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Pediatric Pain Management

Golisano Children's Hospital / Pediatric Pain Management / Reducing Pain and Anxiety During Procedures

Reducing Pain and Anxiety During Procedures

At GCH, we understand that medical procedures—especially pokes—can be stressful for children and families. This section provides simple, evidence-based ways to reduce pain and anxiety before, during, and after a procedure. With tools like numbing cream, distraction techniques, and comfort positioning, along with age-specific tips and support from Child Life Specialists, we work together to make every experience as calm, safe, and comforting as possible.

Before the Procedure

Minimizing Discomfort

Your child might experience mild discomfort with a poke. Here are several things to help minimize pain and make the process go smoothly:

  • Numbing Cream (4% Lidocaine)
    Numbing cream placed on the skin ahead of time usually decreases pain from needle sticks significantly. You can talk to your child’s nurse or doctor about using this. Learn more about Lidocaine for pain management.
  • Buzzy®
    Buzzy® is a small vibrating device that is placed on your child’s skin next to where the poke will occur. Buzzy helps by focusing the child’s attention on the feeling of the vibration, and it also lessens the feeling of the poke. Ask your child’s nurse or child life specialist to show them buzzy to see if they would like to use it.
  • ShotBlocker®
    ShotBlocker® is a plastic tool designed to make immunizations and other injections a less painful experience. It has small, blunted points that help distract your child from the pain signals of the needle poke. It is placed on the skin surrounding where the injection will be.  Best results are with children ages 4 and up. Ask your child’s nurse or child life specialist to show them Shot Blocker to see if they would like to use it.
  • Comfort Positions
    Using comfort positions eliminates unnecessary distress by helping kids stay calm and still during medical procedures. Comfort positioning is a win for kids, families, and healthcare providers.

Back-to-chest comfort position
Back-to-chest

Chest-to-chest comfort position
Chest-to-chest

Side sit comfort position
Side-sit

During the Procedure

Supporting Your Child During a Poke or Procedure

For many children in the hospital, experiencing a poke or procedure can be very scary. There are many things that you and your child’s medical team can do to help make the procedure go as best it can for your child.

Here are some things you can do yourself to help prepare and support your child. You can also speak with your child’s Child Life Specialist about what supports are available. Child Life Specialists are trained specifically to help children cope during pokes and procedures in the hospital.

Parents Are Key to Success

We know that pokes and procedures can be scary for your child and challenging for you as you try to prepare them. Regardless of your child's age, your support is important. Here are some things that you can do to help your child:

  • Be patient, reassuring, and aware of your child's emotions. Your understanding and preparation efforts will have a big impact on your child's experience.
  • Stay with your child (as long as you are comfortable doing so) during the poke, holding your child on your lap or holding their hand during the procedure.
  • Offer choices when choice is possible since it can give a child of any age a sense of control over the situation. For example, let them choose which arm they would like the staff member to look at first, or ask if they want to watch the poke or look at something else.
  • Encourage your child to hold a comfort item—a blanket, a stuffed animal, or a fidget toy.
  • Use distraction (concentrating on something else—book, pictures, toy, etc.) during the poke to help lessen anxiety. Deep breathing, counting, or storytelling may also help anxiety.

Age Specific Tips

  • Your presence is most important at this age. You may talk with your child’s nurse about how you can stay close to your child during the procedure, or if you can hold your child during it. (If you don’t feel comfortable being present, that is okay too!)
  • If your child is nursing, you can talk with your child’s nurse about nursing during the poke. This can help the child experience less distress.
  • Sweetease (oral sucrose) is sugar water. When applied to a pacifier it can lessen your child’s distress during the poke.
  • Soft music played in the background can help create a more calm environment for your child during the procedure.
  • Swaddling can be comforting to newborns during procedures.
  • Use Simple Language: Explain the procedure in simple and honest terms. Your child’s child life specialist may be able to assist in explaining the procedure to them.  For blood draws and IV insertions, mention that it might feel like a quick pinch, but it will be over quickly.
  • Play Pretend: Use play or dolls to act out the process, showing what will happen during the procedure. This can help explain the experience.
  • Show and Tell: Use our picture guide to talk your child through the steps and show them what the environment looks like.
  • Explain the Why: Explain why the poke is necessary. Your child’s child life specialist may be able to assist in preparing your child for the procedure.
  • Answer Questions: Encourage your child to ask questions. Provide honest answers. Do not tell them it will only be one poke since sometimes it may require more than one, or that it won’t hurt. You can tell them that the staff member will be as quick as possible, and there are things that can be done to help with the feeling including using Buzzy, or a special ‘lotion’ (numbing cream).
  • Distraction Techniques: Suggest distraction techniques like reading a book, playing a game on a device, or engaging in conversation.
  • Deep Breathing: Teach your child deep breathing exercises to help them relax before and during the poke. Practice together beforehand.
  • Discuss the Process: Have an open conversation about the procedure. Explain the steps involved, how long it will take, and what sensations they might experience.
  • Respect Independence: Adolescents may want more control. Let them decide whether they want you present during the procedure.
  • Provide Information: Offer information about the importance of the procedure and how it will contribute to their health or diagnosis.
  • Mindfulness Techniques: Introduce mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing or meditation, to help them manage anxiety.

After the Procedure