Hints for Reducing your Child’s Fear of Shots

An ordinary visit to the pediatrician can turn into a nightmare when your child finds out that he or she will be getting a shot. But it doesn’t have to be that way; parents can help minimize their children’s anxiety about shots. Anticipation and planning are key to preventing your child from becoming distressed over injections, according to the Mayo Clinic. Once a child gets worried and scared, it’s hard to calm him or her down.

Here are some helpful hints that parents can do to help their child with vaccinations:

1.    Tell your child beforehand that he or she will be receiving a shot during the office visit. Children can handle the known better than the unknown.

2.    Give your child some time to prepare, but not so much as to create unnecessary worry. Generally, the younger the child, the shorter the prep time. Consider letting your child know on the morning of the appointment or on the way to the appointment. Parents usually know how much time will create anxiety with their children.

3.    Tell your child in a calm, matter-of-fact voice. Inform your child that you are telling him or her so there won’t be any surprises. Also inform your child that you are going to help him or her when it’s time for the injection.

4.    Be honest and say that the shot will probably hurt. Children need to know HOW it will feel, not WHY it has to happen. Compare the pain to that of a pin prick or bee sting. Never lie to your child.

5.    Remind your child that the shot will be very quick, just a few seconds. Remind your child that he or she does things every day that hurt worse than a shot, e.g. getting a scraped knee.

6.    While in the waiting room, create a distraction for your child by reading together, playing “I Spy” with objects in the waiting room, playing with toys or talking.

7.    Immediately before the injection, ask your child to take deep breaths and blow or count to five. Encourage your child to relax his or her arms by suggesting they pretend they have “spaghetti arms.”

8.    After the shot, give your child honest positive feedback. Tell your child you know that getting a shot is a hard thing, but help your child move on by redirecting his or her attention.

9.    Prepare your child for the next time by asking, “Did it hurt as much as you thought it did?” Most often, your child will say no. Then when it comes time for his or her next office visit with a shot, remind your child how the previous shot was not so terrible after all.

Adapted from Stone, Jeff, American Academy of Pediatrics. 2004. “AAP News Parent Plus; Information from Your Pediatrician.”