“Shots?! No way!” 

says just about every child. Kids in the preschool years, and sometimes as old as high school, dread needles in a way reserved for monsters under the bed. Just the idea of a shot can send a lot of kids into a complete freak out, leading a lot of parents to evade, lie, and sometimes cancel the immunizations – or the whole doctor visit – to avoid the fall out. I completely understand why. I have a kid like that myself.

Why do kids fear shots?

This is a developmentally normal reaction to understanding pain and wanting to avoid it. Unfortunately, often the fear of the pain grows well beyond the “3 hippopotamus” (count 1, hippopotamus, 2 hippopotamus, 3 hippopotamus and it’s over) that the needle hurts. The fear can cause kids to scream, run or fight. But even the kids who just cry can tempt parents to not give the vaccines.

How do we get them to do it anyway?

There are so many important health reasons that vaccines are the best way to protect our children from illness and death. But this post is not written to dive into all of that – many smart, articulate people have made those arguments. Let’s assume you’re planning on protecting your kids from the sixteen potentially fatal illnesses that we can currently immunize against. This video helps you get the job done. With 4 easy-to-remember tips to make your next well child check up go smoothly, and the ones after, as well.

How do you answer the question “Why do I have to get a shot?!”