How to help 3yo ds cope with pre school jabs?

[smk84]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has any creative ideas ... This will be the first set of jabs where is is able to understand what is happening and talk about it. Thinking of giving teddy some jabs tonight with ds s medical kit, and talking about it together. Want to try to make it as positive as poss as don't wanting him fearing them the rest of his life if poss! Thank you

I think you definitely have to talk to them about it. Say that they need some special medicine to stop them getting really poorly in the future. Explain that the nurse will give it to them and they may feel a little bit of a scratch. Have a packet of chocolate buttons ready for afterwards - you usually have to hang around in the waiting room for 10 mins or so, so a little treat helps

Well I and pretty much everyone I know went for saying something like "we have to go to the nurse today. She will give you an injection, sometimes it hurts just a tiny bit. It helps stop you getting poorly. Would you like to go get a gingerbread man afterwards?" I don't know any child who has got worked up about it at all. Though dd did her cross face and said "ouch".

I should imagine that the nurses are experienced at putting children at their ease, so that should help, too.

what they say...

Well I kind of disagree, I told dd1 exactly that, that she was going to see the nurse and would get an injection and it may nip a wee bit but it would stop her being poorly etc and she would get a surprise after it, well se was traumatised and cried before we got there, during and after for ages . Dd2 I never told until we were in the room with the nurse and she hardly made a fuss, got her injections and said it was sore, cried for seconds and was fine.

Thank you, we told him just before we went in the end and it was a good job as as soon as we did he became really scared, no idea why , it was terrible and very similar to your experience haem, so wouldn't do it next time! Tabith8 although the nurse was very nice, she wasn't especially child friendly .