shots this friday

We are going in for our first shots friday and i am not looking forward to this. As a matter of fact I will probably cry with them. But any suggestions on how to make it easier on them?
Thanks
missy

 

I don't know it I'm in the minority, but I was surprised with how well our little guys did with their shots. All of them in fact. They scream as it's happening, but it only lasts for less than a minute and they stop crying as soon as I pick them up.

DH has a hard time watching the shots taking place, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be and they don't seem to be fussy afterwards. Maybe you'll have the same experience!

 

I really wish I could sympathize with you. I really thought that I would be torn up as well. Yes your little ones will scream bloody murder. But it is really only for less than a min. Right after it is done, just hug them tight and they should be OK.

My guys were in the NICU for 9 weeks and I saw them being stuck for blood and IVs in the arm, leg, and head on a daily basis. So a little shot in the leg was no biggie for me.

You are a mom, just like the rest of us. You cannot help but feel pain for your little ones. But this is only temporary. By the end of the visit, all will be forgotten!

 

Mine, too! My little ones didn't even cry their first shots - It was more dramatic for me! lol
Make sure that you stay calm because they can read your body language...good luck!

 

Ditto on pp, mine screamed their head off for less than a minute and then it was like nothing happened. Just watch later when you are changing them to make sure you don't squeeze their little thighs too hard.

 

i was so upset I had to walk out.

For pain, you can give them Tylenol (ask the pedi about dosage info) 2 hours after the shot, then repeat every 4 hours for the rest of the day. That seems to help!

 

It is always worse on us then them!! You can actually give them Tylonal about 30-60 minutes before the shot. We were always told to do this. Just be prepared for them to be a little cranky for a couple of days and they may have a low-grade fever too. All of this is normal with shots!!

April

 

I've gotten allergy shots multiple times per week for YEARS and I still get a little bit "chicken" when I bring my babies in. Their reaction will depend on the baby. With my oldest, reactions were pretty bad and took a lot of nursing in the office to recover. With these babies, we've been in 5 times for shots now and it was only this time that one of my girls really had a problem. When they were in the 2-4 month range, they'd cry during the shot and be done crying as soon as you picked them up. Now that they're a bit older, one of them has decided that she is absolutely OFFENDED by this whole shot thing and pitched a pretty good fit. Still, it wasn't all that bad (5 min of crying, followed by 5 more minutes of fussing). We don't go by the shot schedule at the office because I worry about reactions, so we only get a couple of shots at a time.

There are things you can do to minimize your child's chances of reactions from vaccines. I think one of them is liquid vitamin C (?). They are mentioned in a book called "What Your Pediatrician May Not Tell You About Childhood Vaccinations" by Stephanie Cave. Your library probably has it.

 

QUOTE(Take Luck! @ Aug 1 2007, 04:34 PM) [snapback]353355[/snapback]
I've gotten allergy shots multiple times per week for YEARS and I still get a little bit "chicken" when I bring my babies in. Their reaction will depend on the baby. With my oldest, reactions were pretty bad and took a lot of nursing in the office to recover. With these babies, we've been in 5 times for shots now and it was only this time that one of my girls really had a problem. When they were in the 2-4 month range, they'd cry during the shot and be done crying as soon as you picked them up. Now that they're a bit older, one of them has decided that she is absolutely OFFENDED by this whole shot thing and pitched a pretty good fit. Still, it wasn't all that bad (5 min of crying, followed by 5 more minutes of fussing). We don't go by the shot schedule at the office because I worry about reactions, so we only get a couple of shots at a time.

There are things you can do to minimize your child's chances of reactions from vaccines. I think one of them is liquid vitamin C (?). They are mentioned in a book called "What Your Pediatrician May Not Tell You About Childhood Vaccinations" by Stephanie Cave. Your library probably has it.

My girls had their 6 mont shots today and they really didn't cry at all ask your pedi if you can give them tylenol before the shots.. they really had a hard time with their 2 month shots I think they felt them more good luck... remember it is only 2 shots at 6 months.. and one at 9..

 

we always do tylenol before the shots. to be honest....i think it just scares them more than hurt them. they literally cried for seconds when they had their first shots...and their second shots. it is definitely worse on us.

mine didn't even cry when they had to do blood work. i cry when i get blood drawn! i had no idea they would draw blood from their arms. it was like they didn't even notice it was being done!

 

One of my babies was fine with his first shots and the other was a mess. I gave them tylenol an hour before and throughout that day and evening, just in case of fever (although apparently fevers are really rare these days with the new shots). I suggest having everything you need for the rest of the day totally ready - bottles, blankies, bath, etc. because you might have to spend all of your time consoling a baby (I did).

 

The girls just had their two month shots today and they just cried for a few seconds and that was it. DH was the one that held them while the doctor did it and I held them after. As soon as we put them back in their carseats they were fast asleep and slept for 2 hours. When they woke up I took their temps and they both had a low grade fever. I gave them Tylenol and their bottles, snuggled them up in a boppy together for comfort and they went back to sleep for another 2 hours. It might be a long night for me, but that's ok. They are still warm and are a little fussy, but it's not anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be.

 

Same here - they cried for a bit when they got the shots, but it was over before we left the office. One of mine freaked out afterwards at home for a few hours (luckily the other one was sleeping), so I gave the screaming one infant tylenol, bathed her and put her to bed. They will likely be very sleepy from all of the excitement. The 4 month shots were the worst. I think one of mine remembered the earlier shots when she felt the crinkly paper on the examining table and started to scream, then the other one freaked out at home. 6 month shots went better, but I gave them both Tylenol in the car before we drove home and let them sleep in their swings for a few hours after that. Honestly, I think teething hurts them much more than the shots.

Make sure DH or someone else is there to help you hold them!!! The only thing that made it better for me was being able to hug and kiss the twin that had just gotten the shot to soothe her. That way you can pass the other twin to Dad or a friend and both are being comforted.

 

Talk to your ped, giving meds prior to the shots is often not recommended. The reason is that if the child has even a low grade fever, the shots should not be given. If you give meds before arriving at the doc it could mask an existing fever. Fever can be a reaction to the shots and something to watch for but if a child already has a fever then it may go unnoticed.

 

The shots themselves are fine for us. Just a second or two of screaming and then I cuddle them and they are fine. My Addison was in NICU and was poked and prodded so much, the shots dont' seem to bother any of us!

It's the night after the shots that are terrible for me! Crying and crying and more crying! Their little legs get swollen and red and there isn't any sleeping!

 

Ditto Melissa mine did well with them. Beau seemed a little down afterwards but they affected Savvanah in no way. I gave them tylenol before we went (0.3 - dosage) and then repeated it that evening.

 

QUOTE(CROSSTWINS @ Aug 1 2007, 04:55 PM) [snapback]353303[/snapback]
We are going in for our first shots friday and i am not looking forward to this. As a matter of fact I will probably cry with them. But any suggestions on how to make it easier on them?
Thanks
missy


Good luck Missy. I thought I would cry, but somehow I managed to keep it together. For their 2 month shots, each cried for about a minute and then they were fine. However, when they woke up from their naps later that day, both were screaming because their little legs hurt. After a quick call to the ped, I got the right dosing for infant Tylenol and then they were fine. For their 4 month shots, they cried a little longer, but not much. However, this time I gave them Tylenol right after the visit so their legs didn't bother them. Good luck, Leighann