The Butantan Institute in Brazil has released a news item about some tips to reduce fear when children are vaccinated (although mainly for COVID-19, but it actually applies to all kinds of vaccines), which I think may be helpful for parents who take their children to get vaccinated (or other injections), here to share:
(The original text is Spanish, machine translation + reorganization language sent out, there are details are not accurate, please do more self-criticism)
5 Tips for Reducing Children's Fear of Vaccination
Parents and caregivers should avoid intimidation of their children and develop a habit of encouraging immunization
Meet 5 Tips to Lessen Children's Fear of Taking Vaccine
Parents and caregivers can avoid speeches that frighten children and adopt habits that encourage immunization
Crying, screaming, fainting... Many children may be very frightened by vaccinations, so some parents become miserable because of the vaccination of their children. Vaccination campaigns against the COVID-19 vaccine can prevent the most brutal outcome of the coronavirus: hospitalizations and deaths. Now the Butantan Institute brings some tricks to better handle the little ones' fear of needles.
Crying, screaming, fainting... many children may be afraid of taking a vaccine and therefore some parents suffer to immunize them. The covid-19 vaccination campaign protects against the cruelest face of coronavirus: hospitalizations and deaths. Butantan brought tips to better deal with the fear of small and small ones to face a needle.
Mayra Moura, pharmacovigilance manager at the Butantan Institute and director of the Brazilian Immunization Association, said that adults, especially parents and child caregivers, can play a role in preventing the emergence and long-term persistence of fear of vaccination, thus avoiding children's resistance to the protection of COVID-19 and many other diseases.
Adults, especially parents and caregivers, can make all the difference to prevent fear from appearing and lasting, harming the child's protection against this and many other diseases, explains the pharmacovigilance manager of the Butantan Institute and director of the Brazilian Immunization Society, Mayra Moura.
"It's important to get vaccinated more steadily, to tell the children that it's very important to get vaccinated, it will hurt, but the pain will pass, and the vaccination is an opportunity to protect yourself, and after the vaccination, you can go back to visit your grandparents and meet your friends, and you don't need to stay at home very often," said the nurse (referring to Mayra Moura, as mentioned below).
"It's important to take vaccination more calmly, tell the kids that it's important to take the vaccine, that it hurts, but it passes, and that it's an opportunity for her to protect herself and visit Grandma and Grandpa again, find friends and not have to stay home for so long," says the nurse.
According to Mayra, according to Sbim (Sociedade Brasileira de Imunizações, SBIm, the "Brazilian Society of Immunology" – halogen), 40 percent of adolescents have fainted during immunization. This happens because of the fear of vaccination that develops in childhood. "Syncope occurs not because of vaccines, but because of fears that arise from an early age," he adds.
According to Mayra, 40% of adolescents faint in needle procedures, according to Sbim data. And that's what was built in childhood, this culture of fear of injections. "Syncope does not occur because of the vaccine, but of all this fear built since childhood," he says.
Where does fear come from?
Where does fear come from?
But first we must understand how to avoid this culture of fear at home. Showing mercy by saying "poor child, or using the vaccine as a form of punishment such as "If you don't take a bath, you'll be sent to be vaccinated" is what makes children feel that vaccinations are a bad thing, and that impression will stay with them for a long time or even for life, Mayra says.
But first we need to understand how to avoid this culture of fear at home. Showing pity by saying 'tadinho' or using the vaccine as a form of punishment 'if you don't take a bath, you'll get an injection' is what makes the child eternalize vaccination as something bad and take this feeling with you for a long time, if not for life, Mayra said.
Wanting to minimize this doesn't mean it's necessary to lie to your child or not make them feel pain. Instead, family members should be vaccinated with a clear understanding that this is a pain that does not last and that the benefits are greater than pain, and should welcome the physical discomfort caused by vaccination.
Minimizing the situation does not mean that it is necessary to lie to the child or invalidate their pain. On the contrary, family members should be attentive at the time of immunization to make it clear that it is a pain that is not lasting and that the benefits are greater, and welcome physical pain by injection.
"Family members need to all tell their children that vaccines can be beneficial," he said. If parents themselves think it's not safe to get vaccinated, they can't pass on the message of vaccine safety to their children. ”
"The family member needs to be there to say that it is good for a child. If the parents themselves are not safe, it will not pass security to the child", he points out.
How can I reduce my fear of vaccines?
How to lessen the dread of the vaccine?
Preventing fear from developing and continuing into adolescence requires a lot of communication and making vaccinations as common as possible. Mayra, a nurse who specializes in immunization, provides the following advice to parents and caregivers.
Preventing fear from arising and that it continues in adolescence requires a lot of conversation and normalizing the act as much as possible. Mayra, who is a nurse specializing in immunization, gives tips to parents and caregivers.
1- It's not just about vaccines on vaccination day
1- Talk about vaccines on a day-to-day and not only on the day of application
Talk to children about the importance of vaccines, give examples of how it protects humans in a pandemic, and tell stories that its benefits are to prevent them from getting sick and that some diseases are no longer there because of vaccination. There is no need to talk about this only on the day of immunization and not to show anxiety or crying around your child.
Talk to the children about the importance of vaccines, give examples of how it is protecting people in the pandemic and talk about its benefits, which is to prevent them from getting sick, that today there are no more certain diseases because of vaccination. You do not need to talk about it only on the day of immunization and do not show apprehension or cry next to the child.
2 - Do not show sympathy for the child who is about to be vaccinated
2- Do not show pity for the child who will receive vaccine
This kind of behavior may seem sympathetic, but saying "You are so pitiful"; "Be strong", "This is hard, but you need to accept" This kind of language will make the child feel fearful, rather than accepting it calmly. Instead, treat vaccinations naturally, soothe your child's physical and emotional discomfort with loving words and a hug, and then move on to other daily tasks.
It may seem empathetic, but speak "poor thing"; "be strong", "it's hard, but you need to take" creates more the feeling of fear than acceptance. Instead, treat the act of vaccinating naturally and welcome the child's physical and emotional pain with loving words, with a hug, and then move on with other day-to-day issues.
3 - Do not associate vaccines with punishment
3- Do not associate the vaccine with a punishment
Avoid saying that you will take him/her for vaccination when your child is confronting an adult, and describe vaccination as a punishment. For example, other threatening languages such as "If you don't have a good taste, take you for an injection," "If you don't do what I ask, I'll take you to get a vaccine." Words like these would associate vaccines with punishment and increase a child's fear of vaccines.
Avoid saying that you will take the child to get vaccinated every time she contradicts an adult as a form of punishment. For example: "will take injection if you do not eat everything", "I will take you to get vaccinated if you do not do what I'm asking you", among other threats. You talk about how these associate vaccines with punishments and only increase the child's fear.
4- Be with your child when you get the vaccine
4- Stand next to the child when they are vaccinated
During vaccinations, children tend to be calmer if caregivers are closer to them, give them encouragement, hold them, dry their tears, and look into their eyes. Smaller children are more likely to relax sitting on the caregiver's lap than sitting alone in a chair, and babies are also more likely to be calmed by being breastfed by their mothers during vaccination, as both sucking and breast milk itself can make them relax.
Children tend to be calmer when caregivers are near them during vaccination, supporting, lap, drying tears, looking into the eyes. The smaller ones become more relaxed if seated on the caregiver's lap than alone in the chair, and babies also calm down when being breastfed by mothers during application, because both breast sucking and breast milk relax.
5- Distract your child during vaccination
5- Distracts the child during vaccination
Distracting your child with toys, videos, or something with music is a technique that will keep your child from panicking.
Distracting the child with toys, videos, some object with music, which holds the child's attention is a technique that brings results and prevents the child from being terrified.