Ways to ease your baby’s vaccination

MANY new parents wonder how to soothe a newborn during baby shots. Before their second birthday, babies may be poked with a needle up to 20 times during vaccinations. These shots protect children from dreaded diseases that used to be common, says Ken Haller, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University in Missouri. Nonetheless, the vaccination pain can be upsetting for you and your child.

According to the Mayo Clinic, childhood vaccines protect children from a variety of serious or potentially fatal diseases, including:

• Chickenpox
• Diphtheria
• Haemophilius influenzae type b (Hib)
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Measles
• Meningococcal
• Mumps
• Pneumococcal conjugate
• Polio
• Rotavirus
• Rubella
• Seasonal influenza (flu)
• Smallpox
• Tetanus
• Tuberculosis
• Whooping cough (pertussis)

These vaccines contain an inactivated (killed) agent or a weakened live organism and help babies to develop antibodies for protection against specific infections.

While babies get some disease protection from their mothers, this only lasts until they’re around 6 months old. Baby shots are given early because children are at high risk for serious diseases at a young age. Diseases like measles and chickenpox are life-threatening for infants and young children. This makes early vaccination — sometimes beginning shortly after birth — essential. If you postpone vaccines until a child is older, it might be too late to offer good protection.

Many parents worry about baby shots and fever after vaccines. Some believe there is a link between ingredients in vaccines and autism. Ever since vaccinations were developed, there have been risks, including the risk of developing the disease or serious side effects. But most vaccine side effects are very mild and severe ones are quite rare. The use of childhood vaccinations has essentially ended a number of childhood diseases that otherwise resulted in hospitalization or death.

Failure to get babies vaccinated can result in new epidemics of diseases that can be harmful — even deadly. As an example, before the measles vaccine, 3 to 4 million people in the United States got measles each year, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 400 to 500 died annually. Diphtheria was one of the most common childhood causes of death in school age children. About 4 million people got chickenpox each year in the United States, over 10,500 of those people were hospitalized, and about 100 to 150 people died. And pertussis, or whooping cough, an illness that makes it difficult to breathe, killed 8,000 people annually before the vaccine was developed.

While baby shots are proven to protect children against diseases, there are also confirmed ways to soothe a newborn or baby after vaccinations. Here are some shot soothers that work best:

 

Hold your baby close during baby shots

According to research published in the journal Pediatrics, parents should stay nearby so you can distract and calm your baby during the injection. An ideal option is to hold your baby. Be sure to hold her so her upper arm or thigh is exposed and the provider can give the injection. Children who are a little older can sit on your lap facing you. Keep the baby as clothed as possible so you can leave quickly afterward, Dr. Haller suggests.

 

Feed your baby to relieve vaccination pain

Feeding your baby may help relieve vaccination pain. A recent study found that babies who were breast-fed during the vaccination cried less. “Younger kids and babies are much better at living in the present moment,” Haller says, and as a result, their minds can switch quickly from “hurt, hurt, hurt” to “food, food, food.” Still, he recommends that parents feed their children after the vaccination, since infants may be more likely to throw up during the injection if they’ve just eaten.

 

A little sugar water may help shots under 6 months

Several studies have found that sugar doesn’t just help the medicine go down, but can take the sting out of vaccination pain, too. A taste of sugar is particularly helpful in babies under 6 months. Try giving your baby a little sugar water before the vaccination, or dip a pacifier into the sweet liquid and let him suck on it during the injection.

Distract your baby to reduce baby shots pain

Distracting your baby is one of the most important steps you can take to reduce vaccination pain. Bring along an item that you know will hold her attention — bubbles, a favorite (or brand-new) toy, a noisemaker, or a favorite movie on a tablet.

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Numbing medicine may soothe a newborn

Rub-on agents that numb the skin, such as EMLA (eutectic mixture of local anesthetics) cream, can help dampen vaccination pain. But EMLA can take about an hour to start working. Sprays that numb the skin by cooling it may also be helpful — and work in a few seconds — but these haven’t been shown to work as well. If you’re concerned about Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) vaccine pain, ask your doctor if numbing cream is available.

 

Rub your baby’s skin after the vaccination

After the vaccination, gently rub your baby’s skin near the injection site. The distracting stimulation from the light massage may keep your baby from feeling the baby shots pain so intensely. A study in adults found that those who rubbed the area after an injection for just 10 seconds had less pain. Another study found that pressure on the skin beforehand may also reduce the pain.

 

Try tylenol to prevent fever after vaccines

Giving your child Tylenol (acetaminophen) shortly before the injection may help lessen vaccination pain afterward. It can also help reduce fever after vaccines, Haller says. In addition, you’re likely to feel a lot of distress when the shots are given, and knowing that you’ve done something to help may make you feel better. If unsure, talk to your doctor about preventing fever after vaccines. One recent study found that using Tylenol to prevent a fever might reduce the effectiveness of vaccines.

 

Ask about alternatives to needles with baby shots

In some situations, doctors can reduce vaccination pain by using a needle-free device, such as those that use compressed air to put the medication into the skin. You can ask if this is an option for your baby, but in general these are used when many patients are being vaccinated at one time, Haller says. If it’s any consolation, researchers are working hard to find alternatives to needles.

 

Inquire about combination vaccine plans

Vaccinations for several diseases can be combined in a single shot to reduce the number of injections your baby requires, which reduces vaccination pain. These include the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Dtap) vaccine, which is available in combination with the polio and hepatitis B vaccines, or the polio and haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccines, Haller says. The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that combination vaccines be used for your baby whenever possible.

 

Stay calm during baby vaccinations

Wonder how to soothe a newborn during the series of baby shots? Research has found that parent behavior accounts for about 50 percent of the distress that the baby feels during a vaccination. New parents are often anxious about their baby’s vaccination pain, Haller says. Take comfort in knowing that the vaccination pain your baby feels will only last a moment, but the protection from disease will last for years.

 

These vaccines contain an inactivated (killed) agent or a weakened live organism and help babies to develop antibodies for protection against specific infections.

While babies get some disease protection from their mothers, this only lasts until they’re around 6 months old. Baby shots are given early because children are at high risk for serious diseases at a young age. Diseases like measles and chickenpox are life-threatening for infants and young children.

This makes early vaccination — sometimes beginning shortly after birth — essential. If you postpone vaccines until a child is older, it might be too late to offer good protection.

www.everyday health.com