Share your tips on how you prepare your child for a flu vaccination with Public Health England - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[EllieMumsnet]

Flu season is fast approaching, which also means flu vaccinations have arrived. Getting a flu vaccination can be a daunting experience for anyone, especially for young children, click here to find out everything you need to know about the children's flu vaccination. Public Health England (PHE) want to know your tips on how you prepare your child to get vaccinated against flu.

Here’s what PHE have to say: “The nasal spray is a quick, easy and painless way to help prevent young children catching flu. Flu can be horrible for little children, and if they get it, they can spread it around the whole family. PHE encourages all parents of children who are eligible to get their children vaccinated. ”

Do you tell them in advance or wait until they get there? Perhaps you let them take their favourite toy to school to use as a distraction? Or do you plan a treat for afterwards so they have something to look forward to?

Whatever your tips, share them on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

i'm all for anything that stops my children getting sick,

I always tell my children what to expect and they have taken it in their stride. If I had a very anxious child I would use distraction and then a treat and maybe a bit of spraying teddies nose before hand. With injections something sweet is supposed to activate the pleasure centre of the brain and lessen pain so maybe a chocolate button to suck on.

Always be upfront and honest prepare the children what is going to happen and why and a treat afterwards is always fun

I used it too to show it was harmless and we played it like a game x

My daughter came with me when I went for the flu jab and was actually quite put out when she had the nasal vaccine at school the following week because she wanted the vaccine by needle!

I would certainly tell my DD about the spray and discuss any concerns she may have.....we'd end up having a laugh about how big a bottle would be needed if they were to spray her Grandpa's nose (a bucket!)

I told my great niece that I have to have a flu vaccination every year so that I don't get very poorly & that you can't even feel the needle, it just tickles your arm so she knows it's for the best that she has her vaccine so that she doesn't get poorly too

I always find that distraction is the best way to deal with this! Distraction with a promise of a treat later seems to work for my daughter.

Always talk to them before inoculation. a treat afterwards helps smooth the experience.

I think explaining what is happening is good, but in a matter of fact way...this is what we are going to do now...no big deal. Something more important to think about for what we are going to do afterwards is a good distraction...going to the park right afterwards or going to visit friends.

Easier said than done! There is no talk convincing enough for a child to understand. For some unknown reason they have an ace from under their sleeve that beats logical parenting.

I told my son a little information and dressed it up, that'd even though it would hurt, it was to give him special powers to fight the germs, a bit like a superhero. I don't like to tell them too early though, as the child can dwell on what is going to happen and it might turn into a battle getting them there!

If they face it "like a man" - I always reward them with a treat

My daughter is really good with injections. She knows that it will sting a bit and we have explained that it will help her and is good for her.

We talk about it generally and practice sniffing!

I let them know it is happening but as it is in school, I think it is easier as all their friends are in the same boat so I think that helps.

Both our sons have had their vacinations this month and we told them in advance so they knew what was coming and that it was nothing to be scared of. The were fine with the vacinations but a little grumpy and out of sorts in the days which followed.

My daughter hates needles and really panics about anything like that so when we got the letter about the vaccination we sat down and read it to her and this is where we learnt it was the spray.

She was panicking at first because a nasel spray isnt something that you do often so she had no idea what it was. We showed her using a saline spray we had in and she was so much more comforted about it all.

I explained the reasons for it and luckily my nearly 4 yr old is very mature. She just walked in and let the nurse get on with it. She's pretty confident and doesn't get too bothered. I think it helped that her older sister just said it tickled.

My son doesn't mind the flu vaccination itself, it's the wait he seems to despise. If he behaves himself, he gets a treat. :)

As soon as I explained that it wasn't a jab, my son was ok with it. He hates jabs.

I would explain the importance of the vaccine and then bribe with treats for after!

Definitely prepare them beforehand. Mine aren't small enough to be routinely offered it but whenever they've had vaccinations of any sort I've always talked through with them about what's going to happen and why it is important and they've always been fine with it. One of mine had some at school the other week (tetanus I think and something else- he's 13), one was a nasal spray and one was an injection. He says he wasn't bothered much while waiting in line or having it done but told the story of one of the boys in his class hollering the place down before, during and after so I guess you can make it worse by overthinking it.

My older two have both had the flu vaccination in school this term. To be honest I didn't prepare them in advance as school didn't tell us when it would happen! We signed the consent form and then they brought the slip home to say it had been done.
I think with school events it's easier to let my children go with the flow. If their friends are doing something they will just follow along as long as they know it's correct. It's much easier than taking them for vaccinations myself!

Explain it beforehand so that they don't suprised and why they need it .