Vaccination and Your Child

Vaccination is the best way to protect your child against many dangerous diseases. Vaccines prevent illnesses such as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), rotavirus, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, pneumococcal and meningococcal diseases, and human papillomavirus (HPV).

What vaccines should my child receive?

• 5-in-1 or 6-in-1 vaccine (DPTP-Hib) protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Hib disease.
• Rotavirus vaccine protects against the most common cause of serious diarrhoea in babies and young children.
• Pneumococcal vaccine protects against infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, including meningitis, pneumonia and ear infections.
• Meningococcal vaccine protects against meningitis and septicaemia caused by the meningococcus bacteria.
• MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella.
• Varicella vaccine protects against chickenpox.
• Hepatitis B vaccine protects against a serious liver infection.
• DTaP vaccine protects adolescents against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
• HPV vaccine protects against the HPV types that cause cervical cancer, some other cancers, and genital warts.

If your child has a chronic health condition, other vaccines may be recommended — speak to your physician. You should also ask about vaccines needed for travel.

Are vaccines safe?

Vaccines are very safe, and there are rarely reasons not to get vaccinated. If your child is very sick when a vaccine is due, talk to your doctor or health care provider about timing.

What are the risks of not vaccinating, or vaccinating late?

The diseases prevented by infant and childhood vaccines are serious and even deadly — measles can spread to the brain and cause brain damage or death, mumps can cause permanent deafness, and polio can cause paralysis. These diseases have not disappeared, and there is no treatment or cure for measles, polio or tetanus — vaccination is the only way to protect your child.

Reducing the pain of vaccination in children under 3

Most vaccines are given with a needle, which can be painful and frightening for children, and can cause a child to develop a fear of doctors, nurses and needles. No parent wants to see a child in pain — some even delay or stop vaccinations because of it, leaving a child without protection. There are proven, safe and effective ways to reduce a child's pain during vaccination, and you can combine methods for better results.

Keeping your child's vaccination record up to date

Ask the doctor or nurse for a written record (usually in your child's vaccine booklet) and take it with you to every doctor, clinic or hospital visit. This is especially important if you move, since vaccine schedules aren't the same everywhere — your child may otherwise miss doses if a new provider doesn't know exactly what she's already received.

How can I minimise the pain?

• Apply a topical anaesthetic (a numbing cream, available from a pharmacist without prescription) about an hour before the needle — confirm with your doctor which part of the body the shot will go in.
• Nurse your baby during the needle, or give sugar water (by teaspoon or pacifier) just beforehand.
• Use distraction — blow bubbles, read a book, suggest deep breathing — remain calm, and physically comfort your child (cuddle, hold hands) during the needle.
• If your child is crying or fussy afterward, you can give acetaminophen (such as Tylenol or Tempra).

Breastfeed your baby

If breastfeeding, start before the needle and make sure you have a good latch, then continue during and after. Breastfeeding combines holding, sweet taste and sucking, and is one of the best ways to reduce pain in babies — it's safe even for newborns, and there's no evidence babies will choke or associate their mothers with pain. Undress your baby to free the leg or arm where the needle will go before you start. If your child can't be breastfed, bottle feeding or a soother before, during and after vaccination can help too.

Hold your child

Hold or hug your child during the needle to help him stay still and feel secure. Sit on a chair to minimise the risk of accidental falls, undress the leg or arm that will get the needle, and avoid holding too tightly, which can increase distress. You may rock your child back and forth afterward.

Sugar water

Sugar water is safe for children, even newborns. Make it by mixing 1 teaspoon of white sugar with 2 teaspoons of distilled or boiled water (tap water is fine for babies over 6 months, if it's safe to drink). Give some sugar water 1 to 2 minutes before vaccination with a dropper or syringe, placed between the cheek and gums, or dip your child's soother in it and give it during the needle — combining sugar water, a soother and holding your child can simulate aspects of breastfeeding. If your child is getting the rotavirus vaccine, you don't need sugar water, since that vaccine already contains sugar.