These Cheat Sheets Will Help Reduce Your Child’s Injection Pain
It is difficult to watch your child in pain, so seeing the doctor with injections can be stressful for both the parent and the child. Thankfully, a Canadian public health group has combined some of the best pain reduction tips into two handy pocket guides, one for babies and one for older children.
The Infant Guide recommends using a local anesthetic and giving your baby a few drops of sugar water. You can also breastfeed before, during and after the shot, or try to distract your baby with toys. You can also ask your child to sit directly in your lap instead of lying on the examination table.
A children’s guide seems to highlight topical anesthetics and distractions. He also gives some tips on how to talk to your child: trying to calm him down can backfire if it just makes him think more about the needle.
Both guides also suggest that you consider your own condition and take a few deep breaths to relax if necessary. You can find both guides in the link below, as well as videos that explain everything in more detail.
Pocket Vaccination Guides | Help reduce pain in children and adults
Photo by the US Army Corps of Engineers.