For a lot of youngsters, getting blood drawn is frightening: In spite of everything, a comparatively unfamiliar particular person is sticking a pointy needle of their arm.¹ Kids would possibly really feel a lack of management and autonomy, a way of hazard, and a basic concern of ache (identical to many adults do).² Roughly 63% of children between the ages of six to eight concern needles. Amongst youngsters ages 4 to 16 with kind 1 diabetes, who encounter needles extra regularly starting with their first screening for the situation and as they obtain fingersticks and insulin injections after prognosis, 40% expertise injection nervousness.³

Children have very energetic imaginations (as you most likely know fairly nicely, for those who’re a dad or mum or guardian). Upfront of a blood draw, they may provide you with all kinds of eventualities about what is going to happen—they could not understand how huge the needle is, the place of their physique it’s going, or how a lot blood they’ll have to offer, Benjamin U. Nwosu, MD, the chief of endocrinology at Cohen Kids’s Medical Middle at Northwell Well being in New Hyde Park, New York, tells SELF. “Children are youngsters. Their brains are nonetheless creating, in order that they don’t know the extent of what’s going to occur,” Dr. Nwosu says.

Blood attracts could be significantly tough on your child in the event that they’ve had adverse experiences with them. Children could bear in mind the ache they skilled throughout previous blood attracts—possibly a nurse couldn’t discover their vein, or they handed out.⁴ That may affect their means to deal with future blood attracts, suggests a examine evaluating the concern of needles in youngsters with kind 1 diabetes.⁵

Kids usually specific their feelings by habits as a substitute of phrases—so they may turn into withdrawn or aggressive, or refuse to cooperate once they’re having a tough time.² When it comes to nervousness about needles, this may appear like squirming of their seat, screaming and crying, or attempting to expire of the room, making blood attracts a tough and time-consuming process for everybody concerned. This implies it could be extra stress-inducing for you, particularly in the event that they’re getting their blood drawn for an essential screening that you simply would possibly already really feel nervous about.¹ Dr. Nwosu has seen his fair proportion of children bolt for the door—and, primarily based on his experiences, has recommendation for how one can hold your child calmer throughout their subsequent appointment.

Put together your child—and plan to distract them.

One of the best ways to ease your child’s nervousness about blood work? Take a while to elucidate to them what’s going to occur, Dr. Nwosu says. Getting your child prepared by letting them know what to anticipate and what the purpose of all of it is can enhance their understanding and make them really feel extra comfy, research present.¹