4 yr old needles..to numb or not to numb

so DD1 is having her 4 yr old immunisation tomorrow, should i get some emla and numb her arms or not???
i dont want her to be terrified of needles but on the other hand i dont want her to think that they wont ever hurt iykwim

what did you do?

Haven't done the 4yr old needles yet, but we did do swine for the first time last year and we didn't numb. Oskar was 3. I told him that it would feel a bit sharp and might hurt a little bit but only for a minute and I also had a freddo frog on hand JIC ;) He was actually totally fine with it and hardly even flinched.

thanks cass! might have some freddos on standby! both girls are getting needles tomorrow...eeeek!

I worried about this and it turned out to be for no reason!!!

Ds1 sat and watched the dr give him the needle, didn't even flinch and was more than happy to turn around for the other arm to be done.

Oh, that's what I wasn't expecting.... it's 2 needles! Maybe have 2 freddos on hand just in case! :)

Good luck!

I was petrifed about DD1 here - but she was too busy talking to the immunisation nurses to even notice it had been done!!!! I had worded her up that it would sting for a bit but be over quickly. Interestingly they did both needles at once (one in each arm) so it was over really fast. I am in Vic and it was the council session so maybe they were well practiced??? She was promised a BIG treat if she was brave too when really it was me that needed one.
Good luck.

I used the Emla patches with DD1 as I know what she is like. She is likely to get nightmares etc when she is worried so I didn't build it up, just said that we would put the special patches on and it wouldn't hurt. She didn't feel a thing! She had seen DD2 get her immunisations and cry so she had been anxious and it really helped. Now she isn't worried about needles at all - if I hadn't done it then I think she would have developed some anxiety about them if that makes sense.

I had to do both boys 1 yr and 4 yr in oct I was real worried bout Jack (4) as he was saying it would hurt he was scared etc, went in got lukes done then Jacks turn well he stood in front of me didn't even flinch nothing no tears he turned around and said needles dont hurt so I after that I wouldn't be too worried

We prepared Nina as much as we could with the needles. So she knew exactly what she was in for. We treated her to a lollypop straight afterwards, then Macca's for lunch that day. And the nurse gave her and bravery certificate and a 'special 4yr old book' (aka - a book the government have publised for 4yr olds). She thought she was very special lol

Both my boys were fine with the 4yo needles. Once they are old enough to understand what is happening it seems to be easier - or at least it was for us.

Good luck for tomorrow.

as an immuniser i say dont as the most pain is from the fluid being injected not the needle puncturing the skin ITMS???

so she may not feel they needle but the stingy fluid will hurt as emla only numbs the topical side of things..
if you explain they may hurt a bit but the pain will only last a second and all will be ok once they have been done, she may be fine.

as an immuniser i say dont as the most pain is from the fluid being injected not the needle puncturing the skin ITMS???

so she may not feel they needle but the stingy fluid will hurt as emla only numbs the topical side of things..
if you explain they may hurt a bit but the pain will only last a second and all will be ok once they have been done, she may be fine.

my DD is a massive sook... so she will be getting the emla! She is likely to pull away as soon as she feels the *****.

MG - DD1 is a huge sook as well. The slighest sight of blood and she almost feints. We have to hold her up and get a washer for her face to calm her down lol. I found explaining everything to her the best way. The nurse was really surprised at how much she understood about the needles, but there was no way she was going in there without not knowing. Once the first needle went in and she realised what it was all about she was ok. I had to hold her leg pretty tightly, but considering, she did really well. We just had to make sure the bandaid was a big one to cover up any blood!

oh DD will want to know about it! But she also thinks that anyone with blood needs to go to the hospital, that anyone in an ambulance is going to die, and that going to the Dr means you must be dying. Drama Queen anyone? :rofl: I have no idea where she gets it - I'm upfront on all things medical and health. I'm dreading the needles!

oh mother goose that is my ds LOL he thinks every trip to the dr is to get blood taken or cause a finger has been cut off or im going to get a new body part lol
latest is im going to the dr cus my baby is stuck in there lol...no idea
i actaully never knew bout the patches.. my ds needs his 4 yr needles too but he has a heart attack at the sight of needles..
i dont know if chocolate would work but im waiting till half way through the yr first..

well were not numbing at the appointment is in a hour...will update you all later!

We didn't numb with Jake's 4yr needles, however he has had more than his fair share of needles in the past 2 yrs so we were able to compare it to getting a blood test or a canula in and he was quite happy that it would be a small needle-pr!ck and it would be over.

DONE!!

well she did really well, teared up after the first one, cried a little for the second then stopped when offered some jelly beans!!
she also got a bravery reward, stickers and a stamp... then we bought her a basketball so she can play with daddy