Natalieclare Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Let's say you had 3 pediatric patient rooms to get looking presentable. What would you do? Go all theme-y? Paint color? Art? Quotes? How woulde you keep the room fun for little guys but not offensive to teens? The fixtures and furnishings will all remained unchanged, but the paint and art need work. Thanks for your help! This has to be done quick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 At my pediatricians office they have themed rooms. Outer Space, Reptiles (mostly lizards), and Jungle Animals are three that come to mind. If you keep the artwork/posters realistic and interesting & paint in more earthy type tones the kids & teens would enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I'd use beautiful, saturated, bright colors and art prints of impressionist masterpieces that are child friendly themes (more beautiful color). I'd also use great quotes! Sounds like fun, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Whatever you do, make sure the decorations are at the eye level of the child. Our pediatric dentist has a waiting room painted with cartoonish characters but they are all above the eye level of the child. It looks pretty ridiculous. I think the cartoon characters are ridiculous in and of themselves but the misplacement of them only exacerbates it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenpatty Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Think "I spy." One of the rooms in my ped's office has a mural of underwater life. I love it - it is so helpful when I have a sick cranky kid or two and I have to wait a long time. We do a lot of "I spy" with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 We've spent our fair share of time in patient rooms. What not to do: white board or bulletin board. It's a shame, but apparently a lot of people think such things are there for them to ruin with their graffiti. Always makes me wonder what the parents are doing as their children write on bulletin boards with ink pens, but I think some of the damage was probably done by the parents. Our favorite rooms: one has a model of the solar system hanging from the ceiling. The other has framed collections of real butterflies. Exotic ones that you don't see in real life around here. Magazines for mom are appreciated, maybe a couple of picture books to read aloud. I don't mind a few toys for dc, but I'm sure they get covered with germs and other moms don't let their kids play with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 You say you are pushed for time, so this may not work for now, but... My ideal pediatric room would include something that would entertain and distract a sick child (and sibs who got dragged along). Maybe some type of interactive art? I'm not a creative type, but I am a mom who has taken one or more children to see a doctor 3 times this week. There are sometimes toys in the waiting area, but never in the exam room! Pardon my rant, good luck with the redo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I like the murals, etc. ideas. Our chiropractor has 1 room done in animals and another with an under the sea theme. Then there is the I Spy thing---like count how many lady bugs you can find, how many clown fish, etc. Another peds. specialty office had an I Spy type thing where they put up pictures of various things and then had a list of them to find. I like bright, cheery colors. Could you have books in the room that go with the theme for various age kids? Like jungle type books for the jungle room, sea creatures books for the under the sea room, etc? I know though that sometime books just seem to "walk off". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I like the saturated colors, art and I Spy. Our pediatrician has one exam room decorated with hand prints - the doctors, staff, patients, parents... all in primary colors. I don't know how they pulled it off, though. And don't forget mobiles - they can be interesting to look at when you have to lie down or look up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Our pediatrician's office is decorated with posters from different children's books for each letter of the alphabet. For example, the "O" room has a poster from the book Olivia. Every room is painted a really bright color too. It is simple and really beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 I like the idea above of an I-Spy type mural or picture with a list of what to look for. I also like mobiles that move slightly or reflect rainbows of light. Some are quite mesmerizing and calming. I also like the idea of colored walls, but not yellow or orange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Hen Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 That's what I was going to suggest! My kids and I always play I spy when we are waiting in that room. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinmom Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 My pediatrician's office recently was remodeled. The paint colors are nice, saturated but not primary, so that was a nice change and also not so babyish. More like apple green, blue, orange, etc. They have an aquarium with a "Nemo" fish in it--the kids just love looking at it. And they offer some gymnastic mat-type things in different shapes. Good for wiggly kids. Our office has a separate waiting area for teens. The main waiting area has a sick side and a well side, but the teen space is completely separate--its own room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I'd choose paint colors that hide handprints and scuff marks. An animal themed mural would be great. Love books, too, but when they are chewed on or ripped up, toss 'em! Board books seem to hold up well. The chairs are often cold and grown-up size. What about a beanbag chair and a basket of books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueGator Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 A pediatric dentist in Wisconsin had the coolest waiting room we had ever seen. It was decorated with a north woods theme and old Smokey Bear posters that were purchased on E-Bay and framed. The had a tiny wooden slide for the youngest and cool stuffed real animals to look at while you waited. They cut a round circle in one wall that led to the dental cleaning room. The child entered via the circle. Very fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Our pediatrician has one exam room decorated with hand prints - the doctors, staff, patients, parents... all in primary colors. I don't know how they pulled it off, though. It's not at a pediatrician's, but we did something similar and filled an exam room with handprints and paint splatter. (And I've got the pictures to prove it.) We just got a bunch of paint, poured each color in it's roller tray, and went to town painting. It was so much fun, and I do think the patients like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I like it clean and with a padded bench instead of chairs. It is nice to have a sick kid to be able to lay down on your lap and bench when they are waiting. Our ped has a full length mirror horizontally by the patients bed so the kids can look at them selves (great exp for baby) and a vertical mirror for the kids to look into. We play Ispy in the office so pictures or even just a border at the top of the wall would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Want to know what my dc like in the patient room?:001_smile: Models and posters of the body. Since they were little they've all loved these. Ds's asthma nurse has a model of the lungs and several posters. Dd's pediatric cardiologist had a wonderful model of the heart. Other than that, just some nice art work. Posters of your city. Give each room a history or city theme. Put up pictures of children from other parts of the world. I'm like one of the other moms....I like a clean, uncluttered room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Well, I've never seen this in a ped's office, but I did see it in a kids room at a Street of Dreams house. The room was painted to look like you were underwater in a pond -- light blue walls, some water plants, small fish, etc.... The ceiling was painted a light blue too but the coolest part is that the underside of wooden ducks (part of the bodies & the feet) were attached to the ceiling! It was like you were underwater looking up & out -- in the distance (upper wall, near the ceiling) you could see a barn, a truck, etc... as if looking at it through water. It was a really fun room. I also like the idea of posters or pictures on the wall. I think quotes or jokes could be really fun too. How about something like an escape hatch or Alice's rabbit hole painted on the wall (kids can dream of escaping the dr. visit)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valerie in Chicago Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Paint one wall -- or at least part of one -- with chalkboard paint. And have lots of chalk available. Lots of it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 It's nice when there is a lot of stuff on the walls to look at with the kids. It seems we often wind up waiting quite a while in these little rooms and it's nice if there's something in there to keep the kids' attention. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niffercoo Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I like most of the ideas presented already, but I wanted to add a major don't. PLEASE don't decorate the rooms in "Baby Mickey" or other cartoon characters. My older kids just cringe when they have to go to the pediatrician because they will tell them to go to the "Bugs Bunny" room, and the like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Paint one wall -- or at least part of one -- with chalkboard paint. And have lots of chalk available. Lots of it. :) A whiteboard with markers would be better for patients with breathing problems. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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