Is there anything you can do to make it easier to find a vein in a child to take blood?

[iwouldgoouttonight]

DS (aged 4) needs to have blood test to check his iron levels - they don't do it at our doctor's surgery so we have to go to a drop in centre at the hospital. We've been twice now and both times they can't find a vein. They've looked in his arms, hands and feet.

He gets really upset having it done and the more times we go the worse its getting. The nurse said they can only do two attempts and if they can't get any blood you have to come back another day. So we're going again tomorrow - just wondered if there is anything we can do to make it easier. Should I make him run about a bit so he's hot - does that make the veins bigger?

Being warm does help, can you try a warm wheat bag/hot water bottle on his arms before you go in. That's all I can think of though really. Hope it goes smoothly.

Is there any way you can get it done by a phlebotamist or even a childrens nurse? Our hospital have drop in clinics for it and they are much better. Normal nurses can never get blood from me but the phlembotamists get it no problems

warmth and make sure he's had loads to drink.

Thanks for advice. We were just told we had to go to this walk in place - its part of the child development unit in the hospital so I assume the nurses specialise in taking children's blood?

The last time we went we sat in the cafe while the anesthetic cream was working and it was a bit chilly in there so that probably didn't help.

DS says he doesn't want them to take his blood and that's why it won't come out!

All the suggestions above are good - taken together they'll be even better. So make sure he has had loads to drink, wrap his arm up with a hot water bottle right up to the last minute, and get him to repeatedly make and open a fist for a few minutes before hand.

Hope it goes OK.

Hello - am a childrens nurse and have been taking blood for years. Warm up your DS's arms and hands as much as poss. Also, check about the anaesthetic cream - if its on for about an hour it may be EMLA and this can be a known vasoconstricter, ie makes the veins constrict therefore go smaller. Ametop gel may be better - and has to be on for half an hour. However, we use the spray - spray it on, immediately effective. Lots and lots of luck!

It is EMLA - the nurse said it can make the veins harder to find and she'd prefer another (she may have said Ametop) but they don't have it.

Waiting while the cream works is partly what makes DS more stressed I think. Would it be really horrible without the cream do you think? When I give blood its only painful for a second and then I can't feel it once the needle is in, but DS wriggles a lot so it might be really painful for him.

Just a heads up, you can buy the cream yourself from a pharmacy (it's called Ametop) its about £1 per tube and you'll need 4 tubes roughly. One inside each elbow and one on the back of the hands.

Apply this 30 minutes before you leave for the hospital, leave it on for them to remove there. Should be nice and numb by then. Also you could ask them to use freeze spray. I always tell the kids that they can have freeze spray or cream before blood tests, although I prefer the spray as there is no wait time for it to work (meaning less wait time for results ) it's just a cold spray that they can feel working.

Make sure DS has plenty to drink before and is nice a warm, gloves and coat on in the car, sure you will do in this weather anyway