Tell me the truth...did you click over just so you could find out what insouciant meant? (I found the word when I searched thesaurus.com for an "i" word synonymous with calm.)
Yes. Calm. It is possible for a child to get four injections (aka shots) in one doctor visit without screaming, crying, and forcefully holding him down. And the kid doesn't have to cry, either.
Keep in mind I said possible. I will not guarantee this to work for everyone, but it worked for all 6 of my kids. And really, it can't hurt to try. The worst that can happen is the screaming, crying, and holding down that you've heard about.
How we do kindergarten shots:
1. I tell them before we leave for the appointment in a very emotionless, matter-of-fact way. They always want to know if it will hurt, and I always tell the truth. It will hurt for just a little bit, but it hurts way less than stubbing a toe or scraping a knee. I do not offer ice cream or any other sort of reward for shots. To me, that is just basically telling the child that this is a REALLY REALLY BIG DEAL that they will barely live through and must get a treat if they survive. A shot is just a chore everyone has to do, just like feeding chickens. No one gets rewarded for that, either.
2. If a child begins to get anxious, I make them laugh by telling him that I had to get two horribly awful, painful shots IN MY BOTTOM in order for him to be born. (O- blood type in the house!)
3. I take the best distraction tool in my gigantic distraction tool box. I actually save it for this very purpose. The children are not allowed to touch it before the day of their kindergarten shots.
I won't even make you guess what it is...
A photo album full of baby and toddler pictures of the patient.
I know it's not true for all kids, but my kids LOVE to hear stories from when they were little. Getting to go through an entire photo album devoted to him is a dream come true. I tell him if he would like a distraction during the shots, I'll be happy to tell him all about the photos. He, of course, wants the distraction.
So, while the nurse gets the needles ready, we look at photos. The nurse cleans the patient's arm while we look at photos. The nurse sticks a big needle in the patient's arm, and the kid winces, but continues to look at the photos and listen to the stories.
For all four shots.
Kids take cues from us. If we make something a big deal, it is a big deal. If we are nonchalant, there is a much better chance that the child will remain calm.
So, if you have a child getting ready for some injections, consider this yet another reason to sit down and get those blasted photos off of your computer and onto paper.
This post was written for the A-Z Challenge, also known as the Good gravy, is this thing even half way over yet?? challenge.
So, how did your kids take their shots? What did you do to get through them?
Have a lovely day!
Dang, that is an excellent idea. You really are the best Mom. My kids were the ones you could hear screaming in the parking lot. And YES, I did take both of them for ice cream afterwards. Poor babies.
ReplyDeletePoor babies. In my many hours spent in the doctor's office, I heard plenty of screaming from other rooms. Not gonna lie, Buttercup has become a big baby, and finding out that she had to get a shot when we got to her 10 year appt. sent her into hysterics. She didn't get an ice cream. :)
Delete…as opposed to taking a photo album full of baby and toddler pictures of the doctor.
ReplyDeletehey good to hear, by my math there's only 19 Posts left!
Ha! I rewrote some of those sentences so many times, because it sounded like we were looking at photos of the doctor or nurse. :)
DeleteOy. Are we going to make it?!?!
Insouciance is something I need to practice more often. I love this idea and the insight you share about the anxiety of injections. You are the mom, extraordinaire.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks Val.
DeleteI am just loving these posts, girl! I really want shots to be a low-key thing for my little boy, too, but I didn't really know there was much choice in the matter. I love these tips!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I can help someone out! I'd be real annoyed if I wrote all of these and no one with little kids read them. :)
DeleteInsouciance, meaning more "carefree" or "lighthearted" than "calm." Why do I know that? Beats me. I remember with my fourth child, after some immunizations when he was 3 or 4, he came home and solemnly told his little sister, "I was shot."
ReplyDeleteThat cutie turns 15 today. Time flies. If you are looking for me, I'll be the one sitting in a corner, looking through his baby album and sniffling a bit.
You homeschooling moms know all of the weirdest, random things. :) There aren't many words that start with I, and this is the only one that came close to what I was looking for. :)
DeleteThat story about your 4th child is hilarious!! Poor guy. And poor you! My daughter turned 15 a month ago. It's astounding. Cry all you want.
What a fabulous idea. You're a great mom. I'm just saying.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. :)
Thank you, Sandee. :)
DeleteWhat a great idea! My oldest hated shots, and would even cry when my second got hers. She, on the other hand, would freak out the nurses, because she never cried--even as a baby. Now, oldest is studying to be a doctor, and second child really, really hates shots. Go figure. (And as for the other kids, they fell somewhere in the middle.)
ReplyDeleteI have never had a single problem with shots until Buttercup turned 10. She was the one who had the highest pain tolerance I'd ever seen (not one tear when her elbow came out of socket at the age of 4), yet at her 10 year appointment, she lost her ever-lovin' mind when she found out she had to get a shot. Hysterical. She's still not very good at it. I don't know what happened, but I must admit, it annoys me.
DeleteWhy do they change like that?!?!
At 25 my kid still hollers. Yet he has tattoos. ..go figure!
ReplyDeleteBut then you might have a child that is so wildly anxious that none of this works. OK, I haven't done the picture book.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great idea unless you have a tenacious Russian speaking daughter - everyone was calm the kids knew what was going to happen the doctor was taking blood and giving some boosters... we were home a couple of days so kids still only spoke Russian so we brought with us our translator - the kids were separated we figured let Amelia go first so that James would see that it wasn't a big deal - the only problem was they passed in the hallway he looked like he was walking to the firing squad and she knew she had him she looked at him and in a feisty way she told him that blood came out of her arm and it was painful and it was going to hurt alot --- we lost him he went in but was in full panic mode somehow we were able to calm him and the job was done... oh boy :)
ReplyDeleteMy kids were always really good about getting shots, and I think it was because I was pretty matter-of-fact about the whole thing. Yes, it's going to hurt, but only for a few minutes, and then it's over. I, on the other hand, was a HUGE PILL about getting them; however, in my defense, I was subjected to numerous penicillin shots in my bootay, and those REALLYREALLYREALLY hurt.
ReplyDeletegreat I word! I go through the dictionary to find words for the a-z. I just don't have that many words in my head! Those childhood shots...hard on everyone, aren't they?
ReplyDelete