Office Space

MY CHILD, now 12, actually likes going to the doctor. She always has. I could chalk this up to stellar parenting or profound bravery on her part, but I think I should give credit where it’s due: the office is just cool.

Coastal Pediatrics’ Midtown office boasts themed exam rooms—themes like dinosaurs, farm and outer space—and the waiting room is divided into three distinct spaces: a newborn area, sick room and well room. Their new Pooler location, which opened its doors in January, is organized much the same way— though with 1,000 additional square feet, pediatrician Dr. Matt Wilson describes it as, “Like the Midtown office, but on steroids.” There, each themed exam room is age-specific, designed to accommodate evolving interests and skills. The toddler rooms include a built-in café, camper, and train station, and older children enjoy a 7x8 foot Lego wall and mini basketball court. The teen room, meanwhile, includes an arcade table stocked with dozens of games.

Some may see this all as just bells and whistles to keep patients content, but there’s more to it. “As a pediatrician, I can watch patients play to assess their gross motor development, fine motor skills, and speech as they interact with me and with their parents or siblings,” says Wilson.

This whole setup might horrify my mother, who used to warn me, “Don’t touch anything!” Here, they encourage play.

By ANDREA GOTO