Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

Original poster

Pre-school vaccination advice

14 replies

Jillish · 28/07/2021 16:34

DD (3yo) is having her vaccinations soon- sounds like there will be one in each arm.

Just looking for advice on what to tell her beforehand and how to prepare her.

OP posts:

TeenMinusTests · 28/07/2021 16:53

You are going to have some medicine to keep you well. All children have them.
It is going to be by injection which is a needle in your arm, and it might ouch a bit, but I will be with you to help you be brave.
Afterwards we'll go to the shop and choose you sweets/toy for being brave.

Or before hand read a Charlie & Lola or other book which covers injections.

Borka · 28/07/2021 16:57

Make sure that she knows that only the tip of the needle will go in, not the whole thing. At that age I was terrified that the nurse was going to stick the needle all the way in.

SallyCinnamon3009 · 28/07/2021 16:57

I don't think I told my son anything just took him in and then think the nurse might have mentioned medicine. He was going through a doc mcstuffins phase at the time so was happy enough to go to the drs and then made up he got a sticker. What worked for us was not making a big deal and over thinking it. Appreciate that might not be much help x

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General health

Happyelfjokeday · 28/07/2021 17:53

Also agree it’s a good idea to say she will be having something called an injection to stop her getting poorly, and it will be a little sharp scratch in each arm that might be a tiny bit ouchy for a second. And would she like to choose 2 little treats to have after to cheer her up… (eg chocolate buttons?). Mainly the focus is on having the injection and then straight onto the treat…?!

DownWhichOfLate · 28/07/2021 17:55

Tell her just as you get to the surgery that she will be getting an injection and it will be a bit sore but if she counts to five it’ll be over. Then buy her a treat afterwards.

Marmite27 · 28/07/2021 17:56

There’s a Bing episode on iplayer called vaccination.

BunnyBerries · 28/07/2021 18:07

We got a play doctors set to play with the day before the vaccination. Didn't mention it at all before then until then so it wasn't a big deal. At that age they don't really understand that a needle goes in so just said that we would be getting a vaccination to stop getting sick, which is like a tiny "pinch" in the arm, which they practiced themselves. And that then they will get a sticker. No bigging it up with promises of big treats to make them nervous, they were just excited with the doctor visit. They waited and expected a pinch feeling and the vaccination was a breeze! Bring stickers in case the doctor has none!

confusedlots · 28/07/2021 18:32

I made a mistake with my first child be not mentioning it at all until we got there, thinking she wouldn't have time to think about it. She went hysterical and there was no way she was going to let anyone near her so we just had to go home. I left it a few weeks then we watched the Bing vaccination video, talked about how it was going to be like a little scratch and pretending to give each other a little scratch, and bribed her with chocolate during the jabs and a trip to the ice cream shop afterwards. Second attempt was absolutely fine thankfully, I couldn't have faced having to leave again with no vaccinations!

So I talked about it a lot more beforehand with second child and bribes all the way. He was fine, although he's generally a much more chilled out child anyway.

chantico · 28/07/2021 18:51

I never told mine that it's wouldn't hurt, because if it did they might not trust you with anything else that happened at the doctors

I said it'll feel a bit like a hot scratch and it'll all be done in just a few seconds, and then we'll call in at the corner shop on the way home and they can have sweeties of their choice (a rare treat, to have unfettered choice, but I think this is worth rewarding big)

Also useful for the jab to have DC on your knee facing sideways with limb exposed. Then you cuddle them in such a way that you're also holding them still. They won't realise until it's too late, and it's much faster if they're not wriggling

AntiSocialDistancer · 28/07/2021 18:55

Dr Ranj probably has a great you tube video. We watched a lot of that sort of thing for going to the optician, having a tummy bug etc

TeenMinusTests · 28/07/2021 18:59

In the surgery I sat DD on my knee and held her in a firm cuddle body & head with head pointing away from the nurse, just talked gently throughout.

stclair · 28/07/2021 19:07

I really think it’s best to say as little as possible - no talk of needles and ouchy or anything like that. I’m a practice nurse and a lot of children refuse to even come in the door and it can make it a very traumatic experience. Talk of medicine to keep you healthy and a bribe good though.

Whitewolf2 · 28/07/2021 19:13

With my first dc it went really badly! I didn’t tell her much at all in advance as I thought it would be better for her to not be worried about it and that we’d just get it over with. In reality she cried and cried and was really angry with me for ages afterwards!
So my second I did warn her, explained why she had to have it, and that it would hurt, but then she’d have a treat after and we’d go to her favourite park. This method went much better, no crying and no anger!

Grace58 · 28/07/2021 19:21

With both mine I’ve explained a needle will put special medicine in their arms, it will feel like a hot scratch then a little bit cold, afterwards we buy a cake or biscuit roughly the size of their head and a £1 toy from the much coveted toy machine at Sainsbury’s! Neither enjoyed it, but equally neither is traumatised! Make sure you dress them in something short sleeved. Good luck!

Flip