Three year old vaccinations- did you tell them about them first?

[hermionieweasley]

If I tell my Ds that his booster jabs on Tuesday will hurt for a little while and then get better, I'm sure he's going to worry and be difficult and not let the nurse near him. How could I prepare him
To make it as smooth sailing as possible?

I left it to the last min to tell mine so he didn’t have much time to fret; but did say they may hurt a little bit!

Does your DS like Bing? There is an episode about vaccinations which my DD watched a few times in the run up to hers. It helped her understand what would happen and that it was nothing to be afraid of.

As much as I hate that whiny fucking bunny, Bing did help her understand and we had no issues on the day, she even told the nurse what was going to happen.

I think that ‘hurting for a little while and then gets better’ makes it sound far more painful and long lasting than it is! Tell him it feels like a light pinch on the upper arm that he won’t feel 30 seconds later. And demonstrate, if you like. I think a little nip with nails is the best equivalent.

Can cope with stupid little Bing a few times if it might help DS, thanks for that recommendation

I didn’t tell them it would hurt. Told them on the way where we we’re going and promised going to the shop for a treat after and it was fine.

I think I just told her that she was having injections, she didn’t really know what that meant.
On the day the HV and nurse had her sit on my lap facing me, got her to sing in your winch spider and they each did an arm at the same time. Can’t have hurt much as did kept singing and just looked a bit confused....!

I told ds. We watched the vaccination episode of Get Well Soon, on Youtube. I also got him a Kinder Egg for after. It was fine.

We practiced first with calpol syringes on toy bunnies. They went “ooh!” Then hopped off for a carrot straight away.
Had chocolate buttons on the day to pop in her mouth as a distraction. Was fine

DS1 had his on Thursday. I let him watch the Bing vaccination episode a few times so he knew what would happen and wouldn’t be scared.

I also promised him chocolate milk and a magazine/comic book for after it was done. He was really good, I thought he would scream the place down and cry but all he did was whimper a little when it went in and then he asked “was that it?” once the last one was done.

I told my child whilst sat in the car in the surgery car park. I said he would have an injection that would be done and stop hurting by the time we counted to ten. He had a lip wobble at the thought but we went in ok. Unfortunately they were running late so he got quite anxious by the time we were seen. Good luck!

I told mine it was some special medicine in her arm and she would get a treat after .
She didn't even flinch . Not a single tear either. I'm not sure she even realised it was done .
The nurse said her total non reaction isn't as unusual as you would think to
It will be fine :)

Yes I did. He had already seen the Bing épisode a few times so he knew what would happen. He was fine with it. Asked if it would hurt and I said no but he might feel a tiny scratch. I took a Freddo with me for after. He was fine. He was more bothered about having to wear a mask in the doctors surgery than about the vaccination!

We just told them they were going to get some medicine in their arm to stop them getting sick. Didn't go into details. They got some chocolate buttons afterwards. None of them seem scarred.

Oh, I can’t remember. I do remember having Freddo’s and giving them to her on the opposite side to the injection so she couldn’t see what was going on.

My nephew got told his would give him superpowers and he was fine.

Do they watch Bing? I put the episode where he gets his jabs on the day before, and said she would be getting some too. I didn't really discuss it apart from that. She was fine on the day and got a Freddo afterwards so was quite happy.

I was so worried about my vocal DD getting hers - I was honest and told her it would hurt for a second like a scratch. I was prepared with choc treats and had ordered lego from Amazon as a bravery treat. She was amazing - cried out when it was done and that was it. Now she keeps asking when she’ll get another vaccination so she can get another toy!

I’d mention that it might hurt. Based on my own experience as a 5yo being told by the anaesthetist that the injection wouldn’t hurt (it bloody did).

The nurse told us to talk about it before hand.

As we were driving to the dr, I said they were going to have some medicine in their arm. I produced a small box of Lego as the nurse was about to do it.

I told mine we were going to the doctors to get special medicine in his arm. He has speech delay, so wouldn't have understood anything more detailed than that. As it happened, he had an almighty tantrum in the way there about something else, so the jabs paled into insignificance. We went to the park afterwards and he was absolutely fine.

Don’t say another word until an hour beforehand
Can’t believe you already mentioned

Play casual
Pack his favourite treat and have it visual whilst he’s having it done
Bring a comforter if he has one, but not if bringing it will take alarm bells

Play it cool Op and he will feed off that

Bing and bribery and it was fine . What’s more if an issue for us is said child is now 41/2 and flatly refusing to ever have the covid vaccine if called as she freaked out at the nasal flu thing last autumn. We will have to escalate bribery to something really good if children get access the vaccine. She was quite easy at 3.

I'll tell dd. But she has a doctors kit. And we do injections and say its OK it's just a scratch.
Our gp surgery is 300 yards from a pound shop. Which she loves looking at all the tat and stuff. So after I'll prob give her a coin to buy a toy in there.

She loved 'tickley nose day' for her flu nasal thing. She is bizzare lol