“White Monster? Well, that’s just the doctor (or the nurse) checking you up, dear.”
Young children are usually scared of the doctors, more so if they are wearing their white uniforms. This goes the same with nurses, who “stick ’em up with pointy things”. My 5 year old used to be one scared boy and whenever the “white monster” approaches, he’ll scream and cry at the top of his lungs. Little tots are being subjected to trauma, without the parents noticing it.
Well, even if it’s just a regular check up, we need the doctors, right? So, how can we ease the little ones’ fear of those white uniforms?
There was this instance when my youngest was just 2 and we needed to admit him to the hospital. That’s when the fear started and I was crushed. But, I had to do something or my baby will be traumatized. I mean, he was just a little boy and really didn’t know that doctors can help him to be well.
So, what I did was really something not unexpected of a mother. I asked the pediatrician to please take her white coat off before going inside our hospital room. Glad she agreed, besides, she knew that some kids are afraid of the doctors when wearing their coats, so she happily took it off. My son, as if he doesn’t know his fave doc, smiled and never had a fit.
I’m just wondering, why do some hospitals still make their staff, nurses in particular, wear those old fashioned nurses’ uniforms? As for the doctors, the white coats are A-Okay, coz these signify them as such. I’ve seen several nearby hospitals change their conservative style and replaced it with colourful nursing scrubs such as seen on the marcus uniforms website, for example.
These trendy nursing scrubs add colours to a dull and boring hospital. In a child’s eyes, the vibrant colours are playful and implies peace thus alleviating fear and trauma. Plus, I think that nurses these days prefer this kind of work wear coz they can freely move unlike wearing a white skirt which could easily show dirt or stains.
Anyway, we rarely have problems now when going to the hospital for check ups. Our little boy isn’t scared anymore instead loves to go for check ups. And, there’s always lollipops waiting for him when he visits his favorite doctor.