Do you dread taking your little one for his or her vaccinations? Here’s Ben Wakeling from our Parent Panel with some tips on how to keep the experience calm and stress free, for both of you.

I try to be a big boy when I have injections or vaccinations. I vividly remember standing in a queue in the school corridor over ten years ago, waiting to go into the nurse’s room to get my TB vaccination. I’d heard that it hurt, even more so that it normally does when someone uses your upper arm as a dartboard: and so, as I entered the room and sat in the chair, I pulled my bravest face and watched through slightly wide eyes as the nurse flicked the air out of the syringe.

I’m not normally one for yelping when I’m subjected to injections, and this time was no different: in fact, I ended up being pretty proud of myself when the only evidence of the pain I was in was a slight screwing up of the face.

“All done.” smiled the nurse. I sighed with relief, and waited for my ‘I’ve been a brave boy’ sticker. It never came. Turns out they don’t give them to teenagers.

My wife is worse that I am when it comes to injections or blood tests, and will regularly faint during the event; and so it is no surprise that she was pretty apprehensive about my three year-old son’s upcoming booster vaccinations a few weeks ago. The problem was preventing that apprehension from rubbing off on him: I had visions of him thrashing around on my lap, screaming as he kicks over valuable medical equipment.

Fortunately, there are various things that you can do to lessen the ‘trauma’ of injections for your child, both before and during the event.

Two things are important when preparing your child for injections: honesty and positivity. Tell him or her exactly what is going to happen, and why. Explain that the injections are important for preventing nasty illnesses which would make them very poorly: you can even make stuff up. We told Isaac that the injections would give him super-strong arms, like Daddy (which is a bit of a fib, as my arms are stringy and weak at best).

Chances are your child will ask if it’s going to hurt, in which case you must be completely open and truthful. If you tell them that it won’t hurt a bit, they’ll never believe anything you say ever again after they’ve leapt in pain once the first jab goes in. Explain that it will probably hurt a bit, but that it won’t last long.

As the day approaches, you might want to add a bit of weight to your positivity with the promise of a treat if your child can show how brave they are. We told Isaac that he could have some Smarties if he was a good boy, which seemed to do the trick. If they seem particularly nervous once they’re in the treatment room, ask if you would like them to sit on your lap, or ask them distracting questions: such as identifying the colour of the walls, or asking them what their favourite animal is and why.

Although the appointment will be over in a matter of minutes, injections can be a worrying time for parents and children alike: but make sure that this doesn’t show on the big day. Simply remember that three things will numb the pain: positivity, honesty, and the promise of chocolate.

It works, you see. During his appointment, Isaac watched with immense interest as the nurse gave him two shots, one in each arm. He didn’t even wince. When she’d finished, he looked up at us, face expressionless.

“Can I have my Smarties now?”

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