Are you adopting a child that requires daily shots? The thought of giving your new child a shot everyday can be a little intimidating if you don’t have any experience giving injections. It is important for you to become confident in giving the shots for the health of the child you are adopting.

You may want to familiarize yourself with the feel of giving shots by practicing. You can fill your syringe with water and practice injecting the water into an orange or a grapefruit. Try to press the needle quickly through the skin and practice injecting the water in one smooth motion. Keep repeating this procedure until you feel comfortable and confident. Shot time seems to be easier and less painful for the child if you are able to give the injection quickly and smoothly.

Next, you need to familiarize yourself with all of the possible injection locations. Continuously giving your child shots in the same area can lead to soreness and bruising. You may be able to ask your child’s specialist for a video or an information pamphlet on injection sites. Depending on your child’s condition that requires injections, you may be able to use the upper arms, the upper thighs, and the area around the navel.

Familiarize yourself with your child’s condition as well as possible side effects. Your child’s doctor may not be forthcoming with this type of information. The doctor may assume that you are already familiar with your child’s condition, since it is pre-existing. You may not even know what questions to ask. I remember my daughter’s endocrinologist telling us that anxiety is quite common in children with her condition. That was four years after she had been placed with us.

Read books about your child’s condition. If you look in the children’s section of the library, you may find informative books, with pictures, in simple language. This will help you and your new child to understand the condition and why the medication is needed. Sometimes, if the child understands why the shots are necessary, and what they do for his or her body, it makes them easier to tolerate.

Photo Credit Syringes by Merfan
Uploaded on 13 May 2007