Shots at the doctor - warn first?

[emschwar]

Noah's got his 4 year check up in a couple months, and he'll be getting shots at the appointment. Should I warn him first, or not? I don't want him to freak out about going to the doctor, but I don't know if it's better to let the shots be a total surprise when they happen. Anyone have any ideas or advice?

[vjel]

I'm subscribing b/c I'm wondering the same thing w/ DD. NOT looking forward to this appt at all, which is why DH is taking her. ;) Has Noah been around when his lil bro has had to get shots? If so, what's his reaction? DD is aware when DS gets shots (even though she's usually in school when we go) so I think it might freak her out to know she has to go get shots too. I dunno...it's been awhile since she's had to get shots so I have no idea how she'll react.

[pixiecat]

I'm tempted to go with "don't say anything," but I wonder if a 4-year old would see this as a betrayal by you? DD is 2.5, so we haven't had this come up yet, but I see it in our future...

[gretazmama]

I tell my daughter ahead of time (she's 3 1/2). We have a play doctor's kit at home and we do a little role play beforehand. I give her a shot, she gives me a shot, we each get a band aid ... I also tell her we'll go for Starbucks after the appointment, which helps a LOT.

She still cries when she gets a shot, but not for too long. She's a trooper.

[emschwar]

I tell my daughter ahead of time (she's 3 1/2). We have a play doctor's kit at home and we do a little role play beforehand. I give her a shot, she gives me a shot, we each get a band aid ... I also tell her we'll go for Starbucks after the appointment, which helps a LOT.

She still cries when she gets a shot, but not for too long. She's a trooper.

I had read something about always going someplace fun right after the doc (like ice cream, or where ever), and was planning on doing that, plus I have emergency lollipops in the diaper bag.

I don't want him to freak out with an unexpected shot, but I also don't want him to dread going to the doctor...

[Peever]

I tell him. I like him to be prepared. I don't make it sound awful though. You just have to put the best spin on it that you can. O loves the dr for some reason though. As long as he gets all the goodies afterward, he seems to be just fine.

[Sevilla]

I think it depends on your child's personality - for me as a 4 year old, it was better if i didn't know b/c i would obsess and worry about it beforehand. My DH on the other hand would prefer to know and not be surprised.

[quest]

I agree that it depends on the child. My 4yo DD would obsess and worry about it if I told her ahead. She actually asked me if she was going to get any, and I just told her I wasn't sure, we'd see when we got to the doctor's, and if she did, it would be fine, cause she's a big girl, and then we'd go do bla bla bla...

I did tell her, though, that her brother would be getting some (he was 9 mos. at the time) so it helped that she knew at some point someone was getting a shot, but didn't freak out for days knowing it was her.

In the end, she was fine with it. She teared up a little, but nothing major.

[dziner]

I told DD I didn't know if she'd need any or not, but that I was bringing a lollipop along just in case. She got so excited about the lollipop that she almost didn't mind the shot!!

[Ellyn]

I don't have a 4 yo, but my 2.5 yo son likes to come to the dr. to watch his sister get shots - and helps us comfort her afterwards (telling her its okay). :)

When he had blood drawn for allergy tests when he was 1 he just sat there - no tears...but when blood draw time came around this time, we really prepared him. Like a PP said, we acted it out so when it came time, the lab tech came over and I talked him through it just like when we practiced at home - and this time NO TEARS again!

...But we'll see what happens next year. ;)

[mamax2]

My DD is one who would/does obsess BUT she's also the type to never let me live it down if I sprung it on her. I find the best scenario is a compromise (she had a couple rounds of shots last summer to get ready for school). I tell her the shot is happening before the appointment, but not until the day of the appointment. So, she knows it's coming, but not really enough time to lose sleep over it. Of course, now she's onto that and if I mention the word Doctor, she wants to know if shots are involved. Still, it worked for several rounds so it was a good run ;)

[FoxyBlue]

As a kid I hated surprise shots. I was so relieved when they told me that I could take Tylenol in advance (well, told my mom...) so that it wouldn't hurt so much.

We did that for subsequent shots and I don't remember worrying about it ever again.

[jay&erinn]

I tell DD (4 years) the day of her appointment. She usually asks what's going to happen so I'll explain the entire appt from getting weighed to the possibility of the shots. She worries a little, but I try to give her as much control as possible- let her pick which arm it goes in, if she wants to sit on my lap or sit in the chair by herself, etc. I also try to plan something fun for afterwards (laying with me and watching a movie, or out for lunch to a restaurant that she gets to pick). She handles it pretty well. I explain why she needs them and that they only hurt for a few seconds. She got 3 shots at her 4 year appt (she quietly cried and climbed into my lap by the end of the second) but still didn't freak when I took her back 6 weeks later for her flu shot (She actually got the flu mist nasal spray this time, but I prepared her that it may be a shot just in case). She's definately a kid that likes to know ahead of time what's going on.

[emschwar]

Does any one know any good picture books that talk about kids going to the doctor and getting shots? I know I read one somewhere, and for some reason Elmo is coming to mind, but I can't remember what it was...

It sounds like the thing to do is to tell him the day of that he'll get shots at the appointment. Still, I'd like some books to read to him so he's got a little understanding. He doesn't come with us to Daniel's wbvs (I purposely schedule them while Noah's at school, otherwise he talks the dr's ear off and I can't concentrate on Daniel), so he doesn't see him getting shots. We had a surprise shot for his flu shot - Daniel was in for reflux, and I asked the doc if I needed to schedule an appt for Noah's flu shot, and he said we'd just do it right then. Noah was not happy (a blubbering mess after the shot) and with the crying newborn, there wasn't much I could do to comfort him really well. I think he's forgotten that though, thankfully.

[Sevilla]

Another thing you can do is get some numbing cream to put on beforehand - it will numb the skin but more importantly it will have a placebo effect to not have him worry about the shot hurting as much. My friend who is a nurse does that with her kids and it works great.

[cynder]

I told DS the morning of the shot because he's the kind of kid who doesn't like surprises. I second the doctor's kit idea. We've had one for awhile now and he knows how to use all the instruments and what they are used for. I didn't really plan it for that but when we went for the flu shot this year, he was very interested in the whole process and seeing the nurse. To my surprise, he didn't cry. He does cry when he's getting weighed though, so go figure.

Best of luck.

[JenniferEC]

We have a Blues Clues book about going to the doctor and it covers giving shots. DS, who will be 4 in March, doesn't get any shots until he's 5, but we still read it pretty often. When he had his flu shot in the fall it was last minute, so no time to prepare or worry about it and he did fine.

[AlisonCO]

Like others, I tell the morning of the appt that he might get a shot - he would never sleep or stop talking about it if I told him earlier than that. I also let him bring a special toy and have a treat after.

[emschwar]

What do you know - we were at target yesterday and they had "It's Check-up Time, Elmo" in the dollar spot! So we got that, and we've been reading it a lot. I also told Noah he'd get a shot at his appointment, and he wasn't pleased about it, but then we talked about how it would only hurt for a minute, and that we'd get to do something special afterwards. And we've had lots of discussion about what the something special will be. So hopefully we won't have a screaming fit on our way to the doctor :)