How to make shots not hurt for 12 year olds

If the thought of getting a shot brings about fears, tears and sleepless nights for your child, you're not alone. Many children fear getting shots, but protecting them from dangerous diseases through vaccination is worth the challenge. The good news is that there are things you can do to help your child cope.

Table of Contents Show

Tips to help your child who's scared of needles
Coping strategies for children
Coping strategies for infants

Our child life specialists have created a list of tried-and-true tips to help parents calm children who may be facing a fear of shots, immunizations or a procedure.

Tips to help your child who's scared of needles

Be honest: Explain that shots can pinch, but that it won't hurt for long. Help your child focus on what they can do to help get through the shot.
Focus on health: Remind your child that immunizations help protect them from getting sick.
Bring distractions: Bring comforting items, like a favorite book or stuffed animal, to help calm and distract your child.
Sit up: Ask the provider if your child can sit up instead of lie down for the shot. Children are more fearful when having to lie flat. If your child needs help holding still, try holding your child in a firm but comforting position on your lap.
Use vibration: Apply vibration near the needle injection site prior to the shot to help minimize pain. A simple vibrating massager can help, but there are vibrating and cooling tools made specifically for this purpose.
Keep your cool: Try your best to appear calm and keep a positive attitude. Your child will be more anxious if they sense that you are anxious as well.
Use coping strategies: Encourage your child to use coping strategies, and practice the strategies before the appointment.

Coping strategies for children

Coping strategies can help your child overcome their fear of shots and other challenging situations. Learning coping skills takes practice, so you may need to help your child adopt these strategies.

Guide your child through the different steps outlined below, then work to make these coping strategies part of their everyday routine. You can also model how you use coping strategies to face your own challenges and fears, which will help your child better understand their value.

Deep breathing: Take 3 to 5 deep breaths. Take a big breath through your nose, then blow out through your mouth. To practice, make a paper flower and put it to your nose to pretend. "Let's smell the flower, now let's blow it away." You can blow a pinwheel or bubbles as practice, too. Do this before, during and after the shot.
Squeezing: Before your child gets their shot, have them squeeze their hands together or around a ball; squeeze and hold for five seconds, then release. Repeat this 3 to 5 times. If this works well, you can also try tightening other parts of the body and then releasing. For example, close eyes tight and scrunch face for five seconds, then release. Start with the face and work down to the toes.
Music: Sing or listen to soft music.
Imagery: Before the shot, picture a favorite place or activity. Think about what you see, hear, smell and feel when you are there. Try to stay in this calming place during the shot.

Coping strategies for infants

Infants need help facing stressful situations, too. Luckily, there are many things you can do to help your baby cope with immunizations or other potentially frightening situations.

Swaddle: Tightly wrap your baby in a blanket, leaving one leg out for the shot.
Suck: Nurse your infant or provide them with a pacifier to suck.
Shushing sound/singing: Sing or shush softly in your baby's ear.
Skin-to-skin contact: Hold your baby close so they can feel your skin.

Learn more tips and tricks from our child life team at Children's Hospital Colorado.

July 8, 2021 | Pediatrics

Your little one’s well-child visit is coming up. You worry that it might go something like this:

“Will I get any shots today?” “No shots!” “I’m not ready for my shots!”

A well-child visit covers many important things: assessments of growth and development, a physical examination, and discussions of nutrition, safety, behavior and emotions. Unfortunately, a young child will worry or remember the vaccination shots most of all.

It’s common and normal for children to express fear or anxiety over getting an injection. However, please don’t let this or other concerns prevent you from sticking to the recommended childhood vaccine schedule for your child.

“Vaccinations are a very important part of your child’s medical care. They protect your child from many illnesses,” says Valerie Rubin, MD, a pediatrician at Scripps Coastal Medical Center Encinitas. “Fortunately, there are many ways that a parent can help a child overcome their fear of needles and help them understand why vaccinations are so important.”

For additional information about child vaccines, check with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Follow these tips to help prepare your child for vaccinations:

A 2- or 3- year-old is usually best told immediately before or during the visit. Say something simple in a positive tone:

“You will get some shots today. They are little pokes that might hurt for a minute, but mommy or daddy will be here to help you to be brave. You need them to keep you healthy, so you don’t get sick.”

A child 4 years or older may benefit from a little more advance preparation — maybe a day or two before. Explain that they have a doctor’s appointment coming up, where they will likely be getting some vaccinations (or “shots”). Please try not to promise your child ahead of time that there won’t be any “shots,” as the vaccination schedules do change from time to time.

Explain why they need vaccinations as children at this age do start to have some more rational thinking. For example, you might say:

“We will be seeing your doctor in a few days for your check-up. You will need to get some shots that day. Vaccine shots are special medicines that will help you to stay healthy. Most children need some shots before they start kindergarten. They do hurt, but only for a short time. I will help you to be brave. You will be OK.”

You may want to have them practice breathing and relaxing their arm muscles at home, so on shot day, you can remind them that you practiced this, and they know what to do.

During the actual time of vaccination, most children do best if they do not see the needle. Having them actively involved in some quiet activity can help keep their mind off the pain. Some ideas include singing a song, telling jokes, blowing on a pinwheel, or looking at something engrossing on a screen. You can also remind them to keep breathing and to try to relax their muscles.

Sometimes the event is too stressful for successful distraction, but at least the ordeal can be quick. Many children, at the completion of their vaccine shots, will say something like “It’s over?” or “That’s it?”

“Their fear and anxiety about the event are often greater than the pain of the shots,” explains Dr. Rubin. “When a few vaccinations are to be given at once, it is best to get them all completed as quickly as possible, and then comfort the child at the end.”

The sting of the booster shots can be lessened somewhat by a reward, celebrating the completion of this important childhood milestone. Something that a child can share with their parent can be fun — enjoying a food treat like ice cream or going to the park for the afternoon.

A prize that is too exorbitant may make the child more fearful of their shots, thinking “It must be really bad if daddy says he will buy me a new bike for getting my shots.”

Try to have a calm, unapologetic, but warm attitude with your child. If one parent is needle-phobic, then perhaps the other parent can accompany the child. If the child has special needs or is very sensitive, then perhaps both parents, or one parent and another support person, could come along.

Remember, the vaccines are for your child’s benefit and improved health.

An over-the-counter topical numbing cream or gel containing lidocaine can help to slightly reduce the pain of vaccination on the surface of the skin. The cream needs to be applied in the appropriate location 30-60 minutes before the vaccination to be the most effective.

Since many of the vaccinations must be injected deeper into the muscle, topical creams do not block out all pain. However, some families and children do seem to benefit from using them.

A dose of ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) can help a child with some of the soreness (or fevers) they may experience after their vaccinations. It is best not to pretreat your child with oral pain medication, as those medications may reduce the immune response from the vaccine. So again, the best timing for a dose of oral pain medication is usually a few hours after the shot, and the medication can be continued for up to 48 hours if needed. Please discuss the dosing of these medications at your child’s visit.