How to help a child (and their parents) cope with blood draws
I vividly remember myself going to get my blood drawn with one of my parents at my local community medical center as a child. I remember watching as the nurse opened up what used to look like an old shaving blade with a very sharp end, and then grab my finger and poke it.
A horrible experience, if you ask me. Because here we are, so many years later and I can still remember all the details.
So, I feel like can really understand how stressful and unpleasant blood draws can be for children, just as they can be for adults as well.
I also realize that each child is different and may handle the situation differently. Sometimes I find myself drawing blood from a child as he bites into a sandwich, and they are not the slightest bit fazed. Other times the children need to be held down physically by the parents before I am able to get their hand pulled out straight for the draw.
Parents can be different, as well. You’ll find that some fathers will try to bribe their daughters with gifts and prizes while other mothers will simply grab the child, seat them on a chair, hug them tightly and shout out “doctor, let’s do it”.
I believe that parents play an important role in this task.
But let’s be serious now, there is a proper and efficient way to get anything done. Let’s try and figure it out together.
Does my child really need their blood draws and will all the tests required be taken in one go?
These are actually two separate questions. Let’s break them up.
Does my child really need their blood drawn?
I am convinced that if a physician has decided that your child needs to get their blood drawn, then it needs to get done. But the reason for the blood draw needs to be clear to you parents, as well.
Will all the tests that are required be taken in one go?
The number of times I have looked over a child’s blood tests and realized that a couple more tests tubes should have been taken at the same time are countless. For example, when investigating anemia in a child, ferritin and iron levels are to be taken (which is obvious, right? Read more about anemia here). But some forget that investigating for celiac is very important too! (Read more about celiac here). It simply does not make sense to wait and see whether the iron is low and then poke the child again to test for Celiac.
It is important to plan the tests ahead of time (together with your primary care physician, of course).
If my child does not want to get their blood drawn, should I just give in?
That is obviously a question that one has to consider. I think that even if a child is completely healthy, it is important to get routine blood work done every once in while.
On the other hand, when a pediatrician suspects your child might have an illness and decides, after thorough contemplation, that after they would like to perform an investigation by taking blood samples, then the decision whether to carry out these tests is for the parents to make, and not for the child, who certainly does not want to get poked.
But again, it is important to plan things ahead of time. If you are not certain that the child needs their blood drawn to begin with, then there is no point in telling them that they will need to get poked, just so that you can give in later when they refuse to go through it…
Should I tell my child that they will be getting their blood drawn ahead of time or should I avoid telling them?
I think the answer to this depends on the child and their character. My default answer would be to share this information only if the child is old enough to understand. When the child is young, I feel like telling them something like “will be getting your blood drawn in 3 days” simply increases their anxiety. But starting a certain age, when the child is more mature, planning ahead of time can help with relieving some of the anxiety and stress.
So, in those older children who are a little more mature, I tend to support the idea of explaining the process to the child. Obviously, avoid saying things like “the needle is very long and sharp” or “the nurse will poke the needle into your arm”.
Try to explain things in a clear manner but do not give redundant details.
If the child asks whether it will hurt, the answer should be “a little, it might feel like a mosquito bite”.
I would avoid trying to exemplify the process by demonstrating on toys and dolls at home. That’s just exhausting.
Who should be accompanying the child when they get their blood drawn?
Good question. Should the soft parent or the strict parent accompany the child?
The truth is that I do not have a clear-cut answer to this because it depends on the child and their character.
I tend to believe that the more assertive parent should be the one accompanying the child. Sometimes, the presence of both parents can be helpful.
The answer is individual to your family, and only you know what the right answer is for your own family.
What should we take with us to the blood draw?
Don’t forget to take the “transitional object” that your child is attached to, if they have one, or just any stuffed animal or toy that they like.
If you have an iPad, tablet or smart phone where you can screen a show that your child likes to distract them from the process, then that could be helpful as well.
How can I make blood draws less painful through distraction?
As I mentioned above, this is a good time to make use of screens and play a song or video that your child likes in order to distract them. Some children also like it when they are given a role during the procedure and they are asked to do all sorts of small tasks. Use of relaxation techniques and so forth is for the more advanced.
There is one trick, however, that I do find is very useful and it is called the “cough trick”.
What is the “cough trick” and does it work during blood draws?
This is a scientifically proven trick that helps distract children while they are being given vaccines.
This trick works on older children, the specific age depends on the child’s character and how patient the parents and the medical provider are.
For the purpose of the trick, I ask the child to look the other side and voluntarily cough 7 times in row (or 10 or 13, the number doesn’t really matter).
If the child is calm and cooperative, it is possible to insert the vaccine while he is coughing, and usually they do not feel the injection.
Now, I realize that injections and blood draws are not the same thing, but you can still try using this trick while the needle is being inserted.
How can the use of local anesthetics help with reducing pain during blood draws?
The use of local anesthetics can be helpful in reducing pain through a combined psychological and medical effect.
Cold spray – this can certainly help. It can provide both pain and psychological relief. Nonetheless, the actual spraying of the spray is not very pleasant, especially if it is sprayed from a short distance, and that is why I am not very keen on its use.
Topical anesthetic cream – such as 5% emla. Nice and helpful. Just try to stick to its proper application to make use of its maximum potential.
How can we maintain a pleasant atmosphere during the blood draw?
To answer this question, I am obviously assuming you have no control over who is performing the blood draw. Afterall, it’s not like you can carry out a survey to check which one of the nurses has had the greatest number of successful blood draws in children at the doctor’s office.
Nonetheless, I do believe you can have a say with regards to the general atmosphere during the blood draw.
I think it is important to carry out the draw in a quiet room is quiet, without any disruptions, especially if the chid and parents are stressed about the test.
Should I let my child look while the blood is being drawn or is it better to avoid looking?
Most people do not enjoy having a needle inserted through their skin. But often there are older children who may feel that looking at the process provides them with some sense of control. So, if your child wants to look, let them do so. If they’re not interested, it is better to tell them to look away.
What should I do after my child has had their blood drawn?
It is important to comfort your child, to express empathy and to tell your child how much of a ‘champ’ they were and how proud you are.
If the experience was extremely difficult for your child, it is important to try and think of ways to make it easier next time.
What about giving your child chocolate, presents, an electric scooter or a new apartment, you ask? I believe giving a small, symbolic present makes sense, or taking them out for ice-cream (or any other quality time), can be helpful. Anything beyond that becomes too complicated.
There you go my friends, one more post about a topic that has been on my busy mind. I hope it helps some of the children and families out there.
Good luck!
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