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Home › Articles › Toddler Health › Making Vaccine Time a Little Easier

Making Vaccine Time a Little Easier

Distraction Techniques for Immunization Pain

By Kelly Burgess

Pages:  1  2  3  

Distraction Beyond Immunizations
While immunizations are understandably upsetting to everyone, there's more going on in a doctor's office than just immunizing, and distraction can be valuable for other procedures as well.

Dr. Gwenn O'Keeffe, CEO of Pediatrics Now and mother of two, says that a child of a certain age can become very distressed by a doctor's visit, not because of any anticipation of pain, but because of their stage of development. For example, a 4-month-old may be fine as long as he or she is being held by Mom and feels secure, but may become inconsolable when placed upon the exam table. An older child may scream when the doctor comes into the room as a natural result of the stranger anxiety that sometimes manifests at around 8 months of age.

Distraction techniques can be useful in any of these situations, as well as in other stressful situations such as going to the dentist. Dr. O'Keeffe finds parental closeness to be extremely effective and has a number of techniques she uses with the parents of her young patients so they can hold their child throughout the exam, without compromising the outcome or her ability to conduct the exam.

Dr. O'Keeffe also notes that regardless of the child's anxiety or fear, he or she should not be allowed to hijack the process, including delaying any procedures. Again, parents should be matter-of-fact and sympathetic, but also firm in their resolve that some matters are non-negotiable.

The main thrust of this research is to develop a best practices module so that pediatricians are aware of the latest findings about pain in children, Dr. Schecter says. In the long run, understanding pain and anxiety in children will make childhood visits to any healthcare professional more pleasant for everyone.

The Distraction Bag

Kids often need to be distracted in situations other than at the doctor's office. Not because of pain or anxiety, but to stave off boredom so they don't start acting out. Why not try a distraction bag?

Fill a bag with books, crayons, plain and lined paper notebooks, small toys, an extra pacifier, if necessary, and some lollipops and bagged snacks. Check and refill it every night, and, to keep it interesting, change the toys about once a week. Keep it handy so you can grab it when you walk out the door, but out of reach of the kids so they can't get in and out of it.

Until they're 8 or so, you can't really rely on children to just sit still and behave. Instead, as soon as you sit down start pulling things out of the bag. Get them coloring, playing and just keep them busy in general. For the doctor's office, try taking along a toy doctor's bag. Role play with them while they're waiting for the doctor to come into the room – something that sometimes takes a while – and when he or she finally arrives your little one will be well prepared!


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