Making Vaccinations Easier for Children: There is a Way

VANCOUVER ISLAND – The photograph or video clip of the grimacing or crying child has been featured prominently in recent weeks as children get vaccinated against H1N1.  While it is “normal” for children to be scared and cry when they get an immunization, there are things parents and caregivers can do to make it easier on children – and their caregivers:

1. Be honest with your child, no matter their age.  Explanations should be brief, but accurate.  It is okay to tell your child the vaccination might hurt and give them permission to cry if it hurts. Answer your child’s questions and listen to their concerns. Let your younger child know that you will help them and you are together.
2. Choose the right person to accompany your child for their vaccination. If a parent is anxious or “needle-phobic,” the child will pick up on their parent’s anxiety. Consider a grandparent or close friend as options to accompany the child. This person should sit with the infant/child while the immunization is given; the parent/caregiver would be present following the vaccination to provide comfort. 
3. Engage in distraction activities to help your child through the difficult moments. Distraction methods may include wriggling your toes and/or counting to ten; bringing a “seek and find” book or your child’s favourite story to read; using relaxation and deep breathing (blowing bubbles helps with deep breathing).
4. Allow your child take his/her favourite Teddy, or a security blanket for comfort.  
5. Practice giving your younger child a hug so they know what it will feel like if you have to hold them still for the immunization.
6. Reassure your child that the vaccination is not because they did something ‘bad’ or ‘silly.’ Young children sometimes think unpleasant events like immunizations or getting needles are punishment.
7. After the immunization, let your child release tension they might feel by shaking the immunized arm to help it relax or do a quick ‘silly dance.’ 
8. Offer your child a special treat or reward – it doesn’t have to be a big one – for being brave and getting their immunization. This treat or reward is not based on your child’s “performance” when they received their immunization – it is given because the child went through with the vaccination, regardless of how they acted when they received it.

Finally, remember that it is OK for your baby or child to cry.  Babies and younger children may start to cry even before the immunization is given because the parent or caregiver is holding and hugging them and they do not want to be restrained.

A positive experience – or at least mitigating a negative memory – around receiving vaccinations is important: How a child receives and perceives vaccinations from the time they are only months old and throughout their lives, establishes memories small children do not understand. As they become older and their communication skills improve, adults in the child’s life can help them deal with the stress and anxiety that having a vaccination can bring.

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Media Contact:
Shannon Marshall
VIHA Communications
250-370-8270