1 Beth Israel Medical Center, 10 Nathan D. Perlman Place, New York, NY 10003
To the Editor.
Many pediatricians give small gifts to children at the end of a visit, especially if the child has been subjected to some pain, such as occurs with immunization. Some of the gifts, such as a balloon, are relatively short-lived; others such as a lollipop do nothing to promote good nutrition, and if anything, enhance dental decay.
For the past few years I have used a different approach that accomplishes several goals simultaneously. I give my patients our family's used tennis balls.