Although giving shots is routine practice for travel nursing specialists, many children who receive them have a frightening experience. A majority of kids have long had a phobia of needles. Luckily, there are ways to make everyone’s lives easier. Check out these tricks that travel nursing specialists can use to make shots less scary for kids:
1. Explain how shots help them
Before administering the shot, explain to children (with the needle out of sight) in an age-appropriate way that shots are meant to protect their health. The body cannot fight germs on its own – it needs some help. Keep the conversation positive.
“Children need to know that vaccines aren’t a punishment or something negative, vaccines are something that keeps them from getting sick,” Rita John, director of the pediatric primary care nurse practitioner program at Columbia University School of Nursing in New York City, said in a statement. “The best way to talk about vaccines is to keep the conversation positive and focused on the benefits of vaccination.”
2. Provide toys
You can consider putting a toy medical kit in the waiting room, so toddlers and preschoolers can play with it and pretend to give shots to their parents or a doll.
3. Use a numbing cream or spray
For the shot, a travel nurse can use a numbing cream or spray to reduce the pain caused by the needle.
“If the kids think something is going to reduce their pain, there can be a placebo effect where the technique works because they expect it to work,” John explained.
4. Distract them
Blowing on a pinwheel or bubble maker can help take younger children’s minds off of getting a shot, while playing games, listening to music or texting may benefit older children and teens.
If that doesn’t work, engage children in a light-hearted conversation while giving the shot. Getting them to forget that they’re receiving a vaccination – even for a few seconds – can completely distance them from the frightening stigma and make the occasion seem harmless. Ask about a favorite TV show, what they did this summer or who their favorite superhero is.
5. Give rewards
Afterward, reward children with sugar-free gum or sugarless candy. Reinforcing the fact that they did a good job can help reduce anxiety in the future. Next time, they will look forward to getting a treat.