" My two-year-old was hanging out while the nurse prepped the [flu shot],

we put Buzzy on his arm and then his shoulder

when he actually got the shot and that was that—not one tear. Which has never happened.

My four-year-old is old enough to be more aware of what’s happening,

so she cried at the idea of a shot. But when push came to shove and it was time,

we used Buzzy again and she told me afterwards that it didn’t hurt at all. I’m kind of amazed.
Thx, LM

Pain relief for immunizations, particularly multiple shots, requires a slightly different technique than needle pain relief for IV's. When there is no risk of vasoconstriction, pain control is maximized by cooling the area then moving just proximal during the shot.

Ideally, a parent would put an arm around their child and hold Buzzy on the site for about 30 seconds before the shot.  Even with Buzzy there will be dull touch sensations (those are transmitted on different nerves that Buzzy doesn't block) so use distraction questions or Bee-Stractor Emergency Entertainment cards to entertain and pull attention away if the child  already has a needle phobia.  More info for parents here....

When the shot is ready, move the Buzzy up and keep pressing on the nearest bony surface to maximize vibration transmission. The little red dot in the picture to the right shows where the shot would go.  If multiple immunizations are being given, change out the cold packs so the sites each have 30 seconds of numbing.

If parents aren't willing or it doesn't seem like a good/safe idea, Buzzy can be placed in the palm of the nurse's hand leaving fingers free to bunch up skin.

For Kids 4-10 years old

Kids do best if they're underpromised and Buzzy then over-performs.   Let her play and experiment with Buzzy to get used to the sensations before using it for shots, and reserve the distraction cards for when she gets her first shot with it  (I'll send you a free one if you didn't order a set, then you can figure out the kinds of questions to ask and get other seek and find books).  You can also have her rate her pain on a faces scale with shots now, experimenting with things like taking a cold drink of something sweet while getting the shot, or taking a cold drink of water, etc.  You can also let her try taking a sweet mystery drink right when you give the shot and trying to guess what it is as a distraction.  Then when she gets Buzzy, she'll be used to both abstracting herself a little from the process, and she'll know that various techniques work better or don't so she'll appreciate how much Buzzy helps.