It’s that time of year again, where I feel like we spend more time at the doctors office than we do anywhere else. With four young children, the cold winter season, and inversions in the valley makes for many sick kids with ear infections.

If you have small children you know how tricky it can be to keep little kids entertained and well-behaved in the exam rooms at a doctors office. There are so many new things to explore such as giant popsicle sticks, giant q-tips, bright red biohazard boxes, drawers filled with supplies, an exam table covered with an endless roll of paper, a doctor swivel stool on wheels and the list goes on and on. You only can ask a young boy to sit down and wait for so, let alone asking four boys to sit down. We have waited, in the exam room, to see the doctor for more than an hour before. It’s exhausting as a mother!

Last year, when we were waiting for a particularly long time, I noticed the free pens in the exam room. I also noticed the endless roll of paper on the exam table. I suddenly had an ingenious idea that we have used at almost every trip to the doctors office since that day. Here’s what it is . . .

Take one of the free pens and draw a race track and parking spaces on the exam table paper.

Doctor Office Hack

My definitely doesn’t ever look perfect, but the boys {and mom} are happy and that’s all that matters!

Pull out some of those cars that are always in your purse, for just such emergency. Now let those boys have fun racing, driving and parking those cars.

Doctor Office Hack

“Ready, Set, … “

If you have a girl, let her draw on the exam table paper. If you have crayons in your purse, which I do most of the time, let her color a cute little masterpiece. My boys would much rather race cars than color cute pictures. I hope this will help you at least a little when you have to endure those exhausting doctor office visits. Enjoy!