We’ve never had bad reactions to vaccinations. Simple trip to dr. Needle in, bit of crying, stop crying and that was it! Little one is quite good with needles though.

When your child is at the toddler stage of vaccinations, if he/she is inclined to be shy/and or nervous try to get an early appt. as there is less likely to be a delay so they don’t see any reaction of other children. I can remember running before my Mum had time to realise and hiding under a chair further down the waiting room. Apparently I screamed when she eventually managed to pull me out from under the chair. I got myself so worked up that a few minutes after my shot I fainted, and then a few minutes later vomitted.

Give some panadol half an hour before the vaccination, this helps with the pain and temps. Expect bub to be a little grizzly and maybe get a temp, if that happens panadol will help. Both my daughters coped really well and hardly had any after effects, I was lucky.

my lo had a reaction to his second round of needles it was very scary but the doctors took great care of him, the following time i brought my partner and that helped alot

Distract your little one. I always had a bottle ready to give straight after

Take a support person, I passed out watching it.

Maybe a fever, have some panadol available just in case. We also had a warm bottle of milk or formula ready to give as soon as the needles were done. An upset tummy is possible with rotavirus vaccination so make sure to wash hands thoroughly after nappy changes. We have never had any issues.

Distraction is good depending on the age. Stickers, bubbles etc. Don’t give you child panadol or nurofen prior to the vaccination appointment though

good on you – depending on age tell bub it might hurt briefly but will keep them healthy in the long term – then just distract them when it actually happens – make sure you are calm or excited but not stressy as bub will pick up on it

I have found the younger they are, the easier it is as they don’t know anything about it. I have 3 children and have been more nervous myself every time than they ever were. My nearly 4 year old just had 2 and I was dreading it (and he was not keen!) but he was fine – not even a peep!

I think we can get ourselves worked up and watching makes it harder for us than them. A cuddle and a feed can help when they are younger, and try to relax youself when holding them so they don’t feel your tension. Distraction is good when they are older, and make sure you hold them tightly so they don’t move.

I found not being in the surgery/clinic too early is a good idea (especially when they are older) as the waiting is often the worst bit (for all of us!)

I never questioned it, yeah its not nice watching the needle, and theres an oral liquid too (rota virus) but we didn’t get any reactions so that’s good

It depends on how old your babies/children are as to how you broach the actual injections with them. For babies, have the breast or bottle ready for immediately after the injections to soothe. For older children, show them on a teddy bear where the injections will go and tell them in language that they understand what is going to happen and why. Afterwards, some parents use food as a bribe or a new toy to distract from the pain.
The baby child usually doesn’t cry for long afterward. Don’t get too stressed yourself.

You will need to wait in the waiting room for 15 minutes after the injections to make sure that no anaphylaxic reactions occur.

Remind yourself of the bigger picture that a few seconds minutes of pain is better than the diseases that the vaccinations prevent.
And you will be given a leaflet and told what side effects to expect and when, if they happen. Panadol does work well, if necessary.

Panadol worked for us very well.

Gp suggested panadol IF they have a fever. My daughter had no fever and no reaction to any of her immunisations. It’s hard as they are so little anf they will probably cry but remember that it would be so much worse if they caught a preventable disease. Some babies get cranky or tired but again we had no dramas. Good luck

I always gave my children panadol before hand and then a breastfeed after and they were really good and they were never really unsettled after but I know some friends children have been unsettled for a few days after injections.