How do you swab a toddler?

[CommonOrGarden1]

My DS is 21 months- he spiked a temperature last night, no other symptoms. DH and I are both key workers so we all need to go and get tested. It's booked in for later today but I've learned from reading the guidance that children under 11 have to be swabbed by their parents!

How on earth do I do this on a child DS's age? It says you have to get the swab right to the back of the throat behind the arch and the child has to stay really still....

Has anyone done this successfully? Any tips?

I don’t know if I would tbh. I’d get me tested but I wouldn’t do it to my toddler.

I wouldn't tbh... My youngest had a fever a couple of weeks ago and I decided against testing, given it would be of no benefit to him and would be quite unpleasant.

It's a horrible test for an adult, let alone a kid :( No way would I do it on my own kid as I would worry about causing injury.

I thought I’d read somewhere for children, it can just be the nose.. much easier if very uncomfortable! Maybe see if you could ask your GP or even 111 for some advice?! There’s just no way I could do my toddlers throat, I struggled to do mine. The nose was much easier. I didn’t find it super painful but it wasn’t that nice! But I could at least hold toddlers hands down and just get it done even if they cry. It’s soon over & nothing a chocolate treat won’t make better!

I've come on here to ask this as well. Ds is 4 and has a fever. I'd rather not have to isolate for 2 weeks for just a fever (considering this is the third one since lockdown started as well I might add, neither of the other 2 there has been any further symptoms and no one else in the family has got ill) especially as there are important things happening in the next 2 weeks (including my older dcs last ever day of primary school. Obvs if its covid he'll have to miss it). So in order to carry on as "normal" I have to get him tested. But I don't want to swab him, has no one else taken an under 5? If its just the nose that might be ok