take a shot

tell the truth. “Don’t say the shot won’t hurt because kids will learn you’re lying and you can lose their trust,” says Margaret Fisher, M.D., recent chair of the Section of Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Be honest and remind them that it might hurt but only for a few seconds. Being in the know will greatly reduce pre-shot jitters. be tactful. If you talk about the subject too much, your child may become anxious. Ari Brown, M.D., author of Baby 411 recommends that you don’t tell your child about a shot too soon before the actual doctor’s visit. She reasons if they have the time beforehand to anticipate the visit, anxiety will build up. help prevent the pain. There are various tactics that people swear by to help lessen the pain that comes with a vaccination. The coughing method has received some national attention lately. Here’s how it works: Having your child let out a big cough at the exact time of a shot provides a distraction, and the sensory stimuli of the sound and feeling of the cough— per the British

Journal of Plastic Surgery—may compete with the pain, making it practically unnoticeable. This method apparently works because upon the initial cough, blood pressure is momentarily increased, and hypertension is known to reduce pain perception. For the full e ect, it’s important for the cough to coincide with the shot. If there are multiple injections, a cough can be repeated for each. take it easy. Lindsay Uman, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at IWK Health Centre in Canada has noted the parallel between parental behavior during vaccinations and the amount of pain and anxiety their child experiences at a doctor’s visit. If you relax, maybe they will, too. She explains that a simple “it’s OK” or “don’t worry” is often enough to put a child’s mind at ease. If your child is simply having a tantrum, stepping out of the room to allow the nurses to do their job may help. Some children, however, su er from a more serious fear of needles and may need more reassurance. Hold or hug them in a comfortable position. Most pediatricians will accommodate the situation to the best of their ability. For example, instead of administering four separate shots by one nurse, two nurses could administer the shots simultaneously, resulting in two pricks instead of four.

implement a reward system.

Incentive for an easy trip to the doctor may be a promised ice cream cone or trip to the bowling alley. Discussing these options on the way to the doctor may keep your child’s mind o what’s to come.