Aug. 12--DOVER -- After Ruffy the bear took a fall off the living room rocking chair and hurt his head, five-year-old Emily Foshay knew exactly what Ruffy needed.
"A big Band-Aid!" Emily, of Scarborough, Maine, declared Wednesday as she waited to bring Ruffy into the examination room of the Children's Museum's Teddy Bear Clinic for a checkup after his accident.
After consultation with a volunteer nurse practitioner from Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Ruffy received a small shot in his arm and a Band-Aid -- as Emily predicted.
"All he needed was a Band-Aid," Emily said after, clutching the now-healed Ruffy to her chest. She said even though Ruffy also got a shot, he wasn't scared because Emily had been right by his side the whole time.
Getting children comfortable with the elements of going to the doctor, which often includes shots, is a driving force in the Museum's offering of the Teddy Bear Clinic.
"The general idea is to put kids at ease when they go to the doctor," said Xanthi Gray, lead educator for the Children's Museum. "They're in charge, they're the keeper of their animal."
Five-year-old Eleanor Raspa of Rollinsford was especially concerned about her stuffed animal, Old Bunny, having to get a shot for his allergy to poison ivy.
"He doesn't like shots," she said. "That's the only thing he's scared of."
Eleanor did admit he would need some sort of medication, though, to ease his itchy poison ivy allergy.
With two nurse practitioners from Portsmouth Regional Hospital volunteering along with museum staff, there were plenty of people on hand to give the best care possible to the stuffed animals and put worried children's minds at ease.
Teddy, who came to the clinic with a broken foot, was advised to eat more fruits and berries and be careful about how much honey he eats. Teddy's owner, three-year-old Eva Murphy of Eliot, Maine, listened as the nurse practitioner advised Teddy brush his teeth regularly and get plenty of exercise.
After Teddy was weighed on the scale, had his heart and lungs checked with a stethoscope and had his eyes checked, a Band-Aid was placed on his furry foot and he was all set to go.
Eleanor's mother, Jessica Raspa, said the Teddy Bear Clinic is helpful for the children.
"I think this is a great experience for her to nurture her bunny and it gives her perspective for when she goes to the doctor," Raspa said. "It's around this age that they start getting a fear of shots."
Eric Abodeely, office coordinator for Appledore Medical Group, an affiliation of Portsmouth Regional Hospital, said the children took the clinic "very seriously" as though the stuffed animal were their child.
"It's a great opportunity to show the kids that going to the doctor doesn't have to be scary," Abodeely said.
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