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Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Coping with immunization anxiety
How do your kids handle getting shots?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As parents, we have all done it. We have told our little campers to buck up and let the nice nurse or doctor jab that needle in their arm. Adults can easily reason that a small pinch of pain at the injection site is nothing compared to say, the pain of mumps, the debilitating nature of polio or the itching and scarring of chicken pox.
But if your kids are like mine, reason takes a holiday when a needle is brought into the room. My daughters would honestly rather take their chances with every childhood disease at once than sit calmly through a round of immunizations. And the annual flu shot? Forget about it. The girls get the flu shot - but not without a massive struggle. We have had teams of nurses in the room to help me hold one of our daughters down. Meanwhile, the other two wedge themselves into corners of the room.
We have discussed the need for immunizations many times, tried to mentally prepare them for the shots, promised ice cream afterward - all to no avail. So when I come across an article like this one on how to cope with immunization anxiety, I read it very closely. Distracting your children from the needle and not acting too apologetic or reassuring are the keys to helping your children overcome irrational anxiety of shots, the article says. I learned long ago the value of distraction, but I probably do come across as way too reassuring.
Just recently, we took our school-aged children to get the chicken pox booster that will be required before they return to school in the fall. Many Georgia parents will be doing the same in the coming months and can put these recommendations to the test.
How do your kids handle their shots? What tips and tricks can you offer parents whose children have an irrational fear of the immunization needle?
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