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7 tips to prepare your children for vaccines
Apr 21, 2017 Uncategorized
Taking your children on an overseas adventure can be a wonderfully rewarding experience. Having children vaccinated, can, however, be stressful. In this blog post Worldwise Travel Nurse Claire Wong gives her top tips to help prepare your children for vaccines.
At Worldwise we give vaccines to children all the time. Here are several practical things you can do to prepare your children for having vaccinations.
- When booking your appointment at the travel clinic, tell us that the appointment is for children. That way we can ensure we allow plenty of time for discussion, distraction and preparation.
- If they are old enough to understand, it is important to tell your child that they’re going to have an injection. Not too far in advance so that they worry, don’t wait until you get to the clinic to do it, or leave it to the doctor or nurse to break the news.
- Don’t lie – injections can hurt, but only a little and only for a very short time, and much less than grazing knee. We often say it feels similar to a small pinch.
- When it comes to injection time, the doctor or nurse will explain how to hold smaller children in your lap. Don’t squeeze too hard as this can make children anxious. Keep calm and cool, even if you don’t feel it inside – children will look to you for reassurance.
- Distraction techniques can work well. Blowing bubbles is good, or watching a favourite cartoon on a smartphone or tablet.
- Afterwards a reward will soon make children forget what just happened. So bring a small treat or a new toy. (We keep a stash of lollies at the clinic for these occasions – sometimes adults need them too!)
- Praise your child for being so good!
We hope these tips help prepare your children for vaccines, but do contact us at Worldwise if you have any questions relating to overseas travel.
Travel vaccines, just like childhood vaccines are generally very safe and are worth considering before travel. So do talk to a travel health specialist before planning any overseas trip with your children.