Choco Gets A Check Up iPhone App Review

  My son is not a fan of the doctor’s office. In fact, he starts crying as we are walking in because he does not want to be there. He has shown some progress with his pediatrician; however, he detests the nurses. Pediatricians have the ability to take their time a bit and win him over. But, the nurses don’t have this luxury. They need to weigh him, take his temperature and oxygen level, measure him, and then leave to move on to the next patient. In addition, they are the people who administer the shots and he is fully aware of this.

One of the tools I have used in the past few months is my iPhone. He was extremely sick in May and he needed to be rushed to the ER with 107 degree fever. It was a very scary night and he needed to be restrained by a few nurses and doctors in order to have an IV (unfortunately twice because they did it wrong the first time) and chest and throat x-rays. Needless to say, we have our work cut out for us in trying to change his opinions of health care workers! While we were waiting to be discharged, I used my iPhone to keep him occupied. There are so many fun and interesting Apps that even a two-year-old can enjoy.

We had the opportunity to review a couple of interactive stories from PicPocket Books last year for our iPad and both of my children loved them. It seemed as though it was divine intervention that I was contacted by the author of “Choco Gets A Check Up” to possibly do a review of the iPhone App of this story. I jumped at the opportunity because my son really needs all the help he can receive!

Choco Gets A Check Up, written by Mary Faulhaber, is the adorable story of a little brown bunny, named Choco. Choco is nervous about visiting the doctor’s office. Children can read and/or listen to the narrator describe how Choco feels, about the support he receives from his friends, and what occurs at the doctor’s office. The images used are real life photos. After each page is read, little question marks pop up on the screen. Children can tap the question marks and listen to a question asked of them or a statement. For example, in one of the photos, children are asked to “Find two green books in the picture”. In other screenshots, they are asked, “Do you have special names for any of your relatives?” At the end of the story, there are real life images of children receiving a check-up. These images show children exactly what occurs in a doctor’s office and reinforces that the children are alright after being examined.

   
I think this App is so clever and a great idea for children who struggle with fear and anxiety about going to the doctor’s office. I think the images that are used are adorable. My son has been listening to the story and says Choco is “cute”. The book is intended for children ages 4 to 8. My son, being only two, does not always have the patience to wait and listen to the narrator read the line before he flips to the next page. In this circumstance, I describe the picture quickly and we talk about it. I will be curious about his willingness to have the App open when we are physically at the doctor’s office. I simply hope that through listening to the story and looking at the images, he will be able to retain enough of it all so that some of his fears are alleviated. We are typically more afraid of the unknown, right? Therefore, I would think that he we are making the routine more “known” to him through this story. Only time will tell I guess! I also like the fact that the App provides all the questions asked at the end so that children can either read them again or parents can reference them later. Particular sight words from the story are provided at the end as well.

Choco Gets A Check Up can be purchased on iTunes. The price for the iPad downloard is $2.99 and the price for the iPhone download is $1.99.

*Disclaimer: I did not receive monetary compensation for this post. I received a free copy of this App for the purpose of this review. The opinions expressed here are my own.