Bringing Toddler to Ultrasound Appt?

well I never had the option for all three of my pregnancies to not bring a child/children with to all apointments. I don't see what the big deal would be. talk about the apointment and how you expect you child to behave. I managed all my apts with kids you should be fine just be prepared.

I just had my 20 week ultrasound for my second child. One thing I had forgotten was just how long they take. I had a very capable tech and it took about 45 minutes. Something you'll want to consider.

It depends on the child. My son (almost three when we got pregnant) hated seeing me lying down and being poked and prodded by someone else. He hated the dark. He couldn't tell that what was on the screen was a baby. It wasn't a very fun experience for him, and it made it so that my husband had to miss a lot of it too. That being said, I've heard some kids LOVE seeing the heartbeat, totally get that what they're looking at is their brother/sister. Maybe 21 months old is a little young, but if you have no other childcare options, what can you do?

I'm an ultrasound tech (and I have a toddler). From the tech's perspective, kids of any age are fine, but we'd prefer them to wait in another room until we're done doing the fetal survey. You have no idea how hard it is to concentrate on looking for the fetal heart chambers, brain parts, internal organs, etc when there's a crying child in the room and mom & dad are trying to get the kid to "look at the baby." The fetus is first, and then show & tell is second. That probably sounds really rude, but you have to look at it from our perspective. If we miss something important because we're distracted, then that something isn't seen by the doctor.
When that part's all done, I absolutely love bringing the whole family in and showing the little kids the new baby. Who doesn't love to see happy families?
But then again, the little kids are never that interested. And then they forget about it as soon as they walk out the door :)

I think it would be fun! It's a fairly short visit anyway... and as long as hubby is there to keep him (her?) entertained, I don't think there would be an issue. Plus, it will help include your toddler in the excitement of your pregnancy. :) I don't know if it's common practice or not though...

I have experience with this, taking a sibling and not taking a sibling. Definitely do NOT take a sibling. The doctor needs to focus on what they are doing. When the child is in the background moving around, making noise, crying, asking for juice, etc. it makes for a disastrous situation. Can a friend meet you there and just sit with your daughter in the waiting room? If not, I would reschedule.

I think it would be a cool experience for all of you if your toddler was involved. Explain it's a special camera that will let him/her see the baby while it's in the tummy!

I think you need to leave them at home. Toddler are just too active. You might see if you can bring a flash drive or CD with you to record the ultrasound. That way you can show it to your oldest at home. Also - not trying to scare you or anything like that but you need to think about what would you do with your toddler if something shows up on the ultrasound ? That is what happened with us. We took our 4 year old to my 18 week sono and there were some problems with the baby we had no idea about. I was upset and crying, my husband was upset, and our son didn't know what was going on. We couldn't tell the sex of the baby and he kept wanting to know why we couldn't tell him. Just something to keep in mind.

My first went to every single apt for my second. He had just turned 2 a couple months before I got pregnant. He did fine every single time. I'm assuming your husband will be there so he can keep an eye on your child and give your child a lap to sit on while you're lying on a table getting the ultrasound. There was no problems at all. My son loved seeing his soon to be little brother too. My first and second came to every apt when I was pregnant with my third. They were a little older, 8&5. They were perfect and loved seeing the ultrasounds ( I ended up having to have several because my daughter kept going sideways and breach at the end, she turned and stayed head down in time for a natural birth in the end thankfully!)
If I were to have any more I'd bring all the siblings along for everything just as I have done. I am glad I did. My first & second where there for the birth of their sister even. My first had just happened to wander out of the room to where Grandma was just moments before his brother was born. Having my other children there halped me be calm and deal with the labor. I could litterally see what my light at the end of the tunnel was ;)

Well, my daughter was 3, when I was preggers with my 2nd child.
I brought her to ALL my prenatal appointments.... which my OB/GYN also, encouraged. He'd even teach her how to use the Doppler heart monitor on my tummy. She loved that.
We'd just make sure, that during my look see exam.... that the draping was on my bottom half and my daughter was by me near my upper body area. But, she knew darn well the Doc was examining my privates. She is well adjusted and mature and I had no qualms about that. Nor did the Doctor.
My daughter was with me/my Hubby at one of my ultrasounds, and it was no problem. I have seen LOTS of children, with their Moms, at these appointments.

all the best,
Susan

I brought my son and my husband held him. It was a nice experience. If you are worried about the rays from the machine, I don't think it will hurt since they are not doing the ultrasound on him, lol...but check with the nurse for the better advice.

I brought my daughter to most of my doctor appointments and 2 of my ultrasounds during my pregnancy. She was (is) 2 1/2. She did very well through all of it. I thought it was important to include her in the process and to let her be a part of all of it. She got to hear the baby's heartbeat and see it on the monitor. The US technician even printed seperate pictures for her and typed in "Hi Big Sister" on them. She is now really happy to be a big sister to her 11 week old little sister. She loves her very much and always wants to help out. I think you have to make the decision on how you think your toddler will be in the room. One thing that was great was that the nurse and doctor always made my toddler feel special at my appointments. It wasn't just about me, it was about her being a big sister. They gave her balloons, suckers, little gifts at nearly every appointment. She loved being a part of my pregnancy!!

I would definitely not do it. First of all, a 21 month old is a baby that cannot
understand the concept of time, picture of baby etc. Secondly, the
18 week U/S is the biggie. It takes time. Probably about 45 min. Put in
a baby walking around, talking, pushing buttons and basically distracting
the tech,it will take a lot longer. Don't you have a friend that could babysit
for a few hours? If not have you husband stay in the waiting room until
all important measurements and info are obtained.

We brought our (then) 5 yo and not quite 2 yo with us to that one. The toddler was confined to the stroller. The 5 yo was pretty psyched to see the baby.

Your spouse needs to be willing and able to manage the crowd control! : )

we took our 15months old to my ultrasound.. they turned off the lights and she started screaming too dark..

NO do not bring the toddler.. not a goood idea.

We brought our oldest to the second's ultrasound. My husband was able to stay long enough to find out the sex and ended up out in the waiting room with a crying toddler. If you don't have an option, do it; just know he may not be able to see much (he meaning your husband). Also, a friend of mine got bad news at the ultrasound -- just remember that they are looking for medical reasons, not just to find out the sex. She had her (older) two girls with her and wished she hadn't because of the news.

I brought my 4 yr old and 3 yr old with me to almost all my appts (except internals). They were sooo excited to see and hear baby. We also talked alot about baby and my appts so I think that helped.

I say go with your gut feeling. You know your child the best. If you think your kiddo does well with waiting and doesn't get antsy then I say go for it. But if they need lots of attention then I would prob pass.

Our doctor who did the ultrasound actually thanked us for not bringing our son with us. Each kid is different. My son would have been running around and trying to push buttons and driving us all crazy.

When I was pregnant with my second child, his brother was a littler younger than your little one and he did fine. He didn't really care about seeing a picture of the baby but he had my mother to keep him occupied when he got bored. We made sure to have a small supply of toys and books. We also made sure to have a fresh sippy for him as well as a light snack. A little container of cheerios, I think. As long as your husband or some other adult will be with you to help it should be fine.

We took our daughter who was about the same age as your child to our 20 week ultrasound. We wanted her to share in the excitment of finding out what the baby was. She sat with my husband the whole time and watched her little brother on the screen. It might be kind of risky to bring a young child, but it's worth it. :)

When I was pregnant with my 2nd, we took our oldest son to 1 ultrasound. I had 3 during the pregnancy. He did pretty good for how young he was. My 2 oldest boys are only 21 months apart so my oldest was only about 18 months I guess.
With our 3rd baby we didn't have anyone to watch our 2 older boys either, So we took them to the ultrasound. They did pretty good. Had to remind them to be quiet a couple times, but they loved seeing the baby! They were 3 and 4 at the time.

Our doctor's office doesn't allow children in the ultrasound room, so you may want to check on their policy before you go.

I just had mine 5 weeks ago and my husband and I took our 14 month old with us. She cried the whole time so my hubby had to leave the room as soon as we found out the sex of the baby (It's a girl!). The ultrasound tech said that usually if the sibling is pretty young then they don't do well because it's scary for them to see anyone touching their Mommy. But my 3 year old was perfectly fine. He loved seeing "his baby". Good Luck!

Our son was that age and we brought him so he could see the new baby. He loved it and really felt more a part of things. It helped him to understand that there was really a baby in there. I really liked that my son was so into it. I also let him watch some of the labor and delivery shows on TV with me and told him that is how his baby brother would be born (they don't show anything too graphic on TV). And I found some pictures online of babies in utero at different stages and let him see that. They were drawings and he could see the outside of the tummy around the baby, that seemed to make him have a really strong connection to the reality his brother was in my belly. He would talk to his brother and rub and kiss my belly a lot. So my vote is to make your child as much a part of things as possible! Congrats :D

We're in the exact same situation. Considering bringing our 21 month old to our upcoming ultrasound as well. Looking forward to reading all of your responses. Great question! :)

My husband and I brought our boys to them. My first was about 16 months when he came, then they both came when I was pregnant with #3. My husband was "in charge" and the boys were really well behaved. I think he left a few minutes early, but they did just fine.

We did it with our son who was just over 2 at the time. He wasn't that into it and we had to keep him from turning on and off switches, etc. The ultrasound tech didn't mind, though. It was all right and we did it because we didn't have childcare either, but don't expect him/her to get anything at that age. Maybe if your first is a girl she will... but boys, well, they're more interested in mischief. ;-)

Why not. Sometimes the children are blase about it and other times they are wonderfully excited asking all kinds of questions. Just prepare your toddler for the visit. Let your 21 month old know what to expect and what is expected from them. Your husband will have to hold onto the child as you will be too occupied to do so.

I took my first daughter to all my prenatal appts. But for my 3rd pregnacy I took both girls 4 1/2 and 21 months with me and the 21 month old freaked out and wanted to lie on top of me during the ultrasound...... but my hubby wasn't with me. It didn't work out quite how I'd hoped, thankfully it was an earlier ultrasoud. I haven't taken the youngest to another appt. since, but I'm lucky enough to have a couple friends who can help me for an hour or 2! Crossing my fingers it goes better for you!

I don't see what not, it's not a pelvic exam. J.

we brought our son (who was a little older than yours), and he was just fine...bring a stroller and give him a snack and a toy to play with in the stroller. If your husband is going too, he should be able to distract a little...

me and my hubby took our toddler to my ultrasound. I think she would have been right about the same age as yours. It was fine. She just sat on Daddy's lap and we brought her a snack and she was totally fine. And when we found out the gender the tech gave my daughter a little pink bracelet to wear. So bring her...they won't care.

Not crazy at all! We brought our 2 year old and brought her doctor's kit with her. While the tech did her thing, our daughter got to "play along" with her toy kit. While that didn't occupy her the entire time, it made her fee a part of it. My husband was also prepared to "multi-task" by entertaining her and staying engaged during the whole ultrasound (even though he felt like all he could see were a bunch of ambiguous black and white blobs and not a baby). =)

Our son was a little older - just under 4yo - when I had an ultrasound at 20 wks. We wanted him to come along! And he wanted to come too. If your husband will be there with you, do it! It was great for our little guy...we talked alot about the baby before, but I think this made it all "more real" for him. He was very excited to find out with us that he was having a baby brother. We brought things to do - small notepad, things to draw with, small cars, etc. In fact, he drew a picture of his new baby brother right there in the room based on what he saw on the ultrasound! It was wonderful!

We took our son at about the same age. My husband held him and he was very interested in what was going on and was fine. Im sure he didnt "get it" but I wanted him there to find out if he was having a baby brother or sister. Probably because there will be an ultrasound tech in the room and all this crazy machinery, he'll probably be too busy trying to figure out whats going on to mess with anything! Congrats :)

I am a nurse-midwife and people bring their other kids to appts/ultrasound all the time. Just make sure your partner is prepared to hold him/her during the ultrasound so that the lights and buttons aren't an issue.

I took my oldest to every appoointment for my youngest and it was great. My oldest loved hearing the heartbeat and we feel like it helped her understand what was happening. She was 17 months when we got pregnant.

Just have your husband hold your child as much as you can and stick a couple snacks in the diaper bag if kiddo gets squirmy.

I brought my 18 months old son to my 20 week u/s and it was so cute he wanted to sit by me on the table and the u/s tech didn't mind in fact she said it was ok and suggested that we do it. He loved looking at the picture and was amazed. My husband was there to and that helped. Don't feel bad do what you have to do. the 21 month old will probably enjoy it. Just in case, you can bring a toy that can maintain the childs attention (I use wooden blocks, easily sanitized, coloring, legos, etc). Good luck congratulations!!!

I have 2 year old twins, and we're expecting our third. I haven't had to yet, but I'm fully prepared to bring the boys if I don't have a babysitter. You have to do what you have to do. I would bring him/her in the stroller so you can restrain your child. That will prevent playing with any equipment not meant to be played with.

We always took our other children with us. We wanted them to share in the excitement with us. It was always a fun trip, but well worth it. Never did we have any problems with any of the children pushing buttons.

We took our son when we had our U.S. Wouldn't have had it any other way :) it really made him feel like he was part of everything. He was a little bit older and asked a lot of questions and was intrigued by the entire process.

I took my daughter - she was younger than that, but it worked out great, and the same person that did our ultra sound with her did it with my next one, and so he got to meet her - that was kind of cool.... I think you should take her!

My son was 6 months oldcwhen I got pregnant with #2 and I took him to every appt. When my kids were 2 and 15 months I got pregnant with #3 and took both kids to the appts, withbthe exception of vaginal exams. The dr was very receptive and my kids loved hearingbthe baby's heartbeat and seeing them on screen.

Heh...if your toddler is anything like my twins (highly energetic, highly into EVERYTHING)...I'd try to do what I can to find care. But if your child is able to sit still, I would bring him/her along and a few small but fun toys to keep him/her occupied. Obviously dad will be there so you won't be going it alone. It all just depends on the personality of your child I supppose.
Good luck on the health of baby no. 2..and congrats!

We brought our son(who was a little older at the time). The technician was really nice and explained what was on the screen to our son. I think it was a great experience for us all to be there for together. My hubby held my son and he was quiet and calm the whole time. But my SIL's office does not allow children in the sonogram room for some reason, she was pretty bummed to learn that. Appointments were fine to bring kids, but not to the sonogram, so I would double check with the office before you make your plans.