Child doesn't cry when getting injections

[yewtreetheboneless]

My 6 month old has never cried when getting his immunisations, is this common? My older dc almost screamed the place down! Should I be worried about this? I feel a bit silly even posting this but it's been playing on my mind.

Well, what are you worried about and what would you do?

If your child has never reacted to pain, then that’s something to be investigated, otherwise maybe you’ve got a tough baby! My girls didn’t cry with theirs, if DH was there being silly and distracting them.

Neither of my dc really did either. I don't think the injections hurt as such if done by an expert, it's more a quick sting and shock, and as long as you make it fun and interesting.

Hi my toddler never cried at any of her injections either . apparently it's unusual but may just be the nurse is very good at her job! However- try and give my daughter a syringe full of calpol or piriton she screams the place down and spits it all out- always has done it's very stressful-I much rather the other way round 🙄

My children were absolutely fine and my grandchild was absolutely not bothered.
I genuinely think that as long as parents are relaxed the children just shrug it off !

My niece had a blood test once and because she didnt cry they sent her to A&E
Nothing wrong with her but she has a VERY strong pain threshold and doesnt really show illness.
One time, when she was 2, the blood tests were very bad, suggesting Meningitis but she was acting near normal, Drs dont understand it and her mum has to keep a close eye on her and she could be very ill and show very little signs

My DD never cried with her injections.

You don't need to feel silly, it's a justifiable question.

I can't help I'm afraid, because my only dc yelled in aggrieved outrage with all of his! Reading pp's though, it seems there's no need for you to worry.

My daughter never cried for any of them. Don’t think there’s any concern that’s needed

It would suggest it was done well with minimal pain. Unless your baby never reacts to pain/discomfort. That would warrant a gp appointment

No need to be worried, it’s a really good thing that they’re unbothered and therefore not making negative associations with doctor/nurse visits.

DD didn’t cry or make a fuss for any of her vaccinations, now aged 19 bloods and injections are still a breeze. Just different individuals reacting in different ways

Apparently I looked at the needle and then stared at the Dr, he asked my mum to cover my eyes as he didn't like it.

It depends if it’s part of a wider picture. If they don’t respond to hurt, then that’s unusual and worth investigating. If they don’t respond to hurt and they’re late on developmentally milestones or loose skills moving forward, that would be worth looking at more closely. As a young baby, you might need to wait longer to find this out as there aren’t often many ways a baby might hurt themselves (if they aren’t mobile yet, they don’t really get bumps etc). Equally, it could simply be that they’ve been well distracted and the nurse did the jabs very smoothly.

I think it’s a good question to ask and a relatively unusual reaction, however, perfectly possible without any other factors.

I don’t think every child with a relaxed parent responds this way, as suggested upthread. Plenty of us are relaxed, but our children don’t like being poked with a needle. Mine certainly didn’t! However, I do think an anxious and panicky parent can make it much more scary for the child.

DD was never bothered, just glared at the nurse like it was a mild inconvenience and could she please hurry it up. Same with blood tests. The flu spray on the other hand is a different scenario and her first one involved me and two nurses trying to hold her still 😫

My kids never cried for injections.

Thanks for the replies! Glad to know it's perfectly normal

My daughter never cried at injections neither did any of her 4 children.

One of mine was like this, just scowled at them. He has grown up to be quite stoic shall we say and doesn't show emotion easily. He also has hypermobility so has slightly different, more stretchy skin. I now wonder if it's due to that that he doesn't feel the needle in the same way. Ironically though, he is scared of blood so can't have blood tests without fainting.

I agree. I helped out with covid vaccinations and many parents came in with their child saying 'Be brave', 'You'll be OK' etc. which in itself causes anxiety as the child thinks 'Why are they saying this? It must be bad.' There were a number of cancelled holidays to Disneyland that year as the children refused.

My eldest was like this. Creepily stared at her arm with a totally blank expression whilst getting a blood test at a year old that needed 3 nurses to get vein. Come the toddler years she developed into the biggest wimp ever and used to scream she needed an ambulance for a grazed knee and she still gets hysterical at minor injuries even now at almost 7. Meanwhile her younger brother screamed the house down at all his vaccines but broke his arm age 3, no tears and declared very calmly ‘my wrist feels funny’. Kids are weird!