Most children are afraid of needles – during a visit to the doctor's. An injection almost always ends with a crying and screaming session. This cause most parents to be wary and worried when their children have to go to the doctor's for an injection. However, proper management of the expectations of the child before and during the session can help ease the situation. The following are a few things that a parent can do

If the child is old enough to understand, explain the reason for the injection to the child. If it is a vaccination injection, explain to the child that the vaccination is necessary to prevent future infections that would cause more pain and harm. If the injection is to cure a current infection/illness, explain to the child that the injection will help to ease the current symptoms that the child may be suffering. A good explanation will not completely remove the fears of the child but would definitely help in persuading the child to be “more willing” to take the injection.

You can plan for an activity that is enjoyable to the child after the visit to the doctor's. Discuss this with the child so that the child is aware of the activity and will have something to look forward to after the injection. This should help improve the child's distress before the trip to the doctor's. Also, an enjoyable activity after the injection will help make the overall experience more pleasant. Some suggestions include a trip to the zoo or the park after the visit to the doctor's for an injection.

Before the injection, you should be calm as this will show the child that there is nothing to worry about. Most children can pick up signals in the behavior of adults around them and if you appear anxious, they will become worried themselves. Tell yourself that crying children during an injection is normal and work towards making the child as comfortable as possible instead of getting worked up yourself.

During the actual injection, try to distract the child by talking to the child. You can discuss a topic that the child is interested in. This should prevent the child from looking at the needle and the actual injection. Most injections do not really hurt and if the child is properly distracted, the child may not even be aware that the injection has already taken place.

Even if the child cries during the session, give the child a hug after the injection and shower praises on the child for being “brave”. This will improve the overall experience and will hopefully make the next trip a less painful one. If you also start to shout and scream, the child will remember the experience and will be even more hesitant the next time the child has to go to the doctor's for an injection.

Always remember that it is the child that should be distressed instead of you as the parent. As such, you should try to be understanding and accommodating in helping the child cope with the session.