Please help - DS1 has jabs this afternoon - don't know what to say to him

[hippmummy]

Hi, any advice welcome.

DS1 is nearly 3 and has pre-school jabs booked for this afternoon. I havent told him yet as he is a bit of an obsesser and would have been worrying and asking questions about it endlessly (he recently had blood taken and it his reaction was awful).

He is also very afraid of pain and cant even cope with a grazed knee without enormous drama, so Ive been wary of telling him it might hurt.

I really dont know what to say and when, to make it easiest for him - do I wait til we are in the waiting room? In the nurses room?

Whatever happens I know he will scream the place down, but what will cause him the least anxiety?

Thanks

[dassie]

Why not tell him you are going to see the nurse for a check. Then ask the nurse to explain whats going to happen. Our nurse is brilliant at explaining these things to kids - he must be used to doing it by now!

[hippmummy]

Thanks dassie - i hadn't thought of that. My biggest worry was telling him before and not being able to get out of the house!

BTW I meant he's nearly 4 not 3!

[Blu]

I would just be extremely matter of fact and include the fact that this time he might ned a bit of an injection....it might make him wnat to go 'ow' just for a v quick moment. Then, whatever you feelings under usual circumstances, as soon as the nurse starts to hold his arm, produce a lolly in a wrapper to the other side of him from the nurse, iyswim, by the time he has registered an interest, she will have done it - it is so quick!

Personally, I have always told DS before we go in, so that he knows it's something I am in control of, not something that pelle can spring on him, and so that he doesn't always wonder if things like that might happen every time we go in.

When push comes to shove, if he screams, he screams - horrible, I know, but it hurts a lot less than a graze.

[Aloha]

Put chocolate in his mouth the second before the needle goes in. I bet he won't even notice!

[Nemo2007]

My DS had his about 3months ago when my DD2 was having her last set. I didnt say anything until about an hour before when I explained he had to have a needle that would hurt but would stop him getting very sick. I then promised him a trip to toy shop afterwards and had a lollipop for straight after. He actually did a lotr better than i anticipated

[indignatio]

To my ds (similar age at the time - measles vac) I explained, v close to the actual time, why he was having it done and that it might hurt. He understood and in hindsight I would have told him that it will hurt - as it did !! He is fine about having injections now as he understands the reason for them. He will not however have any plasters put on him as the removal of the plaster after the injection was more tramatic for him than the injection.

[wishingfourgotone]

my dd1yo and our gp gives her loads choc first then jabs, was worried about her having that booster too in case she remembers it, got upset etc but she only ever crys when the stuff pushed in then stops afterwards my gp also had weird singing dancing shark that dd though was funny

[wishingfourgotone]

indignatio, i also refuse the plaster as the area is sore then to have to take plaster off that is pure cruelty!

[Nemo2007]

mmm Ds actually wanted the plaster but they didnt put it on but just gave it to him.

[oliveoil]

dd1 had to have a series of blood tests for her allergies, first time was ok, rest dreadful as she know what was coming

I said it will hurt for a few seconds, then we will have a big cuddle and you can choose a toy on the way home

bribes work wonders imo

and I was matter of fact and breezy as if it was nothing even though it was breaking my heart to see her scared

if you make a big deal of they will pick up on it

xx

[oliveoil]

the nurses were brilliant at the hospital, they had a bubble machine and kept her distracted while they took the blood

[foxinsocks]

yes, get chocolate buttons

the nurse will do this but just in case, get him to look out the window or spot a spider or something as she puts the needle in so that he doesn't watch

(ds cottoned on and managed to wriggle free and grab the needle out of his arm!)

[Grrrr]

From experience, 10 seconds warning is plenty of notice of the impending jabs .

I worried for months about the pre-school booster thingy and basically just told ds1 that he was going to see the nurse to have some medicine to stop him catching "nasty sickness bugs" when he went to school.

When we got there I still said nothing about the jabs until we were actually in the nurse's room and let her tell him before her and another nurse each jabbed an arm at the same time to get it all over and done with at once.

I braced myself for the howls of pain and floods of tears, but do you know what ? He looked a bit stunned but he was absolutely fine about it and got such praise for being a really brave boy that he beamed ear to ear.

I hadn't told him that I was going to treat him to a new book/toy immediately afterwards as I was saving that treat to coax him out of what I thought would be a real crying fit but I didn't get to do this because he couldn't wait to get to nursery to show off his brave lion stickers, so off he went !

[janinlondon]

Ask the nurse to prepare the needles BEFORE you go into the room. Doing it in front of the kid is a recipe for disaster.

[frazzledazzle]

Whenever my DS1 (nearly 4)has has a hospital appointment in the past I've told him where we are going and why in advance and it has worked well,however when he was going for jabs I told him he was going to have medicene in his arms to stop him getting sick so he could keep going to nursery big mistake

When the nurse called him in he had an hysterical fit and the receptionist had to pin him on her knee as I was heavily pregnant.

Thats my long winded way of saying dont tell

[hippmummy]

Hi, thanks for all the replies - it went much better than I could have wished for

I decided to tell him at lunchtime that we were going to the doctors for a 'check up' but he immediately asked if it was going to hurt so I couldn't lie!

I told him he would have special medicine in his arm but would eat chocolate at the same time to stop it hurting.

I also told him he could have a lollypop afterwards and watch some tv.

He only cried a tiny bit and has been good as gold all afternoon.

Glad that's over