10 Ways to Ease Your Baby’s Vaccination Pain

According to research, 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.

Feeding your baby may help relieve vaccination pain. One 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.

One study review found that sugar doesn’t just help the medicine go down, but can take the sting out of vaccination pain for your baby, 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.

Distracting your baby is one of the most important steps you can take to reduce vaccination pain, according to the CDC. 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.

Rub-on agents that numb the skin, such as EMLA (eutectic mixture of local anesthetics) cream, can help dampen your baby’s 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.

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 pain of the shots so intensely. The study review mentioned above found that those who rubbed the area after an injection for just 10 seconds had less pain and that applying pressure on the skin beforehand may also reduce the pain.

Giving your child acetaminophen (Tylenol) 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.

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. One study found they’re equally effective and cause less pain than needles. 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, including oral and nasal options, according to the CDC.

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 Pediatrics recommends that combination vaccines be used for your baby whenever possible.

Wonder how to soothe a newborn during the series of baby shots? One study found that parent behavior accounts significantly affects the 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.