Tips to Help Your Children Get Over The Fear Of Injections

This article has been contributed by the paediatric department of Motherhood Hospital.

Most children and adults have some level of dislike towards needles, but sometimes the fear becomes so intense that it starts interfering with the well-being and health of a person. The fear of needles starts to develop at a very early age and can even make the children like-headed or dizzy just by the sight of a needle.

Most children carry this fear into their adulthood, potentially causing them to avoid doctors altogether.

Doctors would agree that unnecessary injections or vaccinations could be done away with, but what about the mandatory ones? At least six of the vaccines that are compulsorily administered as per the guidelines provided by the Indian Government under the Universal Immunization Programme are given to children in form of shots or injections. That is why it is important to make children overcome the fear of injections so that they do not suffer anxiety or other escalated reaction when having a medical procedure in the future.

Here are a few ways to help your child get over the fear of injections:

Educate children about shots:

Most fears come from various misconceptions like the vaccine shot will take a long time, or that the needle is very long. This often is not the case. Some educational medical videos can help in informing children which helps in decreasing their anxiety about receiving injections.

Be honest with your child, and ask the medical staff to be honest as well:

The injection can hurt a little, so we should not say that it will not. However, it should be emphasized that the injection will be quick and the doctors and nurses would do their best to make it as comfortable as possible and that it will help in keeping them healthy.

Distraction techniques help big time:

Have the child take a deep breath in and out during the vaccination. You can also play their favourite music or a short video to draw their attention away from the injection.

Reward your children for being brave and for facing their fear of needles:

A small reward, in the form of a treat or a fun activity, can help turn this whole experience into a positive one and hopefully make the next visit to the paediatrician a bit easier.