Approval could come shortly allowing children ages 5 to 11 to be able to get COVID-19 vaccines and a Chicago area family practice doctor has advice for reducing a child’s fear about having a needle stuck in his or her arm.
Dr. Whitney Lyn is a family practice physician for Cook County Health and admitted she’s afraid of needles but says she did not even feel when she received her two COVID-19 shots.
Lyn said she distracted herself when a nurse was administering them and she saud that can work for your child, too.
“You can even buy the over-the-counter lidocaine cream, just to put on 30 minutes before so that it numbs the area for them and distract them, you know. Children love the phone. Give them the phone and they will do anything for you,” Lyn told WBBM Newsradio.
Another suggestion she had included having parents use “a little bit of ice, maybe numb it a little bit or let them know ‘if you get this, we can have a treat afterwards for being so brave.’”
Lyn said parents could also remind their child that the needle used for children COVID-19 shots is smaller than the one used for adult shots.
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She also recommended telling children that getting a COVID-19 shot will mean he or she will be able to do more normal things like hanging out with friends and having sleepovers again.
The family practice doctor also said it’s a good idea for parents who do not have their COVID-19 vaccinations to get vaccinated with their children.
She said children do “get it.”
Lyn shared that her kids tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago while she and her vaccinated husband did not.
She said even her 7-year-old son understood that his parents got the shot and that it would be good for him to get one, too.
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