Sugar soothes vaccination pain
Parents are concerned about the pain that our children have to endure with immunizations. I remember feeling so helpless when I watched my firstborn being given her first doses of vaccines at the 2-week check up after birth. Her cry was excruciating it broke this new mother’s heart. If I didn’t know that these vaccines are going to protect her, I wouldn’t have let her gone through the experience.
It’s exactly this kind of anxiety by moms like me that prompted Linda Hatfield and her group to conduct a study in an effort to minimize pain from vaccinations. So this is useful information to have, especially with babies, who need 24 shots before their second birthday!
The Pediatrics study showed that giving infants a spoonful of sugar eases the pain brought from vaccination. Just “2 milliliters of 24% oral sugar solution 2 minutes before a routine immunizations” help alleviate the pain and shorten the crying fit associated with the injury.
Now, a word of caution about the “2 ml of 24% sugar solution”. The study was conducted in a controlled setting, and the dose that was administered to the study participants were calculated based on weight and consistent with guidelines for administering to infants. So if you are interested in giving sugar solution to your child prior to a vaccination, please consult with your pediatrician about this. I would not recommend just giving your infant some home-made solution of sugar and water.
source: Pediatrics 2008. 121;e327-e334
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POSTED IN: Immunizations, Drugs and Medicine, Infant Care, Safety and Health, Research and Breakthroughs
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