Reduce pain and anxiety related to immunization in children

Reduce pain and anxiety related to immunization in children

Description

Prepare the child for vaccination

Adopt a calm and reassuring attitude

Breastfeeding the Infant

Offer a sweet solution to the baby

Maintain an adequate position

Use distraction

Relieve pain and reactions caused by vaccination

Landmarks

health tips

Description

It is important to have children vaccinated and to respect the vaccination schedule to protect them against serious infectious diseases.

Most vaccines are given with a needle, which can scare children and parents. Fear can cause some parents to delay vaccinating their children. They leave it unprotected against several serious illnesses.

The parents' attitude and behavior towards vaccination are important for a child. Indeed, children observe their parents know how to act and feel.

There are proven ways to reduce pain and anxiety in children who need a vaccine. The following tips and advice will help you make the immunization experience more positive for your child. You can also use more than one way to get better results.

Prepare the child for vaccination

Children of understanding age can be prepared for vaccination. Here are some tips and advice to prepare your child a few hours before the vaccination session:

Talk to your child about the vaccination and answer their questions. Tell him why he's going to get a vaccine. Tell him, for example, that it's important for him to stay healthy.

Describe the procedure for the vaccination session.

Never present vaccination as a punishment to your child.

Do not tell your child that the injection will not hurt them. Instead, explain that they will feel a stinging, tingling or pinching sensation and that the pain will be short-lived.

Tell or read a story about a child getting a vaccine.

Watch a video on the subject together.

Adopt a calm and reassuring attitude

Adopt the following attitudes to help your child feel safe and reassured in the face of vaccination:

Stay calm and smile and speak in a normal voice.

This could make your child even more afraid.

If you feel anxious, breathe slowly, and deeply. This will help you relax and keep calm.

After the vaccination, cuddle your child, congratulate him and reward him.

Breastfeeding the Infant

If you are breastfeeding your baby, you can do so during the vaccination to calm and reassure him. Research has shown that babies don't make the link between immunization pain and breastfeeding.

Baby's position for breastfeeding

The position of the Madonna is suggested to breastfeed your baby during the vaccination. In this position, your baby's head rests on your forearm or in the crook of your elbow, on the side of the breast that feeds him. With the other arm, support his buttocks and hold his feet. Make sure to clear the arm or leg where he will receive the vaccine.

Offer a sweet solution to the baby

If your baby is less than 2 years old, you can give him a sugar solution before the injection. It is a recognized way to relieve pain in children of this age.

Do not use sugar water to calm your baby if he is upset or crying. The sugar solution should be used only as a means of relieving pain during vaccination.

Prepare the sweet solution by mixing the following ingredients:

5 ml (1 tsp) sugar

15 ml (1 tbsp) water

Do not replace sugar with honey. Indeed, honey can cause severe food poisoning in children under 1-year-old. So avoid giving them honey, whether it's pasteurized or not.

From 1 to 2 minutes before the injection, give small amounts of sugar solution to your baby using a cup, spoon, or syringe. You can also dip his pacifier in the sugar solution and give it to him.

If you plan to breastfeed your child during the vaccination, do not give the sugar solution before the injection.

Maintain an adequate position

You can reassure your child by holding him in your arms during the vaccination. Keeping it in a good position will also allow it to receive the vaccine safely. Here's how:

Hold your child in your lap, in the position the vaccinator will tell you. Make sure your child is comfortable.

Hug it, but avoid tightening it too tight. This could make him more anxious.

Here are examples of suitable positions to adopt for the vac