How to Prepare Your Child for Vaccinations

Preparing your child for a doctor's appointment or vaccination can be difficult. Here are a few things to help your child prepare for the appointment

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Books about vaccines or doctor's appointments

1. Talk about the upcoming appointment positively. Tell your child what will happen (weighing, listening to his heart, checking her ears) and why it is so important.

2. When you talk about the vaccination, try to stay positive. Avoid saying that they don't hurt, as you don't want your child to think you lied to them. Instead focus on why they give immunizations. Explain how these terrible diseases are often avoided because we get shots. How painful these illnesses are. If you feel you have to tell them, then say the shots do hurt sometimes, but not always.

3. Read children's books to your child about doctors appointments. These books are fun and engaging. Your child will enjoy reading about other children seeing the doctor and how they might be scared, but its not as scary as it seems. Some even discuss immunizations.

4. Give your child tylenol before the appointment. This will help to keep the pain of the injection site to a minimum.

5. Ask your child how they want you to be with them during the shots. They might want to just hold your hand or even sit on your lap.

6. Try to distract them. Ask them questions that require thought, such as the color of the walls or what the pictures are. For more advanced kids, ask them to spell words or give answer math questions. Any distraction will keep them from concentrating on the immunization, reducing the pain effect.

Tips & Warnings

• Have the doctor explain the reason for the immunization if needed.
• If your child is sick, avoid vaccinations until they are better.