How to Make the Flu Shot a Little Less Painful (For Everyone)

It's that time of year again. Time for your child's annual flu vaccine. As we dread this appointment with fears of screaming, crying and overall panic, we know that the vaccine can help protect our little ones from getting really really sick.

No biggie, you may be thinking, my child takes the mist. Well, not this year. Unfortunately the CDC has recommended against using the mist version of the flu vaccine this year due to effectiveness concerns. So the flu shot it is.

In anticipation of my daughter's upcoming flu shot appointment, I had a chat with a friend who told me about the Shot Blocker. Her son has frequent allergy shots and his doctor recommended it to make the process less painful (for all). What is this miracle product I thought?

​The Shot Blocker is a desensitizer— a small plastic piece that gets pressed against your child's arm where the needle will go. The makers of the Blocker claim that it reduces needle pain and anxiety by "saturating the sensory nerves distracting the patient from the pain signals caused by the needle poke."

Worth a try? Definitely.  I hopped on Amazon and purchased it for $5.

Appointment Day. "Good news," I told my daughter. "I got something special for you so your flu shot hopefully won't hurt." She was not thrilled with the thought of getting a shot at all but seemed relieved to know that maybe I pulled a rabbit out of my hat and this thing was not going to hurt.

The shot. The nurse took a quick look at it, read the instructions quickly and was on board. We placed it on, gave her the shot and believe it or not, my daughter said it hurt less! I am not sure if the pain was less, or maybe just having this "magic piece" helped her emotionally. Either way it helped! If you are looking for a secret weapon to survive this year's flu shot, try the Shot Blocker. 

If anyone has already used the Shot Blocker, please share your thoughts in the comments.

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