Not sure how many this may apply to but I always like to add medical articles based on things that we go through with our son since he is involved with lots of specialtys it seems.

Over his almost 3 years of life he has had numerous times of

occasions where he has needed to have blood drawn. It's either drawn by syringe or by a pin prick on his finger. Here are a few tips that can help this to go more smooth. It a blood draw can really in all actually go smooth.

1- Try to keep your child as still as possible.

I know, alot easier than it really is to do. But the more still they are, the fast the technition will be able to get the blood they need. As an infant, a tiny tiny guy, this really wasn't an issue. By the time they realize their are or finger hurts, it's all done and over with. As the hcild moves into the toddler stage, they tend to have a better grasp on what's going to happen. For us, this happened at about age 6 months actually. But keep in mind, our guy has medical issues, he learned at an earlier stage what was happening and when it was going to happen.

The easiest way to "restrain" a child for a blood draw for us is to place him sitting in my lap facing out. Then I wrap my legs around his lower body and wrap my arms completely around his upper body. This may sound drastic but is actually an approved "hold" for a child at our local childrens' hospital. It provided NO harm to the child and keeps them at still as possible while  the blood draw is occurring.

2- Try not to use numbing creams.

They really sound like a great idea but in reality, it makes veinous blood draws hard to do. The cream will cause the veins to faltten and roll. So in actually, it will make the blood draw longer because the tech will have a difficult time getting the needle in. We have learned that the temporaly pain is worth it to get a FAST draw on his arm when it's needed.

For older children who are capable of sitting still the numbing creams may not be such a bad idea though as their attention span is longer.

3- Get your child hydrated.

If the blood draw is a scheduled one and it's not being done in an emergency situation, try to push fluids on your child for the 24 hours prior to the blood draw. Even mild dehydration can make the child a "hard stick". Plulmping up those veins with hydration will make the stick soo much easier.

When our son's GERD (GORD) was at  it's worse, he was a really really hard stick. This was due to him not being able to physically and medically tolerate fluids. He vomited alot and so he lived in a state of milk dehydration. And in return he was awfully hard to draw blood on. Don't even ask about getting IV's in. Hydration makes those better as well and at one point it could take up to an  hour to place ONE IV in him.

4- Talk to  your child about what will happen.

If your child is old enough to comprehend what will occur, TALK to them. A prepared child is better than an unprepared child. I would suggest even starting at least the day prior to the blood draw. This can give them plenty of time to process what will happen. Allthough, if your child hasa great anxiety over blood draws, it may be better to wait until a couple of hours prior to the draw to tell them.

5- Give them a reward when they are done.

This will ease the pain of the draw. A small sticker of plastic toy really does go a long ways. If they have a favorite meal or snakc they like, let them know you will get it/make it for them when you get home. All of that will really help.

I certainly hope this will be able to help other parents as they go through blood draws or finger sticks at their doctor's offices next time it is needed.