To think it’s really bloody difficult to do a PCR test on a young child?

[ChuckGarabedian]

Took my two children (3 and 5) for a PCR test this afternoon after they were notified as close contacts. My husband and I had to take the test also.

Both the kids freaked out, we’re scared it was going to hurt, and would barely let us do the test (which for them was nostril only). I’m afraid each of them is going to be void. But I’ll need a negative result to send them back to school and nursery.

It just seems really difficult to do this test on children so young. What has anyone else’s experience been?

Yep my 5yo has had 7, all horrendous, the most recent we ordered a home PCR and my husband had to practically sit on her while I pinned her arms down and quickly swabbed her nose (it was valid). She's currently ill again with a fever so have just ordered another. Dreading it

It's awful. My dd is utterly distraught when we have to do one. She has a complete breakdown and it takes 2 adults to hold her down in her car seat. She's of an age where she will remember this and it makes me so upset. Bribery doesn't work. Asking her to do it herself doesn't work. The only option is to force her. And her school is now making kids take pcrs every time they have a snotty nose. Which reception kid doesn't have one of those weekly!

Difficult?! It’s hell! I cried and I’m not a crier plus almost dislocated my shoulder getting into the back of the car (wasn’t allowed to get out of the car and was on my own)

I have a 19 year old but he has severe developmental delays so when he had to have a PCR last week we followed the guidelines for small children and just did the nose. He didn’t like it at all and DH had to jump back so he didn’t get swiped but even though it was only in his nose for a short time we didn’t get an invalid result.

She broke her arm and when I had to take her to the hospital she was so distressed and later that evening she told me that she thought they would put things up her nose. She thinks all medical people put things up your nose.

It is awful. My 4 year old has had a few. He is scared of it going up his nose 😢 last time he went the man let him just do his throat which he preferred but god knows If he swabbed the right bit, the people supervising at the walk through one are a bit blasé

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DS literally runs away crying from us with both fingers wedged up his nose.
Was much worse in the car as I have to physically wrap my legs around him and hold his head back while doing the test and it never quite works. I know it's always contaminated.

I actually don't have the heart to do it to him anymore and think we'll just have to isolate if he ends up being in close contact.

Nightmare. My 3 year old is now terrified if he sees the swab and point blank refuses. It’s so sad we have to subject our children to this! Mine got so upset and snotty I just rubbed the swab on the snot and that was it. No way would he let me near his throat.

Utterly horrible with 3yo. But like you OP I was sure they were going to be void (two times) but both times came back negative so fingers crossed! IMO it was much worse than injections, where I've simply had to cuddle and reassure whilst pinning arm/leg in place.

Slightly less horrible with 9yo. He can rationalise it a bit, which helps, but he also really obviously hates it. He vents angrily all the way home and then is fine again.

It’s horribly traumatising. My 2.5 year old has had at least 10, as she forever has a cough (don’t all toddlers). She how starts crying if she sees me doing a LFT on myself, and regularly announces ‘I don’t want a stick up my nose’ 🙁

We had one void which I had to repeat. I don’t think there was anything wrong with how I did the test as the one I did on myself at the same time also came back void and having done 20+ of these plus LFT twice a week I refuse to believe I messed up two samples. Not to mention I only got the results after I chased on day 4 and they ‘launched an investigation’ which then returned void results within an hour. I suspect they lost our tests. I was raging.

It's awful. I feel like it's so traumatic for them. My DS aged 3 has had 3 recently practically 1 every other week. It takes two of us but he does calm pretty quickly afterwards. I had to take my DD 7 for one and she actually asked me and her dad to hold her down because she can't let us do it because shes so scared.

Yeah its really tricky. DD is 4 and we had to hold her down to do the test, but she did get over it quickly afterwards. Her test was positive though so I guess it's a good job we did it. I won't be testing her for every tickly cough or mild temperature though - and certainly not for her 1 year old sister!

@SweetBabyCheeses99

It’s a completely unjustified assault. If your child doesn’t consent to having something inserted into their body then I think that should be respected. I guess some parents will say it’s for “their own good” like inoculations but it’s not is it. It’s purely to placate your own irrational fears and to satisfy some nonsensical rule. I will only permit it if my child is ill with covid symptoms AND a Dr needs to know which respiratory virus/infection they have in order to prescribe the correct treatment. If there’s no treatment (other than the enforced “quarantine” of otherwise healthy children) then what’s the point anyway.

Oh there you are with your usual absolute scaremongering shite. It's such a shame that you're so obsessed and afraid but the rest of us are just getting on with what needs to be done and living our lives free from fear; unlike you.

Forcing the tests feels pretty abusive TBH. I hate it. I had to take 5yo DD2 again today; 3 go's to get enough time up her nose with a long negotiation and de-snot between each attempt. I was honest in advance that it would be pretty uncomfortable but quick (better than lying and saying it's painless IME) and was breezy about it, she understood why it was necessary, and I gave her an unopened packed of sweets to hold whilst I did it, on the promise of opening them as soon as the swab was safely in the tube. She still screamed at ear piercing levels whilst I was doing it and was fighting my arms away. She was a huge snotty sobbing mess between attempts and afterwards.
I am generally not squeamish about 'for their own good' stuff. We've previously pinned DCs to administer medicine and occasionally to brush teeth, but this feels very different as it's so invasive and causing pain without being strictly necessary for their own benefit. 7yo DD1 will sit still and endure the tests, but sobs and wails throughout.

YANBU. But a kinder egg waved I’m front of them worked wonders.

@SweetBabyCheeses99

It’s a completely unjustified assault. If your child doesn’t consent to having something inserted into their body then I think that should be respected. I guess some parents will say it’s for “their own good” like inoculations but it’s not is it. It’s purely to placate your own irrational fears and to satisfy some nonsensical rule. I will only permit it if my child is ill with covid symptoms AND a Dr needs to know which respiratory virus/infection they have in order to prescribe the correct treatment. If there’s no treatment (other than the enforced “quarantine” of otherwise healthy children) then what’s the point anyway.

Well some of us feel it’s more beneficial for the child to go to school rather than quarantine for 10 days every time they get a fever/cough.

It’s absolutely horrendous. My 5 year old hates them and just point blank refuses to let me anywhere near him with it. The first time we had to do one in the test centre I had covid (didn’t realise at the time) we were all close contacts, I felt unwell (had also been at a hen do 2 day’s before so thought was hangover from hell). He was going mental I couldn’t get it up his nose for long enough and the man in the centre said there was no point submitting it, had to take a kit away do it at home and then return it.

My 14 month old has had 4 PCR tests. It’s awful as he doesn’t understand why I’m doing it.

My 5 year old refused a chocolate bribe. Couldn’t believe it then I remembered him screaming IT TOUCHED MY BRAIN!!! last time. Going to go in for the kill while he’s asleep.

Yeah it's fucking awful. Dd5 had one today and it was bleak. The prospect of keeping her home for an extended period is bleaker though.

We've started doing regular family tests where DH and I do our lateral flows in front of DC and encourage them to do one on themselves too, without really caring how far it goes up their noses, to get them used to it. So when you really need to do one they might be less bothered.

DD also likes playing at testing her dolls with a cotton bud or stick, I think it helps her process it.

I wouldn’t worry. My four year old is a nightmare with these tests. I barely touched her with her lateral flow the other week and it came up positive. Same with the PCR. Honestly. I was so sure both of them wouldn’t work.

For my 3 year old I sat him on my lap, one arm over his arms and holding his face, the other had the swab in it (similar to when the doc looks in their throat), told him I was going to put it up his nose and he said ok (!) and didn’t seem to mind. Found it harder with my 9 year old (took an hour 😞) but found it helped letting her practise on herself with a lft so she could feel what it would be like first, and we talked through each stage, and I agreed not to start until she said she was ready.

Yes it is. But I'd rather isolate for 10 days than pin a poor child down and force an unwanted test on them.

@TonkinLenkicks - this is what I done the last time, waited until he was sleeping before I went prodding around his nose! Felt bad but it was a lot less painful 🙈