Making Needles and Shots Less Scary for Children

Ensuring your children develop comfort about going to the doctor is important. After all, people must cooperate with physicians all their lives. In particular, encouraging your children to get comfortable with needles will help visits to the doctor go more smoothly. Children get several shots early in life. As they mature, they need occasional injections. How exactly can you help your children tolerate shots with as little fear, anxiety, and discomfort as possible? Here are some suggestions that might help.

--Explain to your child in simple language that everybody gets shots and that, from time to time, he or she will be getting shots also. Mention that Mommy and Daddy get them, and that all children his/her age get shots to stay well. Keep this discussion short and simple. Bring the subject up a day or so before the visit to the doctor.

--If, for some reason, your child starts getting fearful, change the subject. In other words, don't allow opportunity for your child to build up anxiety and distress during the exchange. How you handle it will indicate to him/her whether it is a "big deal" to get a shot.

--Be sure you have confidence in the skills of the pediatrician. This confidence will defray your own anxieties about your child's medical visits. Plus, a good pediatrician will most likely be skilled in giving shots to children of all ages.

--Make sure your child has a toy doctor's kit. Take turns giving each other shots, using the toy needle. Use play as an opportunity to tell your child that when the doctor gives a shot, it will sting or hurt for a few seconds. Be sure to add that the pain will dissipate quickly.

--Coach your child to count to ten while you are administering a "pretend" shot. Suggest he count when he is getting a real shot. Counting helps to de-focus from the shot. Instead, one is focused on the numbers and counting. Praise the child during the "pretend" episode about how well he counted and got through the "shot."

--On the way to the doctor's office, tell your child the two of you will go for a delicious treat or to do something fun afterward. Following through with this plan will provide something special for your child to look forward to and think about during the injection. Thus, having something pleasant on his mind may defuse negative thoughts and feelings about the doctor visit.

--If your child gets briefly anxious or alarmed after getting a shot or doing blood work, give a quick hug and praise him verbally immediately. "Wow, you did great!" or "You did fine with that." Such comments can help the kid feel proud about how he fared during the process. Stating something like "You were very brave" or, "You deserve a reward. Let's go get some ice cream" can go a long way to build pride and self-confidence in a child.

Parents who follow these suggestions may be pleasantly surprised the next time one of their children requires shots or blood work at the doctor's office. Consistently applying these tips with your child, over time, will assist him in accepting shots and injections without anxiety or distress.

Source

Original version of this article is published on Helium by this author.