Children hate vaccines. Although not all parents care to give their children the shots, majority make it a point to see their doctors to complete the sessions knowing that vaccines have short term and long term benefits to children. Making it easier for them is the part that parents can possibly do well.
Make the child familiar with the place
Introducing the child to the doctor and staff can help him feel comfortable with the place. This will help eliminate fear and develop the feeling of security and assurance that people in the clinic are not strangers. It will also help to have the same physician give the shots.
Reduce waiting time
If possible, have the vaccination scheduled in lean days. Making the child wait on a long queue develops anxiety on older children, as they are able to see different reactions from children going out from the clinic. Waiting also results in tiredness to younger ones, making it hard for them to relax when receiving the shot.
Bring company
It helps a lot when you bring someone to assist you in relaxing the child during vaccination. It also lessens the tension as one can hold the child in place while the other is comforting her, according to Wikihow.
Provide distractions
Just as the needle goes in, distractions such as making funny face, bringing out the child's favorite toy or anything that could get the child's attention could reduce the pain. Oftentimes what makes the shot painful is not the needle itself but the child's consciousness of what is about to take place.
Numbing the area of injection
Numbing creams disable the nerves form signalling pain to the brain. It must be applied an hour before the shot to lessen the amount of pain brought about by the vaccine, according to Bundoo.
Being calm throughout the process will be the biggest factor to make vaccines easier for children.
