy. I need to get him his own dr kit soon! I give my little boy gummy vitamins in the morning, and then I am teaching him to eat whatever I cook for dinner so he will enjoy all kinds of food and not just hot dogs and chicken nuggets 🙂
I try to keep raisins, graham crackers and pretzels on hand – as well as those squeeze applesauce snacks. I don’t buy the stuff that I really, really don’t want them to eat and try to always have a healthy component of whatever I offer. It’s tough as they get older and start seeing what everyone else is eating though! My 4 year-old wants to know why she doesn’t get cheese balls and gummys like the kid she saw at the playground. Eeek!
We had do get shots at our last 3 year appointment and it’s harder as they get older. I didn’t tell my son about any shots before we went either. The funny thing is he was more upset about them putting a bandage on his leg (he has never had to wear one at home) than the shots themselves! I do my best to keep fresh fruit like grapes, bananas and apples on hand for a quick and filling snack.
I try to have all snacks come in the form of fruit. Our favorite on the go snack is grapes. Easy and fits in a snack cup and my daughter loves them!
We try to do lots of fruit, cheese sticks, etc for snacks. Definitely doesn’t always happen, but it’s much easier to grab when it’s already prepared!
We do daily vitamins and talk often about making healthy choices when it comes to food, exercise, hygiene, etc. I’m also always prepared with a first aid kit in the car and a small one in my purse. 🙂
We take fruit and yogurt with us as on the go snacks.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/373588298158993408
We like to have healthy snacks like grapes and carrots
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/373590553801142272
I always have snack bags of carrots and grapes in the fridge. They’re easy for the kids to grab and for me to grab and put in my purse when we’re leaving.
I always pack P&J sandwiches, bananas and granola bars so my kids can eat healthy food when we are on the go.
tweet
https://twitter.com/kellydsaver/status/373617921727029248
My nearly-4-year old son loves Doc McStuffins! He’s also a pretty good eater without too much prompting from us. We usually keep pretzels, goldfish, applesauce, or fruit with us when we travel.
We wash hands A LOT! My kids know that when we come in, they take their shoes off and head to the bathrooms to wash hands. We also bought Camelbak water bottles for them and they can drink as much water as they like (I never gave my babies juice, but gave them water when I started letting them have sippy cups); they love to drink plain old water!
Making sure she’s up to date on vaccines and disinfecting her toys!
We always carry fresh fruit with us and often we carry a freezer bag with a yogurt as well! Being well prepared is the only way to be a mama on the go!
http://whenmybellrings.blogspot.com/2013/08/five-on-friday-partay.html
I carry with me grapes, cheese crackers, water or juice when we are out and about.
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
My 18 month old is constantly snacking on-the-go. Her favorites are grapes, bananas, mum-mums, and goldfish. She is very active and we try to make daily trips to the park or playground.
Tweet Sent:
https://twitter.com/jhimmelberger1/status/373779488724623360
tweet – https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/373781668345020416
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
Keeping my three boys healthy is very important to my husband and I. I’m lucky because my Honda Odyssey has a cooling compartment that I always have water bottles and frozen yogurts placed in it when we hit the road!
We always have healthy snacks and water with us!
We always have a healthy snack option as well as lots of hand sanitizer! When we get home from being out anywhere, the first thing we do is take our shoes off and go wash our hands!
I try to bring snacks with us so that we don’t have to buy anything from convenience stores or fast food.
Play play play… I think that playing outside should be engrained in little boys and girls. Keeping them moving will keep them healthy. I’m lucky when it comes to snacks– my 1 year old can’t get enough fruit. He eats a mix of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, pineapple, apples, bananas and oranges every day! So we just chop up the fruit and keep them in little tupperware bowls for on the go snacks!
My kids love veggies and hummus. Costco sells individual hummus packs so they are perfect for dipping. They also love fruit. I’m lucky they are pretty easy 🙂
We have lots of cold water with us. I even keep a cooler with us while running errands to keep it cool. My family drinks cool water better than lukewarm. We have snacks such as almonds, granola bar(which travel well in my purse) for snacks. I find hungry people get grumpy!
I always have a stash of juice boxes and granola bars in my car. You never know when you need a quick snack.
I carry healthy treats with me like grapes, raisins (wrinkled grapes!), nuts, crackers and small yogurts all of the time!
And a tweet: https://twitter.com/AnnaZed/status/374010419037224962
We love Doc too! My girls love to watch her and play with their Ponk and purple sparkly doctor’s kit.
I try to bring fruits and veggies with when I can. I got the girls cute little lunch boxes that can fit a sandwich in half, with half left for fruit or veggies. It helps me plan for healthy lunches when we’re headed out for a picnic.
I keep my children healthy on the go by creating healthy snacks such as almonds, rice cakes, dried fruit and cheese strings and of course water. I make sure they use Lysol wherever we go to ward of nasty germs! I also encourage them to be healthy by taking them for long walks, playing and leading by example.
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/374217610507714561
I keep my child healthy by having an available stash of some of the healthier snacks that she likes, such as dried mangos or blueberries.
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/374353521581105153
My two and a half year old daughter loves Doc McStuffins and always insists on wearing her doctor’s mask, medical gloves and her dad’s stethoscope while watching the show! We definitely push fruits and veggies in our home and lots and lots of water!
I always have healthy snacks (fruits and veggies) with me!
When we go out to eat, I try to order a vegetable side for my daughter. Usually the different preparation from what she gets at home helps her chow down!
https://twitter.com/imprfctbutloved/status/374573300514439168
While I don’t have kids myself, I often get to spend time with my almost-two-year-old nephew, and he loves snacking! A few of his favs include yogurt, crackers, and string cheese. My sister always carries a few of these with her when they are on the go!
We try to stay healthy on the go by not giving in to fast food temptations (easier for them than me!) We haven’t seen Doc McStuffins before but it looks fun.
chambanachik (at) gmail (dot) com
We like to keep baggies of fresh cut-up fruits and veggies on hand and within our son reach. They are healthy and easy to grab on the way out the door!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/375680992683368448
Wash hands frequently and make it a habit for kids. We also pack our own homemade baking cookies and brownies on the go.
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/375821039260807169
wash hands often and use hand sanitizer on the go
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/376030139248680960
for a snack on-the-go we pack organic fruit squeeze pouches pryfamily5@gmail.com
tweeted https://twitter.com/pryfamily5/status/376299482716962816 pryfamily5@gmail.com
My kids always enjoyed trips to the park where they could be active and play on the equipment. For snacks, fruits, nuts or cut veggies are good choices.
Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/376378253293780992
Applesauce is a mainstay in my purse. So are wipes for messy hands.
onefrugalgirl AT gmail DOT com
https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/376424526550028289
onefrugalgirl AT gmail DOT com
I always take water or juice and healthy snacks like cheese sticks, raisins, crackers or granola when we are on the go.
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/376434503394131968
We take yogurt and fresh fruit along on a lot of our road trips to and from activities.
We are big hummus and guacamole eaters–perfect for dipping veggies!
I have picky eaters so we have to hide the veggies/fruits in fruit juices and veggie sticks.
we eat fruit on the go and drink water!
https://twitter.com/scg00387/status/378001931894943745
I pack healthy snacks when we are heading out and I make sure my kids get lots of rest. After having three girls and the last baby being a boy, I am trying to prepare myself for all the major ouchies!!
https://twitter.com/catholicfanatic/status/378362742723190784
tweet
I bring sanitizer and hand wipes. we are constantly washing out hands when possible. We stay hydrated and bundled during the winter!! I also love to bring healthy fingers foods, grapes, crackers, blueberries, cheese! They love it all
tweet
https://twitter.com/1amypugmire/status/378394928935469057
we check nutrition labels at the store, making sure to avoid yogurts or granola bars with hidden sugar.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/kolpin4680/status/379634716892094464
i always try to have healthy snack options on hand
i tweeted here: https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/379784078427299840
We take fresh fruit and dried fruit snacks with us on the go.
i love nuts and yogurts
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/381523349618184192
We have antibacterial wipes in the car and always take some fruit with us, pretty much wherever we go (ie: parks, zoo, after school activities)
tweeted https://twitter.com/pittsy82/status/381556560016572417
I never kept junk food in the house for my daughter and we very, very rarely had fast food. Also sugar free cereals and we had a garden full of fresh fruits and veggies.
I don’t have kids, but my parents always kept nuts and carrots sticks around for snacks and fresh fruit for my “sweets” cravings 🙂
I love taking the kids to the park for bike rides and and soccer. They love it and really keep them busy with the exercise.
amy [at] utry [dot] it
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/382397933431185408
amy [at] utry [dot] it
On the go ways to stay healthy: Hand sanitizer, wipes, first aid kit for kids, water, healthy snacks such as carrots, raisins, grapes, apples/celery with peanut butter and lots of water to stay hydrated. Washing hands and keeping them away from your face and coughing/sneezing into your elbow!
zuzu.wilson(at)yahoo(dot)com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Zuzuz_Petalz/status/382473706703835136
zuzu.wilson(at)yahoo(dot)com
Keeping kids active helps to keep them healthy. Mine loved to go camping and hiking and now they take their own children to do the same. Our favorite snacks are fresh fruit and trail mix.
always keep raw fruits and vegetables and water on hand
We drink lots of water and orange juice, and keep lots of fruits and veggies around.
https://twitter.com/electricstar/status/382688586694287360
My grandson is newly diagnosed with a nut allergy, so we are learning the ins and out of what is safe for him to snack on and what’s not. I keep fresh fruits stocked for him at home and fruit snacks, Gogurts, and Jellos for on the go snacks.
tweeted
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/383036538860220416
Zinc infused lolly pops and honey straws FTW! Seriously, if a cold even shows its head in my house, everyone eats these two things! Zaps em fast!
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/MsTofuFairy/status/383238736890195969
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/383307354147532800
No kids, just me. I wash hands often, drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep.
Thanks for the contest.
https://twitter.com/slehan/status/383396704008953857
my son loves applesauce pouches so we keep them handly when out
I try to keep my children healthy on the go with water bottles to keep hydrated and snacks like granola and fruit to keep their energy up.
lisalmg25 at gmail dot com
I Tweeted: https://twitter.com/lisalmg/status/383638497107521537