Is your child wary of needles? Here are five language swaps to try at your next vaccination

TerryWhite Chemmart Content Manager

4 Apr 2023

How we talk to our children informs how they feel. It’s easy to get caught up in their worry and stress – but remember, our calm is contagious. Part of communicating calm comes down to the words we use and the options we give our children to participate in the process. Here are five swaps to try at your next vaccination.

Pain

Try this:

Discomfort
Bother
Uncomfortable feeling
Unpleasant experience

Shot or needle

Try this:

Put some medicine in your arm/leg
Poke
Prick
Pinch

This needle might sting

Try this:

Would it be alright if the poke didn’t bother you?
I can show you some ways to help yourself feel much more comfortable. Would you like to see?

This will hurt but...

Try this:

I wonder if you are going to let it bother you a lot, bother you just a little or not bother you at all?
There could be a little pinch but you are the boss of your body and your brain, so we can find great ways to help it not bother you.

OK, get ready. 1,2,3...

Try this:

You can notice the poke if you want or you can just ignore it altogether. Either way, it doesn’t need to bother you.
Our Pharmacist is really good at this so you don’t need to pay attention to them if you don’t want to. What would you like to pay attention to? Me? A video?