Nui Nui is the master at choosing her own videos to watch on the iPad and, while some of her favorites make sense— ABC songs, Patty Shukla, Sesame Street, and Dream English...— others surprise me a) that she's found certain videos and b) that she's drawn to them— ie. The Saddest Little Cardinal Fan, the one with the little girl upset because her mom says she likes Barbie too, a little girl getting her ears pierced, and even a little girl getting her shots. It's interesting. Does she empathize with the other kids? I mean, she went through a phase where she watched that whiny Cardinal fan over and over again. How do little kids process other people crying?, I wonder...
In any case, I thought it might be interesting to capture Nui Nui getting her shots. I remember the first few times I couldn't take it. I couldn't hold her or didn't trust myself to when she was newborn. Whether I hold her or not, though, always, it feels like voodoo. Even if it's the needle going into her thighs I still feel. As they get older, too, it gets harder. Children are so hyper aware sometimes. At the doctor's, they know what's coming. Wouldn't it be cool if they created doctors' offices to mimic something like the Rainforest Cafe? I think the distraction would definitely help.
But even with the drab setting, I still think Nui Nui is a strong kid and gets over the experience fairly quickly. A tip I'd suggest from my experience is make sure you have something to distract them with after the shots. That really helps. I think the pain is one thing but the fear alone makes it that much greater, *like* on/to a different level.
It's possible Nui Nui's shots left her sore, I suppose, but the sight of her band-aids were way more painful. After the needle pokes have time to heal, I recommend taking the bandages off to help them forget and move on.
Here's my brave little warrior in all her glory...
Have any recommendations on how to deal with kids getting shots? Share below, we'd love to hear! :>
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