Lead Test for 12 Month Old

I know it will be extremely hard, but I feel that the value of the test will outweigh the angst of having to go through a blood draw. Good luck.

I would go ahead and do it. He's one years old and will most likely not remember it tomorrow. I've had to do blood draws for allergy tests and other tests due to a constant icky tummy in my son who is now 3 1/2, it is incredibly hard to watch, but I held him all three times we had it done and rocked and loved him immediatly after, telling him what a good job he did, and how much I loved him.
I would rather have an upset little boy for a few minutes and know the results than not know and always wonder.

I am pediatric nurse and when we do blood draws, we swaddle the child (even if they are "big" kids) in a blanket, exposing only the arms we will be doing the blood draw on. One nurse hugs the child and holds the arm to hold him still and the other draws the blood. Often, if the child is strong, we have another nurse or two there to ensure we get the blood needed in only one poke. I had a 6 mo old a few months ago who was so strong, it took 2 grown women to hold him still. It is upsetting to hear and watch, which is why I often recommend the parents stay right outside the door---and I remind them kids often start screaming when they are swaddled, before we go ever even get near them with the needle. Then when we are done, we whisk the parents in to comfort the child. That way, the child doesn't associate the parents with the upsetting situation. If you really think there is a chance your child has been exposed to lead, I'd say do the test. I am not sure how they do blood draws in the clinic, since I work in-patient. But the temporary discomfort and distress you will experience during the blood draw will be nothing compared with the problems your child can experience if exposed to dangerous levels of lead. If you were thinking of getting the test done because you are just wondering, and the only criterion for lead exposure you meet is that your house is old, then skip the test.

Both of my kids had it done at their 9 month appointment ... so think of it as a 3 month reprieve! :) I'll tell ya' - neither time was easy for me (or the kids) but it's necessary. My oldest had it done at the lab -- my daughter sat on my lap, one tech held her arm straight and another tech actually drew the blood. She (my daughter) looked at me the whole time crying with a look on her face like "why are you letting them do this to me?" but I knew it was to ensure she was healthy. As for my son - I told the doc that I didn't want to go thru the same thing at the lab so he offered to do it himself in his office. This time, my son laid down on the table, I stood next to him, 2 nurses helped hold him still and the doc drew the blood. Not ideal but considerably better than at the lab.
I say - do it. It will give you peace of mind afterward ...

Good luck!

My 9 month old just had the lead test done a couple weeks ago. A quick prick in the finger was all it took. They just needed a free flowing drop of blood to drop onto the piece of paper. He cried more when they were trying to wrestle the bandaid onto his finger than he did when they pricked his finger.

I don't know why they would need to actually draw blood.

I've been through this with my little guy (a couple of times), and it's over quickly. The best advice that someone gave me is to find a lab that "specializes" (I think that means people that have special training or extensive experience) in drawing blood in children. The second best advice I can give is to stay calm. Your son will pick up on your feelings, and if you are anxious, it could make the experience worse for him. If you anticipate having a hard time, maybe have a family friend, aunt, etc. that your son feels comfortable with be with him during the procedure. Your son will most likely be sitting on your lap, and you will have to help keep him still for a little bit. Point out the stickers in the room (another benefit of going to a place that sees kids regularly), the nice people, etc, etc. When it's done, it's over - give your son a snack or his pacifier (if he uses one), hold him for a bit, and leave. I promise he won't remember it. The memory of it will be harder on you than him. Tell yourself it's for the health of your son and your peace of mind, and be confident that you made the right decision. Good luck! :)

At our pediatrician's recommendation, we had this done at my daughter's 12-month and 24-month check-ups. Like you, I wondered if it was really necessary, but decided to trust the pediatrician, particularly since our house was built in 1940. It was really difficult to watch, even in a lab that specializes in children. My husband held my daughter in his lap, one tech held her arm still, another tech did the blood draw, and I stroked her hair and whispered comforting words to her. She was screaming and really upset, particularly at the 12-month one, but one thing that helped was that we'd done baby sign language with her and were able to sign and say "all done" when it was over. And she actually calmed down a little.

We are doing some work on our house and recently had to have our kitchen tested for lead. It turned out that there was no lead in the paint, but there is lead in the countertop tiles (which are original from 1940). I thought that was interesting.

I work for a national lab in sales but I visit our patient service centers all the time. Seeing the kids waiting creeped me out a bit at first. The staff does a wonderful job with children. Be strong and make it as least traumatic as possible.

My son had to have his blood drawn around that age, and I was shocked - he sat still and watched, fascinated. It was far more difficult to give him vaccinations (he screamed and howled) and today as a 6 year old getting blood drawn is a huge production. But hopefully at that age it won't be that bad - there's a chance he may be more curious than upset.

It might put your mind to rest to ask exactly how they do them. It's not the same as it is for an adult. They won't expect him to sit in the chair and hold his arm still. More likely, they'll have you hold him. And I'm not sure when they make the switch from poking their heel to another body part. The heel prick is fairly easy on them. They don't really see the needle coming and it's over pretty quickly.

My baby had RSV within a week of us leaving the hospital. It was confirmed through a blood test (draw) and an x-ray. There was at least one more to confirm he was better.

You can get kits to do some basic lead testing for yourself. You'd want to check around the windows, doors, baseboards; places that are most likely to have the kind of wear that would lead to lead being released. Maybe if you don't have any signs of environmental lead, you won't feel like you need the test. Conversely, if there is evidence of lead in the environment, you can get him tested because you know it's really necessary.

Yes, do it. He will survive and you need the information. If you can't hold him, the professionals at the office or lab will be able to. My husband works in an ER and part of his job is to do this when the parents can't.The health care workers know how to help the child and the parent through these things.

Also, we had to do it with my son. He was anemic and we were eliminating possible causes. He held very still and listened as we explained everything. I couldn't hold him and had my husband do it.

I used to work in peds, and my advice would be to ask/make sure the lab people are good with kids... ask them what they do for a 1yr old. If there isn't anyone 'good' or experienced with kids, see if there is a different lab you can take him to.
As long as you have a good couple lab techs, it shouldn't be a bad thing. One will help hold the baby in the right way, while the other one draws. I always liked being the one holding the baby, so then the parent isn't in the middle of it.... as soon as it is over, he goes RIGHT to you-- you are are the comforter and not the one doing the lab stuff. That is the way we did it in Chicago... and it worked really well even with the older kids. Good luck!

My son had to have two vials drawn at 12 months for allergy testing. He only cried for the initial prick and it was over super quick. It's tough, but sometimes necessary to keep them the healthiest they can be :) good luck!

A blood draw is much better than not finding out your son has a lead exposure and not taking care of the issue.

My son had blood drawn when he was 12 months (he wound up having it done twice because mistake by the lab) I did it about a week apart he didn't even remember from one week to the next. No he didn't like it but a pacifier or snack right after and withing minutes he will be over it. I really think him having to sit still while they did it was worse than the actual needle and draw part!

Of course you should go ahead with the test. Lead exposure is extremely dangerous. A blood draw is nothing. It doesn't even hurt, and if you don't model "freaked out and disturbed," he won't have any problems with it. Someone must have modeled "freaked out and disturbed" for you, when you were little. Don't pass it on to him. It's an unnecessary burden.

Seems like everyone is saying do it. I live in a house that was built in the 1940s. This is the first I've ever heard about this test. Personally, though, come to think of it, my son was not getting the typical well baby checks at that age. We were going through financial hardship but I always took him for his vaccinations and took him in if he was sick. He is 3 and average weight, height and hit all the developmental stages early plus he seems very healthy. It's scary to think of this type of thing. So, if lead paint has been covered over is it still a risk even if it's not chipping away or anything? My husband is a carpenter an very knowledgeable about this type of thing, plus my sister in law is a nurse. So, I'm sure we'll get the test if they think it's warranted. I don't have any experience in this but thanks for the post.

Do a little online research. If drawing blood produces the most accurate test results, then do it. Lead can be very dangerous to his health. The lab technicians will show you how to hold your child on your lap and restrain him. There are usually two technicians on pediatric draws, and the second techinician will usually stabilize his arm in addition to you restraining his body. They use the tiny butterfly needles and it will be over before you know it. Afterwards he won't even cry as much as after an immunization because nothing is being put into him that stings. He'll be over it quite quickly. I also suggest bringing a special snack in your purse that he doesn't normally get. Give it to him right away after the draw and it will distract him and stop the crying even quicker. Oh also, if you are able to make an appointment for the draw and let them know ahead of time that it is a pediatric draw that would be best. sitting in a waiting room for an hour as a walk in patient will make your son cranky before you even get to the blood draw part. Good luck!

Maybe you should call around to see who will do it with a finger prick. Both of my sons have had the lead and iron test done that way. The only time either of them needed blood drawn was once, and I remember it well. It is much more invasive, however, it turned out fine. My son was 2 though, and the blood draw was for something else.

If you want to be sure you will have to do the test. My kids have had blood draw, even that young. You hold them still. If you are not up to that then ask if someone there will do it but then don't go all you are hurting the baby.

I would sit in the chair with the child on my lap. One arm holding all of the child but the arm they will draw from. The other arm I used to hold the top of that arm. That allows the tech enough control to draw the blood. Make sure they are hydrated because it makes the veins easier to draw from. Dehydration causes them to collapse.

You need to remember that even though you are holding them tightly and they may be fighting against you your hold is no more painful to them than a good hug. It is scary but over quickly.

Then take them out for ice cream or their treat of choice for being such a big kid.

Oh I had to deal with lead paint when my two oldest were little. If they can't ingest it they aren't exposed. We took the paint chips, like what had actually pealed that they could have eaten and had them tested. It did have lead so we had to have blood drawn. Apparently they never ate but better safe than sorry. If you have no chipped or pealing paint they aren't exposed unless they are licking the walls and the walls haven't been painted a fair few times since the 70s.

If they need to, they can put your son in one of those "Papoose" devices to keep him still enough for the blood draw. I know it freaks you out, because anything that causes our little ones pain and discomfort is uncomfortable for us too. However, if there is a chance that your child really has been exposed to lead, isn't it better to find it out now rather than have to face possible bad results later?

Im not going to lye. It is hard to watch. But you will have to hold him down to do it. But it is worth it in the end. it was hard for us as well. But you need to do it, to make sure your baby doenst have hit.

Unless your son is chewing on walls or peeling paint off walls that haven't been painted since 1977/78 (when lead paint was banned) you probably don't need to do the test. I can't imagine your walls have the same paint on them as what was used over 30 years ago, so the lead based paint is sealed in behind years of paint jobs. Is your son showing any symptoms of lead exposure? Personally, I don't see the point of putting him and yourself through that with out a real cause for concern.

Like the Annie B, my house was built in 1940 and I have never considered the test for the reasons I mentioned above. In fact, my very thorough pediatrician has never recommended it either.