Distract your child: Controlling pain during vaccination with distraction. 'We always have some
form of toy or something like that to distract the kid. Like a bubble machine or a pinwheel.' 'And let
them play with it.' Your child's attention to the needle will affect how much pain your child has.
Take your child's attention away from the needle. This will reduce your child's anxiety and pain.
Distract your child before the needle and continue during and after the needle.
You can talk, use toys. 'Maybe you can turn on the bubble maker now.' Books and electronic devices, like
computers and smartphones. 'Okay, so you just pay attention to your game.' 'Our dad has an iPhone that
we can watch videos on.' 'That's the other distraction.' Children can help choose a distraction ahead of
time. They're usually experts at what keeps them distracted. 'Cartoons!' 'Television.' 'MarioKart.'' 'Gameboy.'
'Toys!' For best results, use a distraction that involves multiple senses. Sight, hearing and touch. And have
your child actively participate. The more involved your child is in the distraction, the better it'll
work. 'When they're trying to make me distracted by the bubbles, it's kind of actually works.'
Pick something engaging and interactive and try to keep your child's attention on you.
For example, have your child play a game instead of watching you play a game. It'll work better.
'Make it fast. Make it fast. One, two, three, go! Well done! Nice. Look. Look. Look.'
'Did this help take some of the pain away? A lot?' The way you distract your child
once, may not work the next time. Be prepared to change what you're doing. There are a few children
that cope better if they watch the needle. So if your child says they want to watch, that's ok too.
Acknowledge your child's pain, but don't focus on it, and this will help your child to stay calm.
After letting them know you are there for them, talk about anything but the
needle or the pain. 'But we'll give you a kiss and then it will go away. Hold on.'
And with a normal tone of voice 'There, we're all done. So which ones do you want to give to Dr.?' Avoid using words
and phrases that focus attention on the pain. For example, avoid apologizing for the pain. Criticizing
children about how they're behaving, or reassuring, or empathizing too much, as this focuses attention
on the pain, which can increase your child's distress. Let's see what these steps look like in
a younger child. 'I want you to pay attention to me rubbing your arm.' Take your child's attention away
from the needle, this will lessen your child's anxiety and pain. Help keep your child focused
on the distraction. 'You've got it! You did it! I told you, you could do it!' After you show your child you are there for them by
acknowledging their pain, avoid focusing on the pain. 'Pay attention to me rubbing your arm
and you're gonna blow some bubbles, okay? Can you do that? Blow. Blow. Blow the bubbles for me I need to
see you do double bubble's. Double bubble's. Look at me.' 'I did.' 'You did it!' Give praise to your
child after the needle. 'Fantastic.' 'Yay! That's it.' 'You did a fantastic job.'
'Does it feel better now that it's done? Hey? Was it so bad? No, but you were scared. Did the bubbles help? I
think so.' 'Now you know you can do it. You can do it for next time.' Older children
are often vaccinated at school. 'Yep. Do your game.Don't worry about it.' They can bring their own distraction items
such as electronic devices, smartphones or books to get their attention away from the procedure.
'Keep breathing through your stomach.' Taking deep belly breaths also helps to distract children as it
keeps their attention on their breathing. 'It's gone. It's long gone.' Distracting your child is one of
the many ways to reduce pain during vaccinations. Don't forget to view the rest of the videos in
this series. Remember, combining the different methods together will lead to even better results.