Tips on testing child?

[AvoidingRealHumans]

Son, 9 has had a terrible cold this week, seemed to have perked up yesterday but today has woken up with a cough. I'm sure it's the back end of the cold but have booked a test for this afternoon.
I've watched a video on YouTube of doing the test but I am pretty sure he will close his mouth as soon as I put the swab in and render it useless.
Thinking to practice with a cotton bud at home first so he knows what to expect but wondered if anyone has done it on their child and had any tips?
He goes back to school on Wednesday so I wonder how that will go, surely he can't go with a cough even with a negative test 🤔

DD is 9 and seemed quite jolly about the whole thing until it came to swabbing the back of her throat. It was a real struggle to do it without touching her tongue/cheek or having her hands flailing around trying to stop me, and no amount of cajoling helped The nose swab was slightly easier but not much.

If we do it again, I think we'll concentrate on the nose and hope for the best.

We're just back from the test. The throat swab was awful he was much like your daughter, the test guy said if the throat is too distressing then a swab from both nostrils is fine for children so like you I think we will do that next time (hopefully there won't be a next time). Im hoping we get results tomorrow, how long did yours take?

We tested at 10am on Tuesday and the results were back via email at 4am the following morning. In rural west Wales so pretty impressed with the speed tbh. Hope yours isn't too long and fingers crossed for a negative result.

I know there are some who would say that the child must have it done, but easier said than done and if there's a possibility that they might need one again in the future, I certainly wasn't going to traumatize her by insisting (not that I could have got the swab back in her mouth anyway!).