Booster jab.. how did you prepare your 3 year old?

[mrswee]

Just had the letter through for DD's booster jab in one week's time.. really don't know how to go about preparing her..

When I was about 5 we had boosters at school, no one prepared me and my mum couldn't come along so I got taken to the nurse on my own and given the jab.. I cried with fear every time the nurse entered the class room for pretty much the rest of my days at primary school!

Obviously I'll be with DD but I don't know wether to pre warn her or what.. she quite likes the doctor, I don't want to put her off for life! any ideas?

I went for no warning until the last 5 mins. It takes seconds and the thinking about it is worse than when it happens.

Just take them and two minutes before casually mention why you are there. Don't make it into a big deal - it's over in seconds. Then briskly out to the nearest sweet shop!

I just told mine that we had to go to the doctors for some medicine that help them not to get poorly...then bribed them with chocolate/lollipops for afterwards

Tbh, it was a big adventure for both of mine as we have been fortunate and rarely go to the doctors. Ds2 didn't even cry (and he is a complete wuss!) so I didn't even need the chocolate that I had promised him

I told just minutes before.

DD swore she would never go back into that room. On our next trip to the doctors she saw a young man walking into the nurses clinic and said very loudly "Oh no I know what's going to happen to that man and he is going to cry".

Lots of cuddles.

I mentioned it in the morning then just before we went in. I bought ds a magazine which engrossed him. Nurse gave him a jab, he had a cuddle from me then went back to the magazine! All done, no fuss.

He did react afterwards though - arm swelled up and he couldn't sleep on it :(

Before leaving for GP " When you were a baby you had some special medicine to stop you getting proper poorly- not cold and cough poorly but poorly sick from some really nasty diseases. THis medicine is so clever /strong (whatever) that it can only work by injection and today we need to tiop that up for nursery/school- that a wee sting in your arm that will be a bit sore, but hold still/cuddle me and it'll be over in a second. THere will be 2 injections and we will pop 2 choc buttons out, one before each and the rest of the mini bag is for after" .

Mine all understood and cooperated- evil looks were shot but noone cried! (though " my eye did cry all itself" was DD2 comment).

However I know many 3yr olds can't understand all that. I'd give them the whole talk anyway then hold tight!

The best position for combative kids is probably astride mums lap, hands round her in a big hug and then mum gives a tight hug to pin the arms down!

I told ds before we left the house for the doctors - just that he was going to have some medicine to help make him big and strong like Fireman Sam and Mr Incredible, and that the nurse would give it to him through a little needle into his arm. It might be a tiny bit hurty but it would be very quick and Mummy would take him for a special cookie afterwards for being so brave. He didn't bat an eyelid for either jab and told the nurse it was going to make him big and strong! I think the worst thing you can do is not tell them, or it will be a shock and they won't trust you. If you tell them, but say it's quick and no big deal, they won't be so scared and upset afterwards. Good luck!

Ds (aged 3) has to have a hep a I think booster tomorrow, he thinks they make him be like Spider-Man for some reason! So he may go in his costume, he had it done with no fuss unlike 7 year old who wouldn't stop screaming!

I told him as we were going in, quick jab, he cried for 2 seconds and that was that.

I think the dread before hand can be worse than the actual jab.

Right, good idea, I won't tell her till next week. She has pre school in the afternoon which I will have to pick her up from 15 mins early to get to the appointment, I'll tell her then and take her for a big brave girl treat after.
My baby had his first jabs last week but DD was at nursery so missed seeing that, probably a good thing.

thanks for all your help!

I told her about 10 mins before we set off to the doctors, I said 'come on lets get your shoes on to go to the doctors' 'why Mummy?' 'Because you need an injection' that was about it. She sat still, had both done and no tears!

Same as MissPricklePants...except we didn't have the uneventful ending (quite the opposite!).

A bit different to most, I gave DS1 a few days warning, just mentioned briefly. Then, a couple of hours before hand explained what would happen and why.

Luckily, he loves playing doctors (thank you Dr Ranj!) so we took his doctors kit with us. His favourite toy had his injections first, then DS1 had his.

No tears, and he was very pleased with the sticker and lollipop from the nurse.
There is a Get Well Soon episode called 'Inject to Protect', so if you can find that it might help. Good luck!

I did explain the day before the basics of inoculation to her, that it might scratch etc. I was amazed that DD didn't even flinch when she had it done - it honestly didn't seem to bother her at all or hurt even a tiny bit! It was much much worse for her jabs when she was a baby, with all the outraged crying which accompanied them. It might well be fine!

We explained the night before that there was a nurse gong to check him. When we got there he was allowed to explore the room and the nurse weighed and measured him. She explained that he was going to get some tickly medicine in his arm and we gave him my iPod and fed him chocolate till it was over. The nurse was brilliant and he did cry. But not for long. And no more jabs for ten years!

And no more jabs for ten years!

I dread the day that my DD needs another injection.

How did I prepare dd? I rolled her sleeve up.

But seriously, we went along, I said it would be uncomfy but over in a second and it was.