Scenario: your child is scared, crying, and wiggling, but they need to be still in order for this blood draw to be successful. With the best of intentions you say, “You’re almost done!” to help calm the situation.

Though the blood draw may in fact be almost done, for your child, it may not feel that way in their body at that moment. Instead, it feels scary, it feels hard, and they DO NOT want to continue doing this task.

Child Life Specialist Katie Taylor has a few alternate wording suggestions to try:

1. “You are doing so well keeping your body still.” Remind your child of what is going right in a moment where everything may feel wrong. Provide reassurance for all of the hard work you see at this moment.
2. “You will know we are done when _________.” Cueing your child allows them to process what steps they have left until this moment is done.
3. “I hear you. You are safe.” Validation. Sometimes all your child needs is the knowledge that it is okay to not be okay, and that you as a parent are here to keep them safe.

P.S. - once the hard work is done, there is nothing wrong with a well-deserved prize and/or sticker!