Immunizations can be traumatic --- for babies and for parents. The calmer you and your baby are during the shot, the more easily your baby will tolerate the injection. Still, some vaccines cause pain at and around the injection site no matter how calm your baby is at the time. When this happens, a few simple, nurturing acts can soothe your baby and spur healing. Ask your doctor about safe pain-relieving medications in the event that such gentle methods fail.
Step 1
Minimize immunization pain during the procedure by giving your baby your breast, a bottle or a pacifier to suck on while you hold him close. Skin-to-skin contact and sucking have been shown to reduce immunization pain in infants, the University of Michigan Health System reports.
Step 2
Continue to hold your baby close after the injection, because skin-to-skin contact helps relax your baby's sore muscles and relieve pain. Swaddling might also help calm your baby.
Step 3
"Talk lovingly and soothingly," recommends the California Department of Public Health. Soothing your baby in this way can distract her from the pain and calm her enough to get her to sleep or stop crying.
Step 4
Offer a pacifer dipped in a sugar solution. Sugar solutions help ease pain in infants, points out the University of Michigan Health System. Offer your breast if you breastfeed, as the sweet taste in breast milk has the same effect.
Step 5
Treat severe pain or swelling with ibuprofen or acetaminophen; talk to your doctor first about the correct dosage and duration of treatment. Your doctor may not recommend medicating your baby if he's very young, the KidsHealth website advises.
Things You'll Need
- Pacifier
- Sugar solution
