TapTalesHow to make a going to the doctor story for your toddler
A checkup is full of things a small child can't predict: a strange room, a stranger, a little light in their ears. A short story beforehand takes the surprise out of it. Make it from your own photos, read it in your voice, and let them go through it as many times as they like in the days before. There's a version for the dentist below.
At the doctor
- “Tomorrow we're going to see Dr. Lee.” Your front door, or the car.
- “We wait in the waiting room. Bunny comes too.” Their comfort toy, packed in the bag.
- “The nurse checks how tall you are and how much you weigh.” Them standing against the kitchen door frame.
- “Dr. Lee says hello. She looks in your ears with a little light.” Teddy having his ears checked with a toy doctor kit.
- “She listens to your heart. It feels cold, and it doesn't hurt.” The toy stethoscope on Teddy.
- “She presses on your tummy. It might tickle.”
- “Then we go home. You were brave.” Whatever comes after: the park, a snack.
If there's a shot
Say so, in one page, and don't promise it won't hurt: “Then you get a shot in your arm. It pinches for a moment, and I hold your hand the whole time.” A story that promised no hurt is harder to believe next time.
At the dentist
- “We're going to see the dentist. She looks after your teeth.”
- “You sit in a big chair that goes up and down.”
- “There's a bright light so she can see your teeth.”
- “She counts your teeth with a little mirror.” Them counting Teddy's teeth.
- “She cleans them with a buzzy toothbrush.”
- “Open wide, then rinse and spit.”
- “All done! Clean teeth.” Their smile in the bathroom mirror.
Make it
Tap + on the shelf, choose Tile by tile, set the tiles to match your pages, and tap Start. Tap each tile's picture and then Add a photo (TapTales Plus). Then tap each tile's microphone and say that page. The words fill themselves in as you speak. There's more on each step in the memory book guide.
Photos inside a clinic usually aren't allowed, and you don't need them. Photograph things at home (the car, the bag, Teddy with a toy doctor kit), or leave a tile on the picture TapTales chose.
Tips
- Use the real names. The doctor's name, the clinic's name, whose car you're going in.
- Say where you'll be. “I'm right next to you” matters more than any other line.
- Play it out. After reading it, play doctor with Teddy using the same words.
- Keep it for next time. Next year's checkup needs the same story. If the doctor changes, tap that tile's microphone and say the new name.
Questions
How far ahead should we start? A day or two before is enough for most toddlers. Much longer can give some children more time to worry. You know yours.
My child is very scared of doctors. A story is a way to talk about it, not a treatment. Tell the office when you book. Many will slow down for a nervous child if they know ahead.
What does it cost? Recording your own voice is free for three stories. Photos on the tiles are part of TapTales Plus. See pricing.