Pain, pain go away

My kids are getting the flu vaccine today. My son is also getting his routine 6-month immunizations during this visit. Even though his thighs are like ham hocks, he will not be a happy camper. I might give him some acetaminophen (Tylenol) before his appointment to take some of the pain away. What about other side effects of vaccines?  Other than the local heat, swelling, redness, and fever, vaccines are safe. I'm more concerned about my kids getting the diseases and spreading them. With some of these diseases, the infection can lead to even more serious complications in an infant. An updated parents' guide from the CDC about childhood immunizations is now available. Vaccine-preventable diseases include diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (not the same as the flu virus), influenza (this is the flu), measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, pneumococcal, polio, tetanus, varicella, and rotavirus. Vaccine information sheets are available in many languages and are available on the CDC web site.

So is your child up-to-date with the vaccines? Check the schedule for babies; children; or teens. If your child fell behind because there was a shortage of a particular vaccine, or for another reason, check with your child's doctor to see if catch-up immunizations are needed. Here are tips from the Immunization Action Coalition on what to do after your kids feels uncomfortable after the vaccines.  I'm getting ready to give them lots of hugs and kisses.

4:37 PM Update

I actually did not give either of them acetaminophen and they were both tolerant of the pain. Yes, my son cried at the shock of the intramuscular injection, but after that he was fine.  Of course,  he only received 2 of the 4 (Hib on backorder and flu vaccine to be given after he turns 6 months in a few days). He'll be fine. My daughter was amazingly calm, but likely because I had been prepping her for it. More importantly, she was there when I received mine. We're going to be watching for fevers now...