Supporting Your Child Through Blood Tests and Injections

No one really likes having a procedure that involves a needle, but it can be more of a problem for some. Fear of needles can affect anyone at any age for various reasons. Some people develop this fear as a result of a previous bad experience, for example it taking more than one attempt to find a vein. Others may have seen or read about injections or having blood tests and may have not fully understood what happens. It can also develop if negative feelings are picked up from someone else, such as a friend, brother or sister, or parent. Although fear of needles can be worrying for parents, particularly if your child needs regular injections or blood tests, there are ways to improve the situation.

Think about previous experience

Before the appointment or admission, think about how your child reacted last time when an injection or blood test was needed. If there were problems, remember what happened: was the room noisy, did you have time to talk to your child about it beforehand, and was local anaesthetic cream or spray used. If your child was scared, try to remember which aspects worried your child the most as this can vary from child to child. Understanding how your child reacted last time means that you can give the person doing the procedure valuable information to reduce the fear this time.  

Choices

There are going to be times when there either are no options around injections or blood tests or there is no time to offer them. On most occasions, there will be a choice and it can help to involve your child in them, so talk to the person carrying out the procedure to see what is possible. For instance, whether to have the procedure sitting up, laying down or on a parent’s lap. In situations where choices regarding timing of a procedure cannot be offered or are limited, discuss what to do after the procedure with your child. These don’t have to be expensive, a trip to the park, or to the shop to buy a drink would all help in letting your child feel they have had some choice and also have something nice to focus on while the procedure is taking place.

Pain Relief

Pain relief is usually routinely offered to children having an injection/blood test, either as a local anaesthetic cream or a spray. They both work by numbing the surface of the skin so the needle does not hurt as much when it is inserted, although your child may still feel the needle going in. The main difference between them is the length of time they take to work and how long they last. Cream takes up to an hour to work but lasts for several hours, but the spray works immediately but also wears off after a few seconds. Some children are told that the cream is ‘magic’ so they will not be able to feel anything. This is not entirely true, so we suggest that you say that they might feel some pressure, but it won’t hurt.

Permission to cry

Facing a fear of needles is one situation where ‘being brave’ is not helpful. Most hospitals do not mind children shouting or crying during a procedure, although it helps if you warn the person carrying this out beforehand. Offering and encouraging your child the opportunity to sing rather than cry can sometimes work as an alternative. It is important that your child realises that it is alright to make a noise. For most procedures, we will need your child to keep fairly still but shouting or crying is still fine. You could talk about it with the person doing the procedure so that you all know what noise to expect and even join in if you want. Doing this makes the situation more normal and therefore, less frightening.

Comforting

Unless you have a great fear of needles yourself, it will help if you can be with your child while it is happening. Sitting close enough to your child to hug or hold hands will give a lot of comforting and encouragement. Younger children are often happier to sit on a parent’s lap because it is a ‘safe’ place. If you would prefer not to stay for the procedure, please bring a friend or relative with you so someone can sit with your child and comfort him or her.    

Distraction

This is used a great deal by play specialists during procedures, and you probably do it a lot each day yourself. The idea behind distraction therapy is that by taking a child’s mind off the procedure, the pain and fear associated with it will reduce. Here are a few ideas. Any activity that takes a child’s mind away from what is happening is worth trying, for instance, reading a book together, counting, watching a DVD, or playing I SPY. You could try something a bit noisier, such as singing songs, or playing with a noisy toy. You might have to try different things to find out which works best for your child.

Afterwards

Remembering which aspects worked and which didn’t, can be helpful in planning for the future. If they didn’t help, it might be helpful to talk it over with your nurse specialist. He or she will have lots more ideas than are mentioned here and may even arrange for specific activities to reduce your child’s fear before the next procedure. It is important to deal with your child’s fear of needles so that it does not affect him or her so much in the future.