On a recent trip to the doctor with my toddler, she was a little less cooperative than on previous visits. While this is totally normal behavior as she becomes more aware of her surroundings, our doctor recommended a way to help prepare her for the next visit: a play doctor's kit. If she sees stethoscopes, ear examiners and plastic syringes at home and even gets to play with them, she will be much less likely to freak out when presented with the real thing. I was going to go buy a kit, but have just been inspired to make my own.

Cinti at My Poppet put together a simple and inexpensive play doctor's kit that has kept her own daughter busier than an ER nurse. By using materials she mostly found around the house, the cost of this kit was minimal. Cintia even sewed her own surgical mask out of a large gauze pad.

Personally, the only thing I would add is one of those lights used to look into the ear canal, since this was a particularly frightening tool for my daughter at her last visit. My mind is already fashioning one out of a little clip-on book light and an old flashlight tube. But I will definitely be on the lookout for a small case like the one Cintia has used, it really makes the project come together in an eye-catching way.

• See more: My Poppet

(Images: My Poppet. Via One Pretty Thing)

MORE PLAY DOCTOR KITS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
• Is There a Doctor in the House?: Doctor Play Kits
• Make A Doctor Play Kit For $2.50
• Make Your Own Play Doctor Kit
• DIY X-Rays for Your Play Doctor Kit