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Parenting

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Original poster

1 year vaccinations

21 replies

Doireallyneedaname · 02/03/2021 21:26

My 1 year old has his vaccinations this Friday and I’m dreading it so much.

I feel he’s so much more aware now than he was for the last set. Nurse has said he’ll be having one in each limb and the thought of it is quite upsetting. I’m hoping it’s quick, but surely as soon as the first one is done it’ll be tears - and then another three! I’m having visions of hysterical crying and wriggling to get away from the nurse.

Any words of wisdom? Calpol? Chocolate buttons? I know they need to be done but I just feel so awful about it.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Findahouse21 · 02/03/2021 21:27

With dd they did 2 in 1 leg, let me comfort and rearrange her then 2 in the next. I just made sure to hold her tightly and kept talking to her

mynameiscalypso · 02/03/2021 21:28

It was definitely tears and wriggling for us but I just held on firmly and he was right as rain in about 5 minutes and had totally forgotten about it. I just tried to keep it bright and breezy and kept chatting with the nurse while she was doing it.

Kitkat151 · 02/03/2021 21:33

It’s definitely 2 in each leg for 1 year vaccinations

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Original poster

Doireallyneedaname · 02/03/2021 21:39

@Kitkat151 I read that it was recently changed to allow this, but it seems many still prefer to do it the old way

OP posts:

Findahouse21 · 02/03/2021 21:41

Both my dd's had 2 in each leg. One is 6 and one is 14 months

meow1989 · 02/03/2021 21:42

Defford chocolate buttons! At our surgery they have two nurses doing it so both were at the same time, that worked well.

I was more upset than ds at his first ones (and dreading the 3yr 4 montb ones this year!) But he was grand soon after.

Original poster

Doireallyneedaname · 02/03/2021 21:46

@Findahouse21 I’ll ask the question. She specifically mentioned one in each limb on the phone, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to change her mind. I just had a look to find the article I read but I can’t find it again.

OP posts:

snackmammy · 02/03/2021 21:48

It's not nice but they will have mummy there for cuddle right after and soon forget about it. Try not to act stressed
Or worried as they pick up on it. Brush it off quickly and make him laugh or distract him after and he will be fine

twoticksvix · 02/03/2021 21:50

My twins had one in each limb, 8 jabs altogether! But the nurses were really good, got it done promptly and a chocolate button or two later they had forgotten all about it. You and little one will be fine

WineInTheWillows · 02/03/2021 21:52

I chickened out and got DH to take DD. He reckoned she was fine- she got one chocolate before and another afterwards.

WineInTheWillows · 02/03/2021 21:53

Oh, and he propped his phone up somewhere playing Baby Shark during, I think he said.

Yellow85 · 02/03/2021 21:53

I used the same approach for all vaccinations...cuddle, chocolate buttons, car seat and a loooong drive. Let them sleep it off and through the coffee drive thru for me. 5ml calpol once the woke up. 👌🏻

Sandsnake · 02/03/2021 21:56

DD had hers last Monday and it was fine. One in the arm, one in one thigh and two in the other. I asked the (lovely) nurse exactly what she was going to do so that I could move DD as required very quickly. She cried when the first one went in and was then sort of distracted by crying enough to not realise what was going on with the next ones - there wasn’t any awareness or squirming to get away. They were done really quickly and as I’m still breast feeding I gave her a feed straight after, which helped calm her down a lot - I imagine choc buttons would work the same. She was absolutely fine within a couple of minutes and chirpy on the way home.

A bit of a warning though - you may already know but the main reaction to the MMR kicks in 6 - 14 days later. We’ve had a rough few days of intermittent fevers and endless dirty nappies. DS was similar when he had his. So best to make sure that you don’t have anything special planned for the two weeks or so after just in case (we nearly couldn’t travel for Christmas when DS reacted to his 😬).

Giraffaelina · 02/03/2021 22:24

I'm so glad I found this. OP, I hope you don't mind me intruding, we are actually going tomorrow and I'm already welling up! I asked on the phone but the receptionist wasn't sure on how many jabs there will be and I really was hoping it's combined so max two. So glad DH can come with us, I don't think I can cope seeing him DS in distress...Did your DCs have any side effects from the jabs? Did you do Calpol beforehand?

WineInTheWillows · 02/03/2021 22:35

@Giraffaelina you don't need calpol for this set unless they're in pain afterwards or running a fever (and some people ould say don't give it for a fever either if they're feeling alright in themselves).

High temperatures aren't as dangerous in a one year old as they are in a newborn.

user1471604848 · 02/03/2021 22:45

My twins had their 12-month injections last Fri.
I held one twin who got injected. She cried a bit, but I had to hand her to a nurse in order to hold the second twin for his injections.
Surprisingly, after a minute or two they were both fine. (One gave a couple of little sniffy sobs in the car on the way home).
I gave 5ml of Calpol once I got home, and the same a few hours later. Plus lots of hugs.
No ill effects so far.
It never entered my head to give them chocolate buttons (I just assumed babies can't have anything with sugar and salt).

Giraffaelina · 02/03/2021 22:57

@WineInTheWillows Thank you for this. I'll see how he feels during the day and judge based on that. I think I'm worried because he does this horrible thing (thankfully not often!!) when he'll cry so hard that he doesn't take a breath for a few seconds and it totally and utterly freaks me out every.single.time! 😩

@user1471604848 - Wow, hats off to you comforting two babies!! Luckily we haven't entered the "food treat" phase yet, actually thinking of taking a dummy or some milk, but I think the state he'll be in, they'll be little to no
comfort. And he'll probably just be confused as they are his bedtime treats LOL!

PeacefulInTheDeep · 02/03/2021 23:06

My DD had hers a fortnight ago and honestly, it was fine. Two in one leg, quick swap around and two in the other. 30 seconds of crying which was sorted with a cuddle.

Make it easy on yourself and dress him in easy clothes. I took a familiar book for while we waited, a toy to use as a distraction (which I didn't need) and some chocolate buttons for afterwards.

Original poster

Doireallyneedaname · 03/03/2021 06:55

@user1471604848 He’s never had chocolate before, but I actually remember being given them after a vaccination when I was a toddler!

OP posts:

BertieBotts · 03/03/2021 07:05

That's exactly why you use chocolate! Because it's completely new to them and therefore much more of a distraction.

It doesn't mean you need to then start using them for any other reason.

Giraffaelina · 03/03/2021 10:45

Home now, DS is sound asleep. 2 in each leg, there was definitely a fair amount of crying and had to hold him very firmly, but it was over quickly. Nurse was very efficient, didn't really give me time to comfort him between legs but I think it actually worked better as it was over a lot quicker. He calmed right down when we went outside and all was forgotten once we were tree spotting on the way home. Definitely not a "pleasant" experience, so glad its done! Fingers crossed for no side effects.

Good luck, OP!

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