informal things to call kids

bled12345

bled12345

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I was down south, we were on a febrile peds call, and when the medic I was working with felt her forehead he said "hey baby girl" in a really fatherly kind of way, and it really made an impression on me for some reason. I'm not from the south so I can't pull that one off being in Canada :P But yeah, for me personally I do not have children, and interacting with peds is probably one of my weaker points. I end up treating them like they are adults, which is ok sometimes, but not when they are really sick and feel like :censored::censored::censored::censored:.


So what are some informal things you can call kids in the field without getting sued by the parents for sounding creepy?


kiddo
baby girl (for ppl with southern accents lol)
??



the only informal thing I can call people by is "man" like "Hey man, you need to lie really still" lol.
 
The reason why I'm asking for these suggestions, is because in EMS it is really easy to appear cold and uncaring when coming from a strictly medical POV. Sometimes its really important to talk like just a regular human being that is there to help people, if that makes sense at all.
 
Hmmm... I work in a nursery/drop-in child care center. I'd avoid using cutsie names for older kids... i'd say cutsie names can work for 1-3 year olds only. Perhaps older kids if they're very sick. I'd still try to use their name often too. Sometimes cutsie names can be comforting, but kids are also used to being called their name all the time so their real name may be much more reassuring.

I tend to use "Squirt" and "Sweetie" occasionally. Listen to their parents. It may be comforting if you pick up a nickname that their parent uses for them.

As for developing a rapport with children, if they're pretty calm it can be helpful to ask them simple questions that have nothing to do with the current crisis. "What's your favorite color?" "What do you want to be when you grow up?" What's your favorite animal?" "Do you have any pets?" and "What's your favorite subject at school?" always seem to work great.

One of the best tips I can offer is to ask a kid "What's that on your shirt/pants/shoes/hat/wall/etc?" (if there's something like an animal there) They usually enthusiastically respond, and then you can compliment them on it.... ie "That is such a cool frog! Do you like frogs?" It usually gets them distracted from the current crisis and makes you more of a friend in your eyes.
 
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yeah for sure, I can talk to kids like that ok, I was just looking for cool nicknames to call them :P

I don't think I could pull off calling them sweetie lol. I'm a 6'5" 240 lb guy
 
I would tend to avoid "crotch fruit" or "precious little snowflake" While I haven't tried it in the field, I imagine that the reviews would be quite negitive.

[if you're confused over the difference, I'll explain them].
 
JPINFV said:
I would tend to avoid "crotch fruit" or "precious little snowflake"
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HAHAHA. Where the hell did you get crotch fruit from?
 
Never thought of NOT calling them cutie, sweetie, sugar, kiddo.. etc. What else would you call them? Yard ape, tree climber?

I guess in the southern states we are not as hiped on formality. Sue for what? Their kids, geez whiz, what else are you going to call them?

I have no problem calling that and I am 6'4 and 118 kg. .. What has that got to do with anything, in fact; I believe in fact of maybe the reason of doing it.


R/r 911
 
LucidResq said:
HAHAHA. Where the hell did you get crotch fruit from?
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Crotch Fruit is from Fark.com (collection of news links with a message board for each story). An example of a crotch fruit is that child who thinks that an airplane is a jungle gym and whose parents aren't doing anything to stop him from annoying everyone else.
 
Nice image you're portraying for EMS, referring to kids as "crotch fruit".

Remember, this is a family friendly forum that has EMS and non-EMS members, and even some children under the age of 13.

KEEP IT CLEAN and KEEP IT CIVIL!
 
Ridryder911 said:
Never thought of NOT calling them cutie, sweetie, sugar, kiddo.. etc. What else would you call them? Yard ape, tree climber?

I guess in the southern states we are not as hiped on formality. Sue for what? Their kids, geez whiz, what else are you going to call them?

I have no problem calling that and I am 6'4 and 118 kg. .. What has that got to do with anything, in fact; I believe in fact of maybe the reason of doing it.


R/r 911
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Well I'm 22, a single child, and have no extended family that are little kids... So I feel kinda uncomfortable around little kids.
 
bled12345 said:
Well I'm 22, a single child, and have no extended family that are little kids... So I feel kinda uncomfortable around little kids.
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Just don't feed them after midnight or let them get wet.
 
Yeah, I also feel sometimes a bit awkward around the kids, but 9 out 10 times find a quick coping mechanism to deal with them. Calling them "names"... wow, If I had to call the kids some of the names their parents call them... I would most certainly be called into the office.

What I do like to do with my young patients, is asking them what I should call them. This usually triggers a response into a little "game or animation". We usually end up calling each other characters of the child's favorite animation. I have noticed that it builds some kind of trust.

You need to see what works for you... It took me quite a while to actually communicate effectively with kids. They are not "small adults"...
 
So, do you have some kids you can borrow?

I've found that as with adult patients, the way I related to kids has to individualized to the kid. Some kids to well with kidding, others need you to be very serious and direct. Some will trust you when you show up, others will never trust you.

As for pet names for kids, around the house, mine and their grimey little friends were referred to as Linoleum lizards, cookie snatchers and 'the kidlets' as they matured, thuglets and stinky worked (I have boys) and for a short time.. "Hey you.. shorter-than-me.." but that one lasted only for a brief period of years.
 
I work with kids, and I call them all kinds of "pet" names.
Boys: Lil man, buddy, squirt (squirt-and-a-half if they're between 6 and 10), baby boy, dude
Girls: lil miss, lil lady, baby girl, squirtette, dudette
Both: Sugar, Sweetie, Love, Honey, Shug, Sweetheart, Sweetie-pie, Babe, Baby, Love Bug, etc.

Since I'm not usually in the presence of the parents while I'm with the kids, I just go by what the child wants to be called. If they like their name, I'll use it. If they don't mind a pet name, I'll that.
 
I always ask their names, then tell them my name. Just like a typical adult patient. I then ask them what they would like me to call them, unless they are very young, then I typically use a cutsie sorta name.

And while this is not a thread about interacting with children, there was a statement about being uncomfortable around them.

First off, odd are, that kid isn't going to hurt you, and you're not going to hurt them, so relax. Remember that if you're interacting with a kid they're probably scared, so try to put them at ease. For me, because I'm 6'4" and male, that involved me making myself "smaller" by kneeling or sitting then I smile a lot. I'm a big scary man to kids that I first meet, so they're always uneasy, but that's a normal reaction, so I try and mitigate it.

Second off those kids want to be comforted and know they're going to be okay, so do your best to put them at ease. talk to them, explain them, and be honest. No one likes needles and IVs, kids really don't like them, but I've found that if you explain what's going on and ask him or her to be brave, it works wonders if I MUST do something invasive. I've never had a kid go running around screaming.

Stickers, stuffed animals (we keep a supply on the ambo), let him or her look at and touch stuff, etc.

Keep mom or dad (usually kids prefer mom) in the back of the ambo.

Lastly, go find some kids and hang out with them. play with them, pick them up, hug em, and don't drop them. You'll get the hang of it. (this works best with children of persons you know. I wouldn't suggest you go to the park and pick random children up. That'll cause some problems. :rofl:)
 
Jambi said:
Lastly, go find some kids and hang out with them. play with them, pick them up, hug em, and drop them. You'll get the hang of it. (this works best with children of persons you know. I wouldn't suggest you go to the park and pick random children up. That'll cause some problems. :rofl:)
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For some odd reason I read that sentence like this. (see bolded part)
 
Little man, little dude, depending on injury. . Superman etc
Princess (name) , little dudette, etc
 
Call them by their first names. This puts you on a familiar level with them rather than talking to them the same as you would a puppy. You also gain some respect as a professional rather than the blubbering strangers who get into their face trying to have a little looksy.

It seems there is a lack of age appropriate education also along with HIPAA and a few other topics recently covered.
 
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Clipper1 said:
Call them by their first names. This puts you on a familiar level with them rather than talking to them the same as you would a puppy. You also gain some respect as a professional rather than the blubbering strangers who get into their face trying to have a little looksy.

It seems there is a lack of age appropriate education also along with HIPAA and a few other topics recently covered.
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A lot of very young children respond much better when the big scary EMT from the ambulance gets on their knee and is less formal. An 8 year old will want to be called by their first name but a three year old boy responds very well to little man and a teddy bear.

If it works on their fears, use it. You can tell by their response right away.
 
Mariemt said:
A lot of very young children respond much better when the big scary EMT from the ambulance gets on their knee and is less formal. An 8 year old will want to be called by their first name but a three year old boy responds very well to little man and a teddy bear.

If it works on their fears, use it. You can tell by their response right away.
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A lot of kids want comfort and not cutesy stuff when they are sick even at age 3. Some parents also don't like someone doing the goo-goo stuff to their kids. Kids are now taught early to be on guard for strangers who use some of the words you suggest. If you acknowledge them by their name they may see you as less of a stranger.
 
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