Advice on Sugar Water Before Shots

I am a NICU nurse and we do give "sugar water" which is really a high concentrated sucrose solution called Sweet Ease before any painful procedure, and it does help. You might ask the pediatrician for some Elamax (4% topical Lidocaine), but this must be put on about an hour before the shots. I would also ask if they provide Sweet Ease for their little patients. You just dip a pacifier in the solution- do not let the baby drink the solution- it is too high a sugar solution. You can also bundle you baby except for his legs, stroke his head, hold him firmly, and talk calmly to him. Nursing him right after the procedure helps extremely well, also and they should let you stay in the room to do that. They should give him some Tylenol right before of after to help with the pain of the DTaP vaccine and instruct you to give it for the next 24 hours. We really stress no medication of any kind unless the Pediatrician prescribes it under 2 years old. I also know that giving the vaccines slowly really decreases the pain, but getting the nurses in the office to do that is hard to do- they just want to get the vaccines in. About the links to Austism, I know that it has had its share of news, but the newest research shows a genetic disposition on the 16th chromosome (like Down's Syndrome is on the 21st). The vaccines for infants are preservative free now also so no risk of Thermasol(mercury). Good Luck- it really is one of the hardest thing to have to sit through!

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Hi! I would scratch the sugar water and give him tylenol. My husband is a physician and doses up my son about 1 hour before shot time. It seems to help. Also, the rotavirus isnt a shot... it should be an oral vaccination. So, at least that one will be painless! Also, there is an AWESOME book about vaccinations that is completely unbaised. It's The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears. Its worth the read!

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I think it is a distraction
I never do the sugar trick because I think it is just unhealthy and does not take the momentary pain away...
We use the pediatrician's recommended dose of Tylenol based on the baby's weight at the time of the shot

When my children were that age the initial pain from a vaccination was the least of my worries. We no longer vaccinate, at all, due to my son developing Autism the day after a vaccine injection. It was as if someone flipped on a switch. Our family no longer participates in the largest medical experiment, called vaccines.

I was not anit-vaccine, as my older two children had most of their vaccinations. It was my third child that developed Autism. The rest of my children no longer recieve them. Since then I have done tremendous research on vaccines. If I could go back and change one single thing in my 21 years of being a parent it would be that we never participated in vaccinations at all!

Please do your research before you agree to subject your child to any more vaccines. There is no safe level in the human body for mercury, formaldehyde, and the diploid cells of an aborted baby, just to name a few.

I would suggest topical application of lidocaine 30 mins before the shot. Glucose like that is not good for your child no matter what others say.
Sam Evans LM CPM

I've never heard of this one. I'm an RN and mother of four. Sugar should be avoided especially for 4 month old babies. I would recommend giving an appropriate amount of Tylenol about 30 minutes prior to the shots and then every 4 hours during waking hours after that for the next day. The more active he is the more quickly he will heal. The less pain he has the more active he will be. Also, if you stay calm and reassuring to your child before, during, and after the shots he will respond to your positive energy/attitude and the experience will go much more smoothly and be less traumatic.

Sucking something sweet helps stave off pain, which is why they say sugar water. When adults are having painful tests the DR may give them a sucker to suck on and it really does help with the pain!

I would give him some Tylanol half and hour before the vaccines and then give him a pacifier or nurse him or give him some diluted juice or sugar water (just enough to make it a little sweet)during the shots.

That said, I am not giving my daughter vaccinations right now and I wish I hadn't before. She was very ill for two months following her first couple of rounds of vaccines. The drs all said it's NORMAL for a baby to be sick all winter. She is breastfed, not in daycare, and has no siblings in school. She should not have been ill for two months straight. After this happened a second time and she was just starting to get better after many trips to the DR, just in time for the third round of vaccines, I didn't have them done. It's just not worth the risk. She is very unlikely to be exposed to any of those things before her second birthday, and I am certain the vaccines were making her sick.

My second and third daughters had no autistic traits prior to their one year vaccines (I vaccinated them on a delayed schedule prior to that.) Then right after their 12 month shots they withdrew from the world and lost their speech. (BTW, the special diets and sensory therapy ect really do work, at least for my kids.)

S., mom to four girls ages 5,4,2,1

Have you ever looked at this website? Please inform yourself and make your decisions based on having all information and what you feel is best for your family. Please beware - the medical community does not always have our best interests in mind. We need to protect our children and educate ourselves.

http://vaccineinfo.net/

I haven't ever heard of that but just keep in mind that it is such short lived pain and they don't even remember it I don't think that the processed sugar is good for the baby. Just remind yourself how much it will save you in the long run with all that you are imunizing from. I would just take a lovey and don't give him a pacifier (if he takes one) until after the shots are done. I have two kids (3 1/2 and 8 months) and they both have been fine. Really they don't grow to hate you and they don't even know what it going on. My daughter will have to have surgery and it is something that just has to happen but it will not be anything that she will even know. I just remind myself of that and we all get throught it.

I am against immunizations all together. My son is a year old and has never had a single shot in his life. He is the healthiest baby out of all my friends and has only had two cold which lasted 2 days. The shots made two of my friends children so sick they were hospitalized for four days which is why I chose not to get any for my son. A lot of moms don't know that the shots a are optional. I would suggest if you are a stay at home mom not to get the immunizations. They have caused autism, sickness and deaths. My doctor didn't give his daughter the shots either.

B.
www.MoreForMyBaby.com

I have not heard of that working.Your child will feel the shot no matter what.The only thing you can do is stand by him an comfort him.Then when it is all over...pick him up and comfort him.When you get home you should give him tylenol for fever though...or you might want to bring it with youif he is hard to calm down.

I would give your child tylenol/ibprophen before getting shots . I never heard of sugar and water . Also you want to get your child shots now cause if you don't they would get alot in order to go to school .

I have 3 boys 19, 13, and 9. The best thing I found for shots was tylenol or motrin about an hour before. He is going to cry with shots, but this helps with the after effects. With my boys it stopped the fevers, swelling and crankiness. I hope this helps. My sister has 6 kids and does the same thing with hers and it works well for her too. Best of luck.

B.

Wow, seems like you opened Pandora's box about how people feel about immunizations!

I personally have immunized both my children, the full rounds, with no problems. I dosed them with Tylenol and nursed them when they were babies (my friend did formula and claims a bottle works just as well), and when they were older did the Tylenol and then after the shots distracted them with a book or something (it's amazing how fast they're distracted!).

I wish you luck!

Being a NICU nurse, I'm aware of a product called sweet-ease. We use it prior to painful procedures. It's 23% sucrose and we just put a few drops in the mouth and on the mucous membranes. It is meant to be absorbed not used as a drink. I don't think you can get the same affect with just sugar water. I used tylenol for my daughter. Seems to have helped.

L.,
I have an 18 mth. boy and I am still not used to the shots. I tried different things, but what you will find is that he will know what is coming no matter if it is painful or not...best advice...know it only hurts for a second....hope this helps!

I can't think of any reason that sugar water would help with the pain of a vaccination, except that maybe it's the idea of something sweet before the pain. If it were an older child, that would simply be deceptive, so I wouldn't set up a baby that way either.

When mine were babies, I gave them a dose of infants Tylenol before the shot, then nursed them immediately afterward in the exam room. If you are not nursing, be prepared with a bottle. The sucking and feeding is soothing, and will divert your baby's attention away from the pain. Depending on the vaccination, your baby may be tired and cranky for hours afterward.

Good luck. Shots are never easy on babies...or their moms.

Hi L.,

I had not heard of giving anything to an infant prior to immunization shots except Tylenol. My husband is a Physician and said the best thing to do with any child is not lie to them about whether it will hurt or not. Be honest, yes it will hurt a little but it will go away soon.
I always held my kids on my lap facing me and that way they just saw my face. Depending on the size of the child and mom, I had my child straddle my hips and I gave them a big hug which also helped keep them still for the nurse or tech giving the injection. Hope the advice helps.

i would opt out of the shots at least until baby is closer to 2. especially if you're breastfeeding. and then i would space them out if you do them at all. neither of my kids have had any shots and both are healthy! good diet is important for you and kids, but shots are not necessary and contrary to popular belief, you don't have to have them to go to public school. private schools are a different matter.
good luck! if you decide to do them anyway, my advice would be to still space them out as much as possible and not do more than one shot at a time. make sure you kiddo is very healthy! not sick at all, even a slight cold and i would try the nursing during the shot or immediately after if you are breastfeeding.

Hi L.,

Do NOT get your child on the path of sugar addiction! I saw a report over the weekend on either CBS or ABC and was dismayed that they reported some link between pain reduction and sugar in children. Don't get me wrong, I know that chocolate cake, a bowl of ice cream, chocolate truffles, banana pudding, and an milkshake would all go a long way towards making me feel better. But reduce my pain? Well, perhaps emotional pain and anxiety, but I know that it has never done anything to reduce physical even as a child.

That story reaked of sugar industry sponsored "research". It was just a commercial for sugar companies. I assure you it was a pathetic attempt to influence sensitive mothers into subsidize poor eating habits and secure the future of sugar cubes for the next generation and curtail the many growing initiatives for food and label reforms in this country. Many companies have been trying to convince us all of the healthfulness of genetically engineered foods for years now.

For your own health and the health of your families, I hope that every woman reading this will become a food critic.

In Amazon sisterhood,
B.

I would give a dose of Tylenol before we left the house for the appointment and then nurse my son while he received his shots and he never even flinched. When my daughter came along the new nurse wouldn't allow me to breastfeed during the shots. So, as soon she she gave them to her, I had the breast ready and popped her right on. She stopped crying and was fine. In fact if she gets a boo-boo, she stops crying as soon as I offer the breast...it is a great comfort for your kids. If you don't BF, you might try a bottle right after the shot. Good luck, {{{{{hugs}}}}}

My daughter too at 12 months had an adverse reaction to the MMR & DTaP vaccines. She was perfectly healthy prior to them and spent 2 days in the hospital with a fever off the scales and seizures. Needless to say, she no longer received those two particular vaccines but I did allow her to get the polio and Hep B shots only. She did okay with those. It is very sad that it is trial and error with your childs life! Because her reaction was so traumatizing I did not have any more children after that! If I did, however, they would not get any shots, no matter what! She is in first grade and you can contact the State Immunization Branch for an exception form before they start school. I recommend at least 3 months prior to school starting because it does take a while and if you do not have that form in your file, they will put your child out of school within 30 days of school starting without it. You can also do a conscience objection form which will give you an exception for religious reasons as well. If your child does have an adverse reaction, I highly recommend reporting it to the dr. and getting an injury report form with your State on file. That will enable you to file a lawsuit with the Fed, State and against the manufacturer if your child truly does suffer i.e. like the other posts-suddenly develop autism. I did not know about this 6 years ago when I had my daughter but boy do I wish I would have! There are statues of limitations and you must report the injury within a specific time frame or you lose out on your right to file. I wonder why this law is in place, hum???

I don't see how the sugar water could ease pain at all. I am a nurse and logically it just doesn't add up. I would do the recommended dose of Motrin or Tylenol. I would think sugar water if given often would cause more harm such as leaving sugar in the mouth and on gums which can't be beneficial as well as giving the body more sugar to deal with. Being a diabetic I always watched the sugar my kids had so that I didn't start a pattern of them wanting the sweets over the fresh fruits and so far it's worked. I know it's hard to see your child in pain for sure. Rest assured, the most painful part of the injection is the initial stick and it's usually made worse because they must be held down and they are startled. The Tylenol or Motrin given before hand will help ease any residual affects of the injection but believe me, children are better off with the immunizations than without! Best of luck to you and your little one.

It sounds like sugar water would only be a soother, not pain reliever. I would stick with infant motrin. Give it to him 1/2 hour before the vaccinations so it has time to work as the muscle gets sore. Motrin is an anti-inflamatory and will help the muscle. As for vaccines, you are doing the right thing. The posibility of the genetic disposition for problems is rare, but contracting a life-threatening or disabilitating disease is more likely even nowadays.

As your son gets older, if you don't make a big deal about the pain of a shot, your kids won't either...my kids don't even cry now because I am so nonchalant about it. I know it hurts, but when I tell them casually "see it's all over! That't it! No big deal right?", they just look for their lollypop when it's over. My two-year old actually asks for shots whenever we visit the pediatrician. (and yes I think that is a little nuts!)

Wow this opened up a discussion!! First i wouldnt give him sugar water to drink, i havent heard of it, but i dont think it would be very healthy for him. I gave my kiddos tylonol in the waiting room, or once we got to the room in the back when we got to the doctors office just so that i was sure it was still there strong and would help them, i was told by my kiddos pedi not to give them the bottle while they get their shots because they could choke from that gasp of breath they take in when they first put the needle in (they said i could give him a paci, but neither of my kids took one), now after they put the needle in and while it was still there i gave them the bottle (i couldnt breastfeed). As far as the not vaccinating thing, i dont know too much about it, but this is what i do know and some is in my opinion, i think it is perfectly safe to vaccinate, there are things there too, but i think if people really paid attention to what was in everything they wouldnt eat food either, like some brands of hamburger meat, hot dogs, ect., there is always going to be something in or on something that is not healthy for us, even veggies and the pesticides they use, toys for kids and the lead, and on and on. Here is the way i see it the side effects of the shots are few and far between and i think it may have something to do with the genetics and maybe something in the shot just switched it on, im not sure all i know is everyone i know including me, and my 3 sisters, both my kids, my husband and his 2 brothers everyone i know has taken their shots and no one has had any problems at all. I also believe in my opinion that if everyone stops vaccinating them all those diseases that were around and are not anymore will come back around and the shots that we are giving our kids wont make a difference because of the kids that dont have theirs, just like at school how everything is always circleing around. I dont know that is my opinion, im sorry if i offended anyone if i did. And anyway, Good Luck in your decision, and i hope i helped.

I have never used sugar water. In fact at that age, I'm not sure how safe a large amount of either would be. However, you could use Tylenol. Call and ask your doctor for sure. I used it with my twins and they cried during the shots and for a few minnutes after but by the time they were back in the car, they were asleep. They slept for about 5 hours that afternoon. When they woke up they were happy. Since shots can sometimes cause fever, Tylenol is good for that too.
Hop this helps.

Read up on what Dr. Mercola has to say about vaccines. Just type his name in to the search engine on your computer. We have opted for no more vaccines after studying the issue.

hmm dunno about sugar water............
When ours where small gave Childrens Tylenol or Motrin ( generics ok too) about an hour before.

Good luck
V

I've never heard of sugar-water, but our pediatrician told us we could give our son a regular dose (by weight) of the infant Tylenol about 1/2 an hour before we go in for any shots.

He's now 3, and although it doesn't completely prevent any pain, it does seem to help. We have used it every visit where we knew he would be getting shots.

If you are breast feeding that is even better for pain control then sugar water according to studies. Start nursing 5 minutes before shots and during the shots. Baby may cry but will always seek comfort at your breast immediately and the pain is not so bad. If you are bottle feeding then sugar water about 5 min's before and during the shots might help.
T.