Children & Blood Tests: A Guide for Parents

There’s no way around it – at some point in your child’s life, they will need a blood test. While none of us enjoy having blood taken, for children the experience can be particularly frightening and stressful.

So, other than bribing them with a lollipop (which let’s face it – isn’t great for them and often doesn’t work!), here is a list of things you can do to prepare your child and make the experience as stress free as possible for them (and for you).

• Tell your child what is going to happen – no one likes to be surprised by a blood test! The general rule of thumb is you should tell children under the age of 6 just before the procedure. For children over 6, it’s best to tell them two or three days before so they have time to process.

• Be honest with your child. If they ask if it is going to hurt, you’re not doing them any favours by lying to them. Now I’m not saying you should tell them that it’s going to hurt a lot, but you can be gentle and say something like ‘it might hurt a little bit – some children say it does, but others aren’t bothered’.

• Ask a GP or nurse to explain to your child why they are having a blood test, how it will help them, what will happen and what it might feel like. Sometimes having someone else reinforce what a parent has already said can help to ease a child’s anxiety.

• Sometimes it can help to arrange something to distract your child during their blood test. There are a variety of different options, depending on your child’s age.

• Babies under six months might enjoy rocking, having a family member talk to or sing to them, a rattle or similar baby toy, breastfeeding during the test for babies who are breastfed.

• • For toddlers from six months up to about two years distractions can include blowing bubbles, toys or books that make noises, singing a song, or just reading a book.

• • For older children blowing bubbles can again be a great distraction (and can help to calm them and regulate their breathing), reading a book or a puzzle book (think Where’s Wally), talking about something they are looking forward to doing (their next holiday, school excursion, birthday party, etc.).

• • For adolescents distraction techniques can include listening to music or watching a video on their phone/iPad with headphones, letting them have choices of who is in the room or whether someone holds their hand or talks to them, etc., humor or taking about something unrelated to their blood test can be a great distraction.

• During the blood test it is important that you stay with your child to support them. If you are not able to stay with them (no shame in being a bit squeamish with blood!), as a trusted friend or another family member that knows your child well to come with you.

• Stay calm during the test and focus on distracting your child rather than what the blood collector is doing – if you are looking at them, your child will want to look too!

• If you have an infant of younger child, hold them securely during the procedure. You can try wrapping a sheet or blanket around an especially wiggly child to make it easier to hold their limbs steady!

• It’s ok for your child to cry during the procedure. We are all afraid of the unknown – hopefully the next time it will be easier.

• Make sure you give your child lots of praise for cooperating and doing well.

• If your child doesn’t need a fasting blood test, make sure they drink plenty of fluids (water, milk, breastmilk, formula, etc.) before attending for their appointment.

• Make sure your child is nice and warm before attending – if it’s a cold day, keep them in plenty of warm layers until their test to help with their circulation and blood flow.
• EMLA patches, which contain a local anaesthetic to numb the blood test site, may be an option if your child is very nervous. These are available at most major pharmacies without a prescription. We recommend placing one on the inside of each arm and waiting for one hour before going in for their test.
• Find a collection centre with a specialist paediatric collector to ensure your child has the best possible experience.

• If your child needs a blood test, we recommend contacting one of the following collection centres to discuss with them directly before attending for a collection:

For more information or advice CONTACT US to speak with our practice nurse or arrange an appointment with a paediatrician.