Any tips regarding small people & blood tests.

[UterusUterusGhali]

My 4yo DS has to have a blood test tomorrow for a potential thyroid problem. I have talked him through it but he's insisting he wants all of his blood and he won't allow it.

I feel so bad for him. Any advice on how to make it easier for him? (Besides bribery, which I shall attempt anyway )?

With ds I told him it was getting sent to nina and the neurons so she could do tests on it. I was also pretty hard line and said 'well it is going to happen wther you like it or not but you'll get a toy after if you're good'

With dd (was only 15m) we used elma cream and she didn't even seem to notice the tests tbh.

Try to be early so they can put Emla cream 1 hour before blood is being taken (in several areas in case they have to try more than one vein).
Lots of distraction, put him on your lap but I would not let him look at the needle and taking of blood. Try to distract him with a noisy book (so he doesn't focus too much on nurse/doctor) or puppet toy or you pretend to be a puppet toy with a sock over your hand and saying silly things. Draw some eyes and mouth on the sock with a felt tip pen. You can then have him sit on your lap facing you, nurse will put his arm on flat surface/table to keep it still to get to a vein, and you have the puppet talking over your shoulder near his face (that should distract him sufficiently hopefully). Bit of acrobatics for you but it is not for long and for a good cause. Present afterwards and maybe let him lick a chocolate lolly pop or chocolate bar before or during as research suggests that sweet stuff reduces the pain sensation in young children. Good luck.

Thank you ladies.

I didn't know about the cream, so that's very reassuring. I'll tell him that and try to get there early.

I'll also try the sweet stuff. There is a costa on site so I'll hit that & bribe him wih a cooler.

The Nina slant is a good one too!

The phlebotomists are very good at dealing with children

They used a butterfly thing to take the blood so not a big needle

My DS didn't have the Emla cream - not hospital policy and he was ok

He had a big sticker when he was done

All good advice here. DS had to get blood taken for allergy testing when he was nearly 5 and I was really worried but it was fine. It was at a peadiatric clinic, and he got the numbing cream on the back of both hands and then we were sent away to the cafe for half an hour to let it work. When we got back, a lady came and sat with him with a where's wally book and they started doing that then we just sort of seamlessly moved into the room, with DS still chatting to the lady about the book. We sat down, him sideways on my knee still doing the book, and his arm was put under my arm so it was behind my back and they took the blood from the back of his hand and he almost didn't notice!

My point is, they do this every day and will have a wealth of strategies for dealing with the unwilling. Afterwards, having been totally resistant beforehand, DS was marching round telling everyone about how they 'squeezed' blood out of him and showing all and sundry his plaster. He still talks about how brave he was.

Hope it all goes fine or you both.

I've just spoken to phlebotomy and they said they don't use the cream but use a spray. The cream is available on the children's ward, so I'll give DS the option and pop in early if he choses cream.

Thank you piff!

Spray is much better in my opinion as it is very quick whereas the plasters that cover the cream cause irritation for 45 minutes and are then painful to remove. Better to have it done by the staff used to doing blood tests all day rather than go onto the childrens ward in our experience.

My DD had regular blood tests from age 4 and we never said anything day before and still dont. Just mention it casually just before cream or spray is applied, then distract as it happens and then a nice treat afterwards and never had any tears or upset. Play it down and dont look worried yourself.

Sweets that take away the pain. Fruit pastilles worked in our case

Thank you folks for v useful advice, have to take DD tomorrow who is 2.5 and I am awake worrying about whether she will find it really awful (she is normally a hard nut, but not easily distracted so depending on the wealth of tricks the nurses have up their sleeve it could go either way I guess!) Glad I could rely on MN for some advice tho, have been prescribed the cream to use, so off to get sweeties too in the morning!

DS is now three and a bit and has had blood tests allergy related a couple of times a year since he was 1. We always go to the childrens clinic at the hospital and get emla in advance from the gp. Try very hard not to let anyone on the childrens ward take blood and particularly not a junior doctor. The phlebotomists on at the clinic are magicians. Ds has never even noticed/ cared. I also think your attitude is important with some children its only scary if they are told its scary.

DS is five, we were in A & E a couple of months ago and he had to have a blood test. THey used the spray so that they could do the test straight away.. I wouldn't talk too much more to him about it. They are very experienced at dealing with children.

Can you get a new book/magazine that he would be interested in, then you can sit next to him with your arm around him, holding his head turned away from the needle, with your arm (sounds like a head lock but really its not)

I also said it would feel a bit like a scratch, like when I pull a splinter out.

Good luck