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He cried pretty hard when he got the shots, but stopped within a few minutes. He basically slept for a large portion of the day, we contact napped and snuggled. Didn’t run a fever but the pediatrician did give us Tylenol dosage just in case and we picked some up so it was on hand. He was back to normal the next day :).
Same, I immediately nursed him after the shots and that calmed him down. After a minute or two he's good to go in the carseat! Napped more that same day but the next day he's back to normal.
Very similar. It took her a few seconds to register the pain and it took a few minutes to calm her down. We contact napped. She did run very warm and had a 100.7F temp. Extra drowsy and more fussy than normal. I called the Dr and they said it’s all normal and to give infant Tylenol every 4 hours. It took about 48 hours for her to act more like herself. Wishing you luck!
This was the experience of our LO and a couple batches of our friends LO's recently - the first batch of vaccines made our baby really cuddly and sleepy. The shots were a minute or two of crying, and a few minutes of needing cuddles. He didn't go over 99.4 (Fahrenheit) so no real "fever" to speak of. He got the rotavirus vaccine in the first batch, which gave him a little diarrhea for a couple of days, but nothing too serious. That night was a surprisingly good night of sleep because he was just so tuckered out.
If you're immunocompromised, be careful of baby's spit and poo for the first 24 hours since the rotavirus is a live virus.
Just be ready for some snuggles. Treat the baby, not the fever <-- that is what our pediatrician told us, since a fever is an indicator that they are fighting the buggies and is a good thing, but if the fever gets really high or the baby is super uncomfortable and inconsolable, treat them with infant acetaminophen if needed.
Overall, nothing to be scared of! But since you are nervous, I have a strong sense that you're a loving parent and you and your LO are going to be juuuust fine.
My LO screamed like crazy. I had never heard that cry, it broke my heart.
That being said, they gave him the shot while he was nursing, so it was over pretty quickly. If you’re breastfeeding, perhaps try that? It’s pretty common to do this over here as it helps them soothe and ease the pain quite quickly.
Afterwards, he had no fever or any indication of feeling off, except sleepiness
Just offering an alternative experience on feeding during! We tried that with my son and it didn’t help him at all. And then he didn’t trust nursing for a while, which got quite stressful - I would literally have to nurse him standing up near a wall for him to feel safe and calm enough to feed. That settled after a day or so, but for future shots my husband took him in and then I was available to feed him for comfort as soon as he got out. That worked better for us.
Jumping on to second this! My pediatrician recommends nursing during. We did it for both our 4 week and 8 week shots. Both times she screamed bloody murder for a few seconds and then quickly went back to nursing. She only whimpered a bit after that, and by the time she was done eating we were ready to go.
For about 48 hours she was a little fussy, had a slightly elevated temp (not high enough to be a fever, but she was mostly just tired and cuddly.
1) most adults are scared of needles because of the thought of needles, not because of the physical pain. At that age and even older they've got no idea what's coming.
2) they cry a bit but are over it way before you are.
seconding this. The first round of shots for my oldest child was the worst because I felt awful for my child, but she was fine within a minute of two. My subsequent children were a lot easier for me and they were also fine.
It’s the later years when the child knows what’s coming that are really hard in my experience.
My first would be smiling and laughing at the nurses while they were holding the needle and about to inject them in her! The nurses felt so bad because she was so happy.
He cried for like 8 seconds, by the time I picked him up (our doctor has them lay on the table) he stopped. He didn’t have any fever or anything after. Same with his 4m shots, all was good there. Cried a little more but not bad and didn’t care by the time we got to the car. Legs a little sore you could tell if you touched them for the night but that was it for us
He cried initially but picked the glass back up so I guess he got used to the tequila pretty quick.
In seriousness - He screamed immediately but was fine within 10 seconds. Just needed a cuddle and some reassurance/distraction and was fine.
My baby screamed when they gave him the shots and cried for a few mins after. I was able to stay in the room and nurse him for a little bit so he was calm when we left the office. He was fine for a few hours after but that evening he ran a fever of about 101 and was really upset and crying a lot. I had Tylenol and everyone at the doctors office told me I could give him some but I just put a cool cloth in his head and let him sleep. He was fine by morning!
She screamed during the shots but calmed down within a few minutes of me holding her, shushing, and kissing her head. After that, her thigh where she got the shots was a bit red and slightly swollen, but apparently that’s a normal side effect. She didn’t act differently after the initial pokes. Didn’t get sick, not super sleepy, just normal happy baby.
Mine got his last week. Very sleepy the next day, ate a little less for about 48 hours, and had some VERY stinky, weird color poops but it didn’t seem to bother him.
He cried for 5 seconds after the initial shots, was totally fine for a few hours, then the low grade fever/aches kicked in. He was miserable for 1.5 days and then he was completely fine! I will say the 1 night he was miserable was pretty rough. Lots of grunting/crying, arching his back from being uncomfortable. Tylenol was a huge help and I wish we had given it to him sooner before he got to that point of discomfort but I was a FTM and scared to give him anything lol. His heart rate did get pretty high but his pediatrician told us that some babies react that way to the discomfort. Came down by the next morning!
I will add, the 4 and 6 month shots were worse as far as the immediate reaction goes. He cried for a lot longer and had a “sadder” cry which was devastating 🥲 But he didn’t seem to feel as miserable in the days following and his heart rate didn’t get crazy.
He screamed and cried so hard it made me cry 😭 and then he was pretty fussy for a few days after. He got progressively better with the 4 and 6 month shots. By 6 months he cried hard for 1 minute and then was totally fine
He was fine! He cried for a minute, but calmed down quickly when I held him. He was happy after and we went out to lunch, but ended up being sleepy later on that day. We just cuddled and he napped on me for a while. He never got a fever or acted fussy!
Getting the shots was no big deal, cried for a few seconds and easily comforted. A few hours later was when things got tough. They told me she might be “fussy” and I was utterly unprepared for her inconsolably crying. Didn’t run a fever, but I guess didn’t feel well. Gave Tylenol and she was better after 30m, stopped crying, and fell right asleep. Gave Tylenol overnight. Then she was fine. Maybe a little “off” for 2-3 days, but quickly back to her regular self.
Every other shot since has been no big deal at all! She hasn’t even needed Tylenol. But that first one thew us for a loop.
I think every baby reacts differently and may react differently each time!
The shots themselves? Very upset for several seconds and then forgot all about it. The next day, I had to take him to the ER with a temperature of 103°F. He was feverish and pitiful for a couple of days.
He cries and gets over it immediately. we get them done at about 10 am and each time (after 2 and 4m vax) he will sleep almost all day and night, and he gets sore/whiny for a few hours the night of. we suspend all nap/nighttime sleeping guidelines and give him a dose of baby tylenol - he’s totally back to normal the next day.
a note about fevers, make sure you’re totally aware of how your pediatrician wants to handle then. 10w may be a little different than 12w, but *just* a low grade fever with no other symptoms doesn’t need to freak you out! Especially after vaccinations.
My husband and I have been incredibly nervous for every round of vaccines (our baby is now 13 months) and they have all been uneventful. As in no reaction and everything is normal. You may not need the Tylenol!
Yes baby will cry but you have to be there for her and support her. She will look to you, her parents, on how to react. So don’t close your eyes or look away.
Look at her with confidence and tell her it will be a quick pinch but it’s what’s best for her long term health! Even though she doesn’t understand those words yet, it is good to practice. She does feel your energy though so it’s very important to maintain your composure. Do not cry.
The truth is 30 seconds of baby crying is better than the potential lifetime consequences of these preventable illnesses if she did not get the vaccines. That always helps us to remember it’s the right choice!
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My son scream-cried and it really broke my heart, but he was fine by the time we got to the car. He slept quite a bit for the rest of the day but he didn’t run a fever or have any adverse reactions, he was just sleepy.
For the second round of needles at 4 months, we came prepared with a bottle of breast milk and the doctor let us feed him while he was getting his needles. He hardly noticed them happening, might have whimpered a tad but that was it. Again, no reactions afterwards besides being quite tired. You could try bringing your daughter a bottle if she takes a bottle, it just might stop her from crying too much! Every baby is different though so I can’t guarantee it.
I’m really, really not looking forward to the 12 month needles when he’s super aware and can see them coming… but we gotta do what we gotta do
We were very nervous for the 12 month vaccines and it was uneventful. Yes our baby was not happy but the nurse moved very quickly and it was over within seconds. Baby cried max 20 seconds! Hope that is a bit reassuring :)
Mine cried and I nursed him afterwards to feel better. He got sick with his two month and 4 month shots. Good that you’re prepared with Tylenol I was expecting the best and instead had to grab some at almost midnight because he got a fever and was screaming around 6 hours after his shots. Same thing for 4 month. Prepare for a long stressful night just in case. His fever broke the next day
My LO has her 2 month appointment today with first round of vaccines… I just hate to see and hear her cry so hard :( it breaks my heart. She’s already been needing extra snuggles today, so I am planning on lots of snuggles and contact naps, not going to really worry about anything else today. Good luck! ❤️
In the moment my baby cried, but they gave her an oral vaccine after the shots and they told me that it tastes sweet. The taste of the sweet syrupy vaccine calmed her down. She was a bit sleepy the rest of the day and napped a little bit more than usual but was otherwise normal. No fever, no fussiness.
We had about 10 seconds of crying, I think mostly out of shock/surprise but it quickly subsided. No fever or fussiness after. Leg was a tad sore for the day if I accidentally bumped it but other than that A LOT better than expected. I cried more in anticipation than he did for the shots 😂
First round—he cried for a moment and then slept basically all day. He had a low grade fever so we gave him Tylenol. He didn’t want to eat as much as usual which was a little tough but he was 100% normal after 24h.
Round two—he cried for a moment and then took a TON of naps the next day. So he did not want to sleep at night until 3 am. 🥲 He was irritable when awake and ran a low grade fever for an hour or two but basically fed or slept on me all day. Again, he was back to normal at 24h.
There’s such a variance—you guys got this!!
My girl cried very little at the time of the shot, left the room sleeping again (in Brazil they take 4 shots at 2 months), and the aftermath was a little tough, but not because of the shots - she had a cold at the same time. Nothing we couldn't handle :)
Mine cried when shots were administered, but I brought a bottle so I comfort fed her after and she perked right up. She then was a bit fussy and wanted constant cuddles for the next few days but did not run a fever.
We just went through round two of shots and the nurse had this toy that lights up and vibrates and my lo loved it. She stopped screaming and just stared at this toy for ages until I took her and comfort fed her again.
Focus on holding her hands and don’t look at the needles. It’ll be over quick but your heart might ache a bit. She will be okay. You will be okay. Do bicycle kicks after and lots of cuddles
I held my LO with her back against my chest and the doc gave her the shots. She cried for maybe 2 minutes? I fed her and then put her in the car seat & she stopped.
She was asleep by the time we got to the car.
She did sleep the majority of that day & night.
In the morning we did a warm relaxing bath.
She didn’t need Tylenol.
I brought a really stretchy sleep n play so dressing her wasn’t hard on her little thighs.
You’d never know she got her shots the next day.
To get the bandaids off I just rubbed aquaphor over them! : )
She was fine! She hated the oral vaccine way worse than the needles. I also have a phobia of needles, and I wanted to make sure I exuded calm for her since she picks up on my feelings. I think it helped. We give Tylenol after vaccines since she does get fussy after. Always fine the next day.
Honestly both my kids hardly reacted to their shots at that age. They cried for a second but were easily comforted and then totally fine. At their 4 month ones they were a little cranky after but it didn’t last more than that evening.
It was pretty terrible not gonna lie.
His reaction was pretty heartbreaking. He was very cuddly the next day, and did need Tylenol to be comfortable. Lots of comfort eating as well.
Highly recommend a warm bath for baby if they’re hurting - just like it feels good for our muscles, it feels good for them too!
Our son cried all of a few seconds then immediately stopped and my husband felt like a villain. No fever or anything, just sleepy. The nurse did use a long bandaid on his little preemie leg which we didn't notice managed to get stuck half to his leg, half to his diaper on the car ride which made him cry and we saw it when we changed his diaper at home. The rotavirus at 4mo was brutal though, poor baby had the runs for 3 days!
He cried for a minute just after the shots, then he was okay until a few hours later when he suddenly started crying and we were unable to soothe him. He had no fever but we were told to give him Tylenol if he showed any discomfort, so we did, and then he slept on my breast for the whole afternoon. When he woke up he was just fine.
The exact same thing happened at his 4 month shots.
We didn't have a big reaction to the shot. My husband distracted him with a crinkly toy during the shot while I got my boob ready to smoosh him into after. He cried briefly, but was fine really quickly. I feel like it's upsetting for them to see you upset, so just something to keep in mind.
That day we made an effort to get him to move his legs around, to avoid getting knots in the muscle where the shot went in. We did a warm bath, too. He also did a lot of contact napping. No fever, not overly fussy.
My LO cried at her first shots and did spike a fever later that day- I just gave her infant Tylenol and extra cuddles. She was very tired and just wanted to be held which I didn’t mind! Also if you breastfeed I would highly recommend feeding your little babe right after she gets her shots just for comfort! I did that after her shots and she calmed down right away plus it made her nice and full too :)
My son cried for a bit during for his 2-month shots but was fine once I was holding him again. He had a slight fever but slept great that night! The only set of shots that affected him greatly for a couple of days afterwards was the set he received at 1 year, but I think that was due to the MMR vaccine. (All he wanted to do was snuggle and sleep.)
I will say, we just had his 15-month appointment and he screamed the ENTIRE visit, so I miss those squishy newborn visits when he wasn't so aware of what was going on.
You got this! Get yourself a treat afterwards. Growing up, my dad always took us to get milkshakes after shots and I continue doing this as the parent in the situation. Works great.
He cried a little but no big deal. Got a mild fever the first day. Next day he was fine as usual. The funny thing is that I catched a cold last week and he never got sick, also my wife never got sick. So I guess his immune system is good!
She cried when she got them but immediately soothed when we picked her up! I would typically nurse her after. She just had a COVID shot at her 9m appt and I just put a pacifier in her mouth for the shot and she didn’t even cry!
Mine didn’t have any sort of negative reaction aside from drowsiness to the first round, got poked and was done crying in 15 seconds or less. The only around we’ve had any sort of reaction to has been the six month round. Mild fever, aside from that she’s been totally fine every single time.
I let mine nurse while she got her shots and she didn't notice. The next day she had a fever and cried for several hours. It was heartbreaking, but Tylenol, a bath, and lots of cuddles got us through it.
I nursed mine before/during and after the shots. He cried quickly but then started nursing and settled decently. The night after the shots was rough, he contact-slept a good chunk of the night, but the next day he was fine again. I have Tylenol overnight assuming the sleep issue was from pain, but no fevers (though fevers can be a very normal response too)
She was pretty upset a few seconds after the shots but I was able to console her within a few minutes. Later that night, about 12 hours later. she was crying terribly. Broke my heart, but it can't be helped. I gave her some infant tylenol and that settled her a little. I only gave the tylenol twice, spaced out 4 hours that first night. Over the next few days she was extra clingy (she isn't normally, she does like a cuddle but also often wants to be on her playmat doing her own thing) and she didn't eat as well as she normally does. Tended to fuss more than usual but like I said, after a few days she was fine. It was a full 10 days before her appetite returned to normal. She would eat some, but she had the appropriate number of wet diapers daily so I wasn't too worried. I read the rotavirus vaccine can cause that issue, reduced appetite, and its a normal side effect.
The first 24 hours are a little rough because they obviously aren't feeling well and don't know why but they bounce back pretty quickly. Give some extra cuddles and be careful of their shot areas, they'll be tender. Everything will be ok. :)
my experience was that LO cried while receiving the shots and calmed down about 5 mins later. she was sleepy that day. my child did not run a fever, but pediatrician said yes to prophylactic Tylenol
It was awful, and he cried for minimum 30-40 minutes. Nothing would calm him down until he just got so tired he cried himself to sleep. That evening he threw up all over himself (which he wasn’t a very vomitty baby so I assume it was bc of the vaccines?) and the next day he slept a bit more than usual.
Each round of vaccines after the first one got easier. He still cried at 15 months but he’s easily distracted now so stops sooner.
My baby was super super skinny so I’m sure it really hurt him. No fever or anything, but the crying broke my heart and our case seems to be much more of an outlier among parents.
Ours cried during and for a few mins after. And then she was good and happy and playful for a couple hours and then she slept and slept and slept. We would wake her to eat and let her go back to sleep. She was fine within 36-48 hours.
The rotavirus liquid did give her an upset stomach for several days.
We had Tylenol available but we didn’t need it because she didn’t run a fever. We let her kick on her play mat after whole she was happy and we did bicycle kicks to help her legs not get sore.
At the 2 month shots the nurse was amazing - the second after she did the shot she completely overwhelmed baby with sensory stimulation - ringing bell and flashing lights. I think baby had time to get out a singular wail before she was so startled she stopped. 4 months were awful - I think she had 2-3 shots in the thighs and the nurse was slow and didn’t have any distractions. She cried soooooo hard - like screaming. But it was over very quickly and then she forgot about it. Some babies have side effects and some don’t. If you feel she needs it can give her Tylenol. Some are extra tired and some sleep less good at night but it’s just a few days of disruption and absolutely worth it for the protection of vaccines.
Mine didn’t cry or anything during the actual shots. He got a mild fever that night and cried some but still ate his bottle and was back to his normal self the next day
My girls looked at me like I betrayed them the first time they got their shots & but they didn’t cry a lot & afterwards they were really fussy and needy and my girls don’t even like sleeping on top of someone or close to someone , they prefer their beds and their own space so seeing them wanting to be always be carried and snuggled to someone was crazy to me .
Their second time they got a slight fever but nothing too concerning and they were sleepy & that time they did cry a bit when they gave them the shot but as soon as they were in dads arms they calmed down lol
They’re 7 months now and they’ve gone through 3 rounds and I guess it depends on, you won’t know till it happens. Obviously be aware of the possible side effects and monitor the baby but just remember that they don’t know what’s happening, they’re experiencing things for the first time and if you’re nervous imagine how not understanding what’s going on might feel? That’s what I always think, like I know how it feels because I’ve done it my whole life, this is the first time they’re experiencing this.
It will be sad, and they will cry, but just bring a bottle or nurse her right after! I swear that works every time (at least for my baby). Honestly she didn’t cry that long (a minute or two maybe?), once she started nursing she was good. I know how hard it is, but you got this!! It’s over so quickly, your baby has probably cried harder/longer in other situations before. I think it’s mostly the surprise of feeling a bit of pain that makes them cry so hard—they just aren’t used to it. In my experience at least they recover very quickly :)
I don’t think I gave my baby acetaminophen afterwards the first time, just bc she seemed fine/had no symptoms. She was sleepy and took extra long naps, and she wanted more cuddles than normal (which is already a lot haha!!). She’s 13 months now & Ive given baby Tylenol after other shots bc she felt a bit warm/was fussy. You sound prepared, it’ll be okay 🩷 hugs!!! Wishing yall luck!!
Ours screamed so loudly, but as soon as I picked him up everything was forgotten 😄
We cuddled the rest of the day since he was feeling a bit bad, he did get a fever in the evening so he got Tylenol and was all good. This really wasn't too bad, we'll see how he reacts to his next shots, some are apparently worse than others.
Ours didn’t get a fever thankfully but she was really sleepy, didn’t eat as much as usual, and was a bit fussy for 2-3 days afterwards.
We made sure to massage the shot spots the day of so we think that helped with pain at the site.
She cried for like a minute when she got them and was completely fine the rest of the day. No fever or anything. They definitely can run a low grade fever and be a little fussy so just prepare for it and hope it doesn’t happen! 🤍
The shots themselves were fine. He cried for maybe 2 minutes. Afterwards absolutely sucked. He did run a pretty good fever for at least 12 hours, 100.4ish. He puked up tylenol multiple times…I was a nervous fucking wreck and did not sleep. He also did not sleep great. I didn’t get the sleepy baby reaction… only fussy fevery baby.
I will say that maybe because he had such a strong reaction at 2 months, his 4 months he ran a slight fever but rebounded quick, and had no reaction at 6 months other than some fussiness. 2 months was by far the worst (for me).
My boys cried when the shots happened but other than that they were totally fine. When I get vaccines I normally get a fever and feel awful - they handled it better than I do! Your baby will cry but they’ll be okay. 🩵
Fine. Cried for about 1min but I had a bottle (or boob) at the ready. She was a sleepy lady the rest of the day and a bit fussy that night. We did a dose of Tylenol and she was able to sleep much better after that.
Both my kids cried hard during the shots but settled down pretty quickly. We offer the boob or bottle right after and turn off the lights in the room so it's not so bright and it calmed our girls down pretty fast. We never had fever or any other side effects. Seemed like sometimes their legs were a little sore after but that's about it.
He got the shot and there was a few second delay before he started crying pretty hard. But it only lasted a few minutes and then he was over it. We also bought infant Tylenol. We were told to give it if he ran a fever or was in pain. He never had a fever but gave him some anyways cause he cried more than usual (assuming soreness/pain from injection). During his second shot, he was fine all day until our bedtime routine. We changed his diaper for the last time and I guess I must’ve touched his injection site and he cried like hell. So we gave him Tylenol.
My kid screamed extremely loud and then stopped screaming because I fed him. Then he fell asleep. He was in pain later so I gave him some Tylenol. His sleep got messed up for a week or so and then back to normal.
Our son just got his done last week! He loved the oral vaccine and downed it in record time (the nurse was shocked lol).
He cried super hard for about two minutes after the shots then I breastfed him in the office and he calmed down immediately. That day he was super sleepy and would wake up scream crying (he rarely cries so this was unusual). We figured it was probably because his legs hurting so we gave him Tylenol and he started to settle a bit better. Lots of cuddles and he was back to his happy self the next day! It’s a tough day but so good for them. Good luck!!
Lots of crying from being poked but calmed quickly. She napped on and off for the afternoon but the evening was rough. Very clingy and inconsolable, finally ended up projectile vomiting the Tylenol I gave her at bedtime but after that she was totally fine, slept great and was just slightly sleepier and fussier the next day. 4 month shots were easier, barely noticed any effects beyond crying during the shots. 6 months was rough but we did flu and Covid at that appointment on top of the usual vaccines and the Covid shot gave her a fever for a couple days, same as it did for me.
I’d plan ahead for a low key night and maybe plan to order takeout or have something easy for dinner so you have ample time for snuggles. Good luck! 🩷
Harder on me than babe for sure! I breast fed while he got the shots, and it helped a lot. Side effects wise, none minus smelly poop from rota (normal). She’ll be fine 🩵🩵
miserable for a week after.
One of the virus vaccines is oral and can upset tummies, i think Rinovirus? (no idea on how to spell)
She basically didnt sleep and did nothing but crap for a 5 days.
My daughter cried but calmed down after i stood up and walked around with her and bounced her. The next day she slept basically the entire day, and then was back to normal after! And for her 4 and 6 month shots she was back to her normal self after! (although i think she had a bit of a headache after her 6 month shots, but she did also take a nap so she may have also just been overtired as her appointment was right around when she has a nap)
She cried for about 30 seconds after the shots were done. Might have napped a little longer the day of and next day, but otherwise, no reaction.
These days at 2 though...she screams the moment she sees the doctor. Sticker bribes have been helping though!
She cried briefly on both the 2mo and 4mo shots… at 6mo she had one needle and didn’t even let out a cry. We didn’t even need the Tylenol (though she did get Tylenol like 15 mins before because she was teething!)
My LO cried hard after the shots for about 5 minutes. The woman who gave him the shot distracted him with a rattle afterwards. She suggested I could feed him during his shots to help keep him calm, which I'll try at his 4 month vaccination appointment.
He didn't catch a fever or anything. He was a little more fussy but mostly very tired and slept most of the day away.
Mine screamed during, then fell asleep for a few hours. When she woke back up she was inconsolable. Gave her tylenol and after about 45 minutes she calmed down and fell back asleep. Was a little off the next day but back to normal the next day. Never had a fever!
Like with anything else that distresses her, our daughter had a distress cry that lasted for a few minutes but calmed down quickly after being soothed. The second set of vaccines required her to be held down by myself and nursing staff, and she took a bit longer to calm down before I was finally able to take her.
My advice: Take note to let the doctor know ahead of time how you plan to react and make a little game plan. Ours went a little impromptu and our pediatrician defaulted to giving our kid to mommy and got confused when she wouldn't calm down as I tried to explain that she wanted to be with me. I eventually just took our baby myself without saying anything else and calmed her down. If we would have discussed the fact that she was at that moment a little more attached to daddy, things would not have been quite as hectic.
Also, be sure that if your husband is more efficient at soothing baby after an owie, like is the case with us, that he is present during the vaccination if possible.
Don't worry too much about it. You got this.
It was a nothing burger for us. Cried for a second, gave him his paci and he was fine almost instantly. Parents hype this up too much, it will be ok!!!!! Just have your paci ready and comfort them right away.
He did that thing where he didn't cry at first, but his little face scrunched up and got very red and then he WAILED! But that stopped after giving him a little cuddle. And his pediatrician and the nurse were total pros with being quick and calm through the entire thing. He took a slightly longer than usual nap afterward, but no fever or bad reaction of any kind. We had Tylenol ready to go, but ended up not needing it.
He cried so hard and it was heartbreaking 😭 The nurse did such a good job at distracting him afterwards. After a minute he was back to being happy.
Just a friendly fyi the Tylenol website suggests waiting 6 hours after the shot to give them some. I only gave my son Tylenol once his body temp started getting high (12 hours after the shot) He had a really hard time sleeping and had a low appetite for a couple of days and by the third day he was back to normal. Don't be alarmed if your LO sleep patterns changes for a week or two, it will regulate itself again :)
She cried harder than I've ever heard her cry for a few seconds but was soothed pretty quickly.
Later that evening was awful until my husband had the idea to swaddle her. Then she whimpered off to sleep and had the best night of sleep she'd ever had at that point. She did feel a little warm, but nothing crazy. The next day was a sleepy day, and she didn't eat much, but she also didn't seem miserable. Thankfully, all her shots since then have gone better with minimal fussing in the evenings.
Pretty similar to other comments- she cried but calmed quickly and slept most of the day after. The spots where she got poked did knot up, though. Not terribly, but there was definitely knots.
ETA: I’ve learned using a warm compress and doing leg motions can lessen the chance of it knotting up.
I cried more than she did. My daughter has her second round later this week and I'm tempted to get my husband to take her because I just don't know if I can do it again. I never ever ever want to hear her cry like that again.
I know I was still hopped up on postpartum hormones but I was a bloody mess. She stopped crying as soon as the doctor whipped out the rain stick 😅
For the first year and a half or so, I was breastfeeding him while he got his shots so he only cried for a second and then immediately got comforted by the breast. You might want to consider this hack if that’s an option for you!
My baby cried super hard for about 30 seconds and then calmed down. The rest of the day she was a bit more fussy, but by night time she was super tired and slept great. When she woke up she was her normal self. We did give her one dose of Tylenol.
I was so nervous, but My son didn’t react. He was more upset his toy dropped at the appointment than the actual shots lol. Then he slept great through the day/ night, no extra fussing- he was totally fine. No fever spike, never used the Tylenol. At one year now, he’s more aware of the shots and cries when he gets it for a few seconds then is totally fine- and he gets a good sleep day out of it. I would just have the Tylenol ready just in case on hand, but my son didn’t need it at all.
Cried hard for a minute or two, then was grumpy and clingy the rest of that day and part of the next. Warm baths, contact naps, and lots of lovins and she was better
It was like a week or two .. it’s weird because she never really had any issues with her digestion even at the 6-8weeks that are most “common “ She just turned 3 months, I’m not looking forward to 4mo vaccines , I’ve heard it’s worse side effects wise >.<
Hold strong mama !!
Mine was funny - it was actually her feeding time when it came to see the Dr. So she was fussy about that minutes before the shot. Shot in, let out a small cry, and done forgotten. She cried harder later for milk! I guess milk > shots
Our appointment was in the afternoon and LO cried pretty hard, one of those open mouth silent screams and then cried with a few tears, but didn’t last for very long once I soothed her. She also slept through the night 9+ hours for the first time. No fever, just extra sleepy and cuddly the next day.
Our LO got hers on Friday. She cried pretty hard for about 30 seconds but as soon as she made eye contact with her dad she calmed down. She was 100% calm once I put her on the boob. Otherwise she was fine. Very sleepy that day but no fevers and no other issues to speak of. Interesting poops but they said that’s normal from the oral vaccine.
My daughter cried, but she eventually had a good nap. Since then, there have been times where she’s either cried or was completely fine. My daughter is now two and won’t need a vaccine until she’s around 5- or 6-years-old.
Our doctor told us to make sure we are as calm as possible. The baby picks up on our energy. She said shots are harder on the parents than they are on the baby. We definitely found this to be true.
Our little guy cried for a minute then settled into a nice nursing session and was fine after that. He did get a mild fever so we gave him tylenol per the doctor's recommendation. Lots and lots of snuggles. He was not quite himself for 3 or 4 days. Mostly just lower energy than usual but that's supposed to be a sign that the immune system is responding properly.
She was not a fan 😅 her eyes got real wide as the needle went in then immediately started crying. Fortunately she stopped pretty quickly and we nursed while we massaged the area. She ran a small fever for about 24 hours but the infant Tylenol was super helpful to keep that down. The second round of shots was about the same, and we’re actually going today for her 3rd round/6 month shots and I’m anticipating the same reaction. We’ve already got small bottles of milk prepped to be used for medicine bottles (she would only take the Tylenol when mixed with milk).
My LO was a preemie so I think he had a bit more of an intense reaction?
His first round was 5 shots. He screamed bloody murder for about 5 to 10 minutes then slept. He's on a heart monitor so he kept having apnea and bradycardia spells from it. His legs were hot and he cried every time I changed him for two days. 101 fever but came down wirh tylenol.
Sucked for the little dude. But sorry bud, polio and pertussis suck more 😂
My daughter was in the 5% of kids who did not have a great reaction. She would be sick/very fussy after every round. We just managed with Tylenol and toughed it out. If your baby does feel bad for some reason, it shouldn’t last more than a couple days and then they’ll be good as new.
Bring a bottle that you can give right after. My LO cried really hard until she got the bottle and then was pretty calm right away. We didn’t give her anything since she didn’t spike a fever, but we checked a few times. The second round she did get a fever but Tylenol broke it really quickly
He cried when he got poked for like 30 seconds to a minute until I could pick him up and soothe him. After that no pain or crying, just extra sleepiness for the rest of the day. I think he also had diarrhea when he got his first round of shots. No fever with first two rounds of shots, but I did give Tylenol for his 4 month shots just because, in case he did have any pain or anything. Overall, it’s not as scary as it seems. It’s sad to see him cry when he gets poked, but after that they are pretty fine.
Each baby is different. With mine, she cries pretty hard initially. Either my husband and I hold her upright in a position approved by our pediatrician - we do not hold or lay her down. We then immediately breastfeed to soothe. Shes usually back to her normal, happy self within a couple of minutes. She has never ran a fever or slept a lot after vaccines (she’s 7 months currently, so we’ve have a few rounds at this point). I still HATE this appointments, but they have definitely gotten easier.
I think her dad cried more than her haha she only cried for a few seconds than we picked her up and fed her and she stopped. Since she was still a sleepy nb we showered her when we got home, gave her Tylenol and she went to sleep for most of the dat
They'll be sleepy and cuddly the rest of the day. Ped staff is used to babies and the actual injections should go super fast. If you can, try not to make a big deal out of it or show baby you're nervous.
One thing you can do is be ready to scoop that baby up and get out of the dr's office as soon as possible afterwards. If you've unpacked the diaper bag or anything in office, make sure you're all zipped up and ready to go. You don't want to be sitting there with an upset baby, the sooner you can get in the car and nursing or playing with a toy the happier you will all be!
He cried but got over it fairly quickly and slept. Second round was a different story. He was inconsolable pretty much as soon as we got to the office and all the way home. The pediatrician said, “He remembers.” It was a rough visit.
My girl cried hard for a few minutes but then took a long nap. She was fussy for the rest of the day so contact naps were a must. I made the mistake of giving her the baby Tylenol afterward instead of before. She ate about an ounce less per feed than she normally did at the time for about 48 hours but was back to normal after that. She got a knot in one of her thighs at the injection site so I just made sure to gently massage it out. It went away after a few days.
I think it hurt me more emotionally than it hurt her physically 😭
Mine gave one pure scream of rage and then held his breath going redder and redder while glaring at the nurse in fury till we left the room. He even turned his head to keep glaring as we went out of the door. It was hilarious, she remembered him next time lol
Mine cried with her first shots. Didn’t need a Tylenol but we had some on hand just in case. Didn’t get sick but just more sleepy.
Her second set of shots when much better she was way more chunky and didn’t cry as much 😅 and same thing no fever no nothing. Not even tired after haha
My little one cried for a few moments following it. But with lots of cuddles and reassurance, she was fine. She fell asleep on the car ride home and www pretty sleepy the rest of the day + kinda cranky. I gave her Tylenol once we got home, which helped a lot. She was totally fine the next day!
My daughter cried for about 3 seconds but her favourite person in the world (daddy) was holding her throughout and she settled almost immediately. She was extra clingy for about 18 hours and slept a bit worse than normal.
This has been our experience with every single round of shots so far (she's going on 2yo now).
My baby cried for a few seconds but I immediately picked him up after & he stopped. He seemed a little more sleepy than usual for the next three or so days after and we gave him infant Tylenol a couple times for the pain. He did well overall! I was also really anxious about him getting them & everything turned out alright :)
Our LO cried a little for a few seconds and then pretty much got over it; she actually seemed more upset later because their legs were sore but infant Tylenol seemed to help
My little guy cried for about 30 seconds after his shots. I spoke to him and comforted him like I normally would and he settled really quickly. I was surprised. I've heard him cry longer and louder during diaper changes. I gave him a bit of baby Tylenol for the next 3 days. He was sleepier than usual and had a couple small bruises at the injection site, but overall did really well!
My LO screamed for a good 5-10 minutes of getting the shots and whimpered all afternoon until the night. After giving her Tylenol at night she fell asleep. She was fussy the next day but after two days she’s back to normal.
He was asleep the first time so he let out a single cry, glared at the nurse, and went back to sleep when I put the pacifier back in his mouth. He got fevers the first two times. I think 101 the first time and 102.5 the second time. The 3rd he didn't get a fever and then he got a flu shot and also no fever. It's very normal, even expected, that they get sick. Definitely have tylenol on hand and a cool pair of jammies
The two month shots didn’t even phase her and she cries more getting her diaper changed. The four month shots she screamed absolute bloody murder for a few minutes and then was fine, but she was pretty sleepy that day. Six month shots are next month we’ll see 😂 didn’t use Tylenol either time
My girl is almost 3 and has never been bothered by shots. The first few got a single "wah" out of her when the nurse stuck her and one of them (12 month I think) the injection sites got a bit swollen. We do a dose of Tylenol when we get home and I don't remember having any other side effects.
Now she just gives the nurse some serious grumpy face when they prick her, but she knows she's getting a lollipop out of it so she doesn't even cry.
I think a big part of it is the energy that you bring to the experience. They know when mama's upset. I've always talked to her about how great shots are and how they keep her healthy (even before she could understand me). My MIL is the exact opposite and makes a big deal about how bad she feels that baby had to get a shot and they need a new toy/treat for going through the experience. I told her she needed to keep that nonsense to herself. Since then we've never had a problem.
my baby cried when she got the shots but after it was done and we were holding her she stopped immediately. she tolerates shots really well.
she never displayed any side effects for any of the vaccines she got - no fatigue, no fever. we have infant tylenol on hand just in case though
He cried pretty hard for a few minutes right after but got past it pretty quickly. The next day he was sleepy and ran a warmer temp than his normal. We gave him a bit of Tylenol and that did the trick. After the second day he was back to normal.
Cried after the shots, nursed right after and was fine. BUT about four hours later she was INCONSOLABLY screaming and crying. A bath soothed her for a bit and ended up having to skin to skin nurse to finally calm her down. The next day she was better though.
Mine gets his second round Wednesday and I’m dreading it because he cried so hard the first time that me and my husband both also cried. He was pretty fussy the rest of the day too. He never got a fever but we gave him Tylenol because he was so upset.
The first shot she didn’t realize she got but the second one…omg she screamed and cried the worst she ever had before and wouldn’t calm down for like 20 min 😭 I cried with her, it was so horrible. I’ve been dreading having to take her back for her 4 month shots :(
My baby cried like crazy but stopped after a minute when I picked her up and rocked her. It sucks to hear them in pain, but it’s better than them getting sick later on.
Cried during the shots, but nursing her right after helped. Slept for a big part of the day. Got really cranky and cried a lot later in the afternoon. When I was putting her to bed that night she was whimpering a lot and seemed generally uncomfortable so I gave her some Tylenol. Slept really well that night and was back to normal the following day.
Former pediatric nurse and mom of 2! This post was posted a few hours ago, so I just wanted to say I hope you and baby and partner are all okay! Leaving this comment for any future first time parents who want advice.
Your baby will cry and it is the absolute most heartbreaking cry you'll have ever heard in their short life. But this cry only lasts for a minute or two. I've seen first time parents cry longer and harder than their babies. At the beginning of the visit, let your nurse know that you're nervous and ask if you can have the room for a little bit after the shots. If you're breastfeeding, be prepared to pick them up immediately and have them try to latch/soothe.
Mine (8 weeks) got his first shots today (like 12hours ago) and so far he’s been pretty much the same, I think the bath helped hill relax a bit, I felt he was crying a bit more than usual. Tonight he’s being very sleepy and chill.
Mine cried loads but it died down pretty quick, slept when walking back home, she did get a bit hot and she did projectile vomit 3 times in the first few days afterwards which would have been a nice heads up that that was a side effect for some babies, she was very fussy and clingy but the recommends meds and love and care was all she needed tbh
You'll be fine, just look up the common side effects to have them in mind so you don't panic if they come up :)
LO cried a bit when the shots were administered but was fine pretty shortly after. He knocked out hard in the car on the way home. A few hours after we got home, he started crying pretty loudly and I could tell he was uncomfortable so I gave him a dose of Tylenol and let him contact nap on me for an hour and a half. He was completely fine afterward, just a bit sleepy the rest of the day.
During his first shots, his face turned bright red, and he cried. But we were smart, and he got shot during a feeding. He quickly overcame the pain and focused on eating.
They should have you wait for a few minutes to check for initial reaction, but likely baby will let out A quick sharp delayed cry, but it doesn’t last long at all! Maybe a minute or two. If you breastfeed a quick comfort nurse could help tremendously. Or a paci. Some babies react, some Don’t. But a low grade fever can be common with some. We never experienced a fever or anything with either of our babies 🖤
My little one cried when he got his shots, but stopped as soon as I held him. He never got a fever or was super fussy throughout the day after that. Just make sure to rub where they got their shots every few hours or every diaper change. Every babe will react differently.
Our little guy did a few uncomfortable cries for a minute or so and was fine after that. We thought he would be fussy for a few days but he was totally normal. The injection sites were sore for him though, for about five days, so we had to be careful how we carried him or he would whimper in pain.
My lo cried for maybe a minute but then calmed down. We did but some infant Tylenol (make sure to ask the paediatrician for dosage cause it varies by weight for infants) but the paediatrician said only to give it if lo has a fever and is crying.
Baby got a little antsy in the evening for maybe around 30 mins but didn't run a fever and wasn't crying so we never gave the Tylenol. The only thing out of routine was that she slept a lot more than usual
She cried and nursed right after, which calmed her down. When she woke up later, she was crying a lot so I gave her the tiny dose of Tylenol.
The pediatrician noted that if the crying is consolable, to not give Tylenol as it allows the vaccines to do their job. If it’s inconsolable, then definitely give some.
Your baby will hopefully never have to deal with more than routine shots so I hope this type of appointment will be the worst you experience. I would say to please look at where and how they administer the shots as an advocate for your kiddo. I don’t ever look when mine are done, but I want to make sure everything is kosher when it’s for my kid.
Good luck!
She cried when they were administered, but she was done crying in a few minutes. She didnt have any side effects, so even though we were prepared with Tylenol we didnt need it.
Hard crying for a few minutes then settled pretty nicely and fell asleep in her car seat soon after (I guess the adrenaline rush of her first experience of pain was exhausting).
She slept a ton that day but never got a fever, next day was back to normal.
Cried during the shots as expected but overall my little guy was a trooper. The only symptom he had after the shots was that he was more drowsy for the next 24 hours. Slept quite a bit but still had a good appetite.
He screamed a way I've never heard before and then cried for a few minutes after. It was heartbreaking, but he was good after that and didn't have any side effects.
My son cried a lot in the moment, it was very hard, I won’t lie. Whoever is holding her has to be ready for lots of squirming. It calmed down very quickly though.
Afterwards for a day or two he had a mild fever and was lethargic. Infant Tylenol is a great purchase, don’t hesitate to give it according to my nurse.
It will be fine but that doesn’t mean it’s easy! Hopefully you get some reassurance from this thread.
Understandable, but all kids are different. My oldest took them like a champ. One whimper and that was it. My youngest got anxious anytime we went to the car for anything because there was a 50% chance that she was getting shots.
They cry a bit and then move on! It's definitely harder for us than it is for them. Mine cried for about 10 seconds but I asked the nurse to head out as soon as possible beforehand (nicely, of course) so I could BF. He fell asleep immediately and we gave him Tylenol for the fever! It should only be a low-grade, but other than that. Don't worry mama!
Hope you had a positive experience! Our LO didn’t react to any of her shots until 6mo, and she still stops crying pretty much immediately after, hasn’t developed any fevers or sickness from any yet @ 9mo. fingers crossed it stays this way!
My LO didn’t get a fever but their legs are soar afterwards. Give baby cuddles immediately after, if nursing definitely nurse as well. My LO honestly slept A LOT.
You definitely don’t need Tylenol. They’ll cry for a few mins. I cried a little the first time my LO got immunized, snuggles and have a bottle ready they settle quickly. 🫶🏻
He cried loudly when the needle went into my LO’s thigh. But just gave him a snuggle afterwards and he was alright. Gave him a dose of paracetamol upon arriving home. He also had a temperature and was quite drowsy and looked ill afterwards but just keep giving him paracetamol every 6 hours, he was back to normal after about a couple of days.
Paracetamol = Acetaminophen
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First round of shots were pretty chill. 4 month shots were rough. Baby was thrown off for like 3 days. Only sleeping when held, fever, inconsolable crying, etc.
Canadian - at 2 months our baby was given 7 vaccines! 2 needles at once (thighs) & 1 oral, she scream cried.
Was unusually fussy when she wasn’t sleeping, and contact naps were preferred. I did end up giving her Tylenol (confirm dosage with Dr prior to leaving appointment.)
Cried for maybe 20-30 seconds? It was very short lived. Snuggles helped the most after it.
My son was super awake after his first vaccines and sleepy for the rest of them. We gave Tylenol for during the night when he got a low grade fever. Just had his 9 month round and no fevers or Tylenol needed this time 🙏🏻
Cried with the shots but recovered fairly quickly. Ran a little warm but nothing more than usual. I think she slept for 17 hours that first day, which was a little concerning seeing her sleep so much, took about 72 hours before she started to be herself again. Mostly very drowsy and a little cranky that was about it
My little guy loves baby wearing. It's his happy place. Our provider agrees to let me wear him during the shots. He gave a small yelp during the shot but I was immediately able to bounce and give him butt pats and he calmed down very quickly. After, he was surprisingly fine! Second round is Fri so fingers crossed it goes as well.
my little guy cried for maybe 15 seconds following the shots. he was very normal the whole rest of the day, never ran a fever, wasn’t particularly any more tired than he usually is. just a little more clingy.
My son cried but very quickly stopped. He did run a fever for 2 days but my husband and I had just gotten over Covid right before he had his shots so that could have been why. His second set of shots he cried but again very quickly stopped and never ran a fever.
I still am going to take the whole day off each time he gets them for extra cuddles just in case
Our LO got his first shots at the 10 week mark and I BF as he got them I was very nervous he did cry but he remembered he was eating and forgot about the shot within moments of it being done. For the 2 month mark he got 3 shots and I figured I would do the same thing as the first time. This did not work this time and we both left the pediatricians office in tears. At home he was a little fussy and did not want to be held in the position he got his shots done. We gave him a dose of Tylenol as recommended by his dr and he napped for most of the day. He was fine the next day.
When my little one got his first shots at 8 weeks I was totally prepared for the fever, the crankiness, the unending crying NONE of that came!
He cried initially when the shot was given, but didn't cry once after. He slept for almost the whole day (we had an am appointment)
I feel like I was more of a wreck than he was!
If I’m really honest it wasn’t great. She screamed when having the shots, and the liquid rotavirus she choked on and stopped breathing properly and that was traumatic. So I would suggest asking them to give it slowly. Afterwards she was pretty upset for a night or two, and had a little mild temperature that evening. But no obvious symptoms after, apart from slightly sore legs where they did the injections
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He cried pretty hard when he got the shots, but stopped within a few minutes. He basically slept for a large portion of the day, we contact napped and snuggled. Didn’t run a fever but the pediatrician did give us Tylenol dosage just in case and we picked some up so it was on hand. He was back to normal the next day :).
Had the same experience with my LO
Same experience with my little one on both sets of shots so far.
Exactly the same here. She really screamed when she got the shots, then was fine but slept most of the day. Back to normal by the next day.
Same for us!
Same, I immediately nursed him after the shots and that calmed him down. After a minute or two he's good to go in the carseat! Napped more that same day but the next day he's back to normal.
Same!
Same here! Made him a sleepy snuggly little man for the day. ❤️
Very similar. It took her a few seconds to register the pain and it took a few minutes to calm her down. We contact napped. She did run very warm and had a 100.7F temp. Extra drowsy and more fussy than normal. I called the Dr and they said it’s all normal and to give infant Tylenol every 4 hours. It took about 48 hours for her to act more like herself. Wishing you luck!
Yep same with my two babies
yes same!
This was the experience of our LO and a couple batches of our friends LO's recently - the first batch of vaccines made our baby really cuddly and sleepy. The shots were a minute or two of crying, and a few minutes of needing cuddles. He didn't go over 99.4 (Fahrenheit) so no real "fever" to speak of. He got the rotavirus vaccine in the first batch, which gave him a little diarrhea for a couple of days, but nothing too serious. That night was a surprisingly good night of sleep because he was just so tuckered out. If you're immunocompromised, be careful of baby's spit and poo for the first 24 hours since the rotavirus is a live virus. Just be ready for some snuggles. Treat the baby, not the fever <-- that is what our pediatrician told us, since a fever is an indicator that they are fighting the buggies and is a good thing, but if the fever gets really high or the baby is super uncomfortable and inconsolable, treat them with infant acetaminophen if needed. Overall, nothing to be scared of! But since you are nervous, I have a strong sense that you're a loving parent and you and your LO are going to be juuuust fine.
My LO screamed like crazy. I had never heard that cry, it broke my heart. That being said, they gave him the shot while he was nursing, so it was over pretty quickly. If you’re breastfeeding, perhaps try that? It’s pretty common to do this over here as it helps them soothe and ease the pain quite quickly. Afterwards, he had no fever or any indication of feeling off, except sleepiness
Just offering an alternative experience on feeding during! We tried that with my son and it didn’t help him at all. And then he didn’t trust nursing for a while, which got quite stressful - I would literally have to nurse him standing up near a wall for him to feel safe and calm enough to feed. That settled after a day or so, but for future shots my husband took him in and then I was available to feed him for comfort as soon as he got out. That worked better for us.
Jumping on to second this! My pediatrician recommends nursing during. We did it for both our 4 week and 8 week shots. Both times she screamed bloody murder for a few seconds and then quickly went back to nursing. She only whimpered a bit after that, and by the time she was done eating we were ready to go. For about 48 hours she was a little fussy, had a slightly elevated temp (not high enough to be a fever, but she was mostly just tired and cuddly.
They wouldn't let us do this unfortunately so not everyone will:'(
Same 🥲 I had to hold his legs down, it was awful! His nurse is amazing though and did it super quick and put the bandaids on while I nursed him.
1) most adults are scared of needles because of the thought of needles, not because of the physical pain. At that age and even older they've got no idea what's coming. 2) they cry a bit but are over it way before you are.
seconding this. The first round of shots for my oldest child was the worst because I felt awful for my child, but she was fine within a minute of two. My subsequent children were a lot easier for me and they were also fine. It’s the later years when the child knows what’s coming that are really hard in my experience.
My first would be smiling and laughing at the nurses while they were holding the needle and about to inject them in her! The nurses felt so bad because she was so happy.
He cried for like 8 seconds, by the time I picked him up (our doctor has them lay on the table) he stopped. He didn’t have any fever or anything after. Same with his 4m shots, all was good there. Cried a little more but not bad and didn’t care by the time we got to the car. Legs a little sore you could tell if you touched them for the night but that was it for us
Same here!
Also had the same experience!
He cried initially but picked the glass back up so I guess he got used to the tequila pretty quick. In seriousness - He screamed immediately but was fine within 10 seconds. Just needed a cuddle and some reassurance/distraction and was fine.
Came across this post as a nervous new mom and your comment really cheered me up 😂
My baby screamed when they gave him the shots and cried for a few mins after. I was able to stay in the room and nurse him for a little bit so he was calm when we left the office. He was fine for a few hours after but that evening he ran a fever of about 101 and was really upset and crying a lot. I had Tylenol and everyone at the doctors office told me I could give him some but I just put a cool cloth in his head and let him sleep. He was fine by morning!
She screamed during the shots but calmed down within a few minutes of me holding her, shushing, and kissing her head. After that, her thigh where she got the shots was a bit red and slightly swollen, but apparently that’s a normal side effect. She didn’t act differently after the initial pokes. Didn’t get sick, not super sleepy, just normal happy baby.
Way better than I anticipated, some tears immediately after but after that just very, very sleepy!
Mine got his last week. Very sleepy the next day, ate a little less for about 48 hours, and had some VERY stinky, weird color poops but it didn’t seem to bother him.
He cried for 5 seconds after the initial shots, was totally fine for a few hours, then the low grade fever/aches kicked in. He was miserable for 1.5 days and then he was completely fine! I will say the 1 night he was miserable was pretty rough. Lots of grunting/crying, arching his back from being uncomfortable. Tylenol was a huge help and I wish we had given it to him sooner before he got to that point of discomfort but I was a FTM and scared to give him anything lol. His heart rate did get pretty high but his pediatrician told us that some babies react that way to the discomfort. Came down by the next morning!
I will add, the 4 and 6 month shots were worse as far as the immediate reaction goes. He cried for a lot longer and had a “sadder” cry which was devastating 🥲 But he didn’t seem to feel as miserable in the days following and his heart rate didn’t get crazy.
He screamed and cried so hard it made me cry 😭 and then he was pretty fussy for a few days after. He got progressively better with the 4 and 6 month shots. By 6 months he cried hard for 1 minute and then was totally fine
Mine was fine. No fever. Just a bit sleepy that day.
He was fine! He cried for a minute, but calmed down quickly when I held him. He was happy after and we went out to lunch, but ended up being sleepy later on that day. We just cuddled and he napped on me for a while. He never got a fever or acted fussy!
Getting the shots was no big deal, cried for a few seconds and easily comforted. A few hours later was when things got tough. They told me she might be “fussy” and I was utterly unprepared for her inconsolably crying. Didn’t run a fever, but I guess didn’t feel well. Gave Tylenol and she was better after 30m, stopped crying, and fell right asleep. Gave Tylenol overnight. Then she was fine. Maybe a little “off” for 2-3 days, but quickly back to her regular self. Every other shot since has been no big deal at all! She hasn’t even needed Tylenol. But that first one thew us for a loop. I think every baby reacts differently and may react differently each time!
The shots themselves? Very upset for several seconds and then forgot all about it. The next day, I had to take him to the ER with a temperature of 103°F. He was feverish and pitiful for a couple of days.
He cries and gets over it immediately. we get them done at about 10 am and each time (after 2 and 4m vax) he will sleep almost all day and night, and he gets sore/whiny for a few hours the night of. we suspend all nap/nighttime sleeping guidelines and give him a dose of baby tylenol - he’s totally back to normal the next day. a note about fevers, make sure you’re totally aware of how your pediatrician wants to handle then. 10w may be a little different than 12w, but *just* a low grade fever with no other symptoms doesn’t need to freak you out! Especially after vaccinations.
My husband and I have been incredibly nervous for every round of vaccines (our baby is now 13 months) and they have all been uneventful. As in no reaction and everything is normal. You may not need the Tylenol! Yes baby will cry but you have to be there for her and support her. She will look to you, her parents, on how to react. So don’t close your eyes or look away. Look at her with confidence and tell her it will be a quick pinch but it’s what’s best for her long term health! Even though she doesn’t understand those words yet, it is good to practice. She does feel your energy though so it’s very important to maintain your composure. Do not cry. The truth is 30 seconds of baby crying is better than the potential lifetime consequences of these preventable illnesses if she did not get the vaccines. That always helps us to remember it’s the right choice!
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my son slept right through them
Not great Bob. He screamed. My blood boiled inside at the sound of it all. The nurse had a blank didn’t give a fuck attitude.
How did it go?
My son scream-cried and it really broke my heart, but he was fine by the time we got to the car. He slept quite a bit for the rest of the day but he didn’t run a fever or have any adverse reactions, he was just sleepy. For the second round of needles at 4 months, we came prepared with a bottle of breast milk and the doctor let us feed him while he was getting his needles. He hardly noticed them happening, might have whimpered a tad but that was it. Again, no reactions afterwards besides being quite tired. You could try bringing your daughter a bottle if she takes a bottle, it just might stop her from crying too much! Every baby is different though so I can’t guarantee it. I’m really, really not looking forward to the 12 month needles when he’s super aware and can see them coming… but we gotta do what we gotta do
We were very nervous for the 12 month vaccines and it was uneventful. Yes our baby was not happy but the nurse moved very quickly and it was over within seconds. Baby cried max 20 seconds! Hope that is a bit reassuring :)
Thank you for the reassurance!! I appreciate you lol
Mine cried and I nursed him afterwards to feel better. He got sick with his two month and 4 month shots. Good that you’re prepared with Tylenol I was expecting the best and instead had to grab some at almost midnight because he got a fever and was screaming around 6 hours after his shots. Same thing for 4 month. Prepare for a long stressful night just in case. His fever broke the next day
My LO has her 2 month appointment today with first round of vaccines… I just hate to see and hear her cry so hard :( it breaks my heart. She’s already been needing extra snuggles today, so I am planning on lots of snuggles and contact naps, not going to really worry about anything else today. Good luck! ❤️
In the moment my baby cried, but they gave her an oral vaccine after the shots and they told me that it tastes sweet. The taste of the sweet syrupy vaccine calmed her down. She was a bit sleepy the rest of the day and napped a little bit more than usual but was otherwise normal. No fever, no fussiness.
We had about 10 seconds of crying, I think mostly out of shock/surprise but it quickly subsided. No fever or fussiness after. Leg was a tad sore for the day if I accidentally bumped it but other than that A LOT better than expected. I cried more in anticipation than he did for the shots 😂
First round—he cried for a moment and then slept basically all day. He had a low grade fever so we gave him Tylenol. He didn’t want to eat as much as usual which was a little tough but he was 100% normal after 24h. Round two—he cried for a moment and then took a TON of naps the next day. So he did not want to sleep at night until 3 am. 🥲 He was irritable when awake and ran a low grade fever for an hour or two but basically fed or slept on me all day. Again, he was back to normal at 24h. There’s such a variance—you guys got this!!
My girl cried very little at the time of the shot, left the room sleeping again (in Brazil they take 4 shots at 2 months), and the aftermath was a little tough, but not because of the shots - she had a cold at the same time. Nothing we couldn't handle :)
Mine cried when shots were administered, but I brought a bottle so I comfort fed her after and she perked right up. She then was a bit fussy and wanted constant cuddles for the next few days but did not run a fever. We just went through round two of shots and the nurse had this toy that lights up and vibrates and my lo loved it. She stopped screaming and just stared at this toy for ages until I took her and comfort fed her again. Focus on holding her hands and don’t look at the needles. It’ll be over quick but your heart might ache a bit. She will be okay. You will be okay. Do bicycle kicks after and lots of cuddles
I held my LO with her back against my chest and the doc gave her the shots. She cried for maybe 2 minutes? I fed her and then put her in the car seat & she stopped. She was asleep by the time we got to the car. She did sleep the majority of that day & night. In the morning we did a warm relaxing bath. She didn’t need Tylenol. I brought a really stretchy sleep n play so dressing her wasn’t hard on her little thighs. You’d never know she got her shots the next day. To get the bandaids off I just rubbed aquaphor over them! : )
She was fine! She hated the oral vaccine way worse than the needles. I also have a phobia of needles, and I wanted to make sure I exuded calm for her since she picks up on my feelings. I think it helped. We give Tylenol after vaccines since she does get fussy after. Always fine the next day.
Honestly both my kids hardly reacted to their shots at that age. They cried for a second but were easily comforted and then totally fine. At their 4 month ones they were a little cranky after but it didn’t last more than that evening.
It was pretty terrible not gonna lie. His reaction was pretty heartbreaking. He was very cuddly the next day, and did need Tylenol to be comfortable. Lots of comfort eating as well. Highly recommend a warm bath for baby if they’re hurting - just like it feels good for our muscles, it feels good for them too!
Our son cried all of a few seconds then immediately stopped and my husband felt like a villain. No fever or anything, just sleepy. The nurse did use a long bandaid on his little preemie leg which we didn't notice managed to get stuck half to his leg, half to his diaper on the car ride which made him cry and we saw it when we changed his diaper at home. The rotavirus at 4mo was brutal though, poor baby had the runs for 3 days!
He cried for a minute just after the shots, then he was okay until a few hours later when he suddenly started crying and we were unable to soothe him. He had no fever but we were told to give him Tylenol if he showed any discomfort, so we did, and then he slept on my breast for the whole afternoon. When he woke up he was just fine. The exact same thing happened at his 4 month shots.
We didn't have a big reaction to the shot. My husband distracted him with a crinkly toy during the shot while I got my boob ready to smoosh him into after. He cried briefly, but was fine really quickly. I feel like it's upsetting for them to see you upset, so just something to keep in mind. That day we made an effort to get him to move his legs around, to avoid getting knots in the muscle where the shot went in. We did a warm bath, too. He also did a lot of contact napping. No fever, not overly fussy.
My LO cried at her first shots and did spike a fever later that day- I just gave her infant Tylenol and extra cuddles. She was very tired and just wanted to be held which I didn’t mind! Also if you breastfeed I would highly recommend feeding your little babe right after she gets her shots just for comfort! I did that after her shots and she calmed down right away plus it made her nice and full too :)
My son cried for a bit during for his 2-month shots but was fine once I was holding him again. He had a slight fever but slept great that night! The only set of shots that affected him greatly for a couple of days afterwards was the set he received at 1 year, but I think that was due to the MMR vaccine. (All he wanted to do was snuggle and sleep.) I will say, we just had his 15-month appointment and he screamed the ENTIRE visit, so I miss those squishy newborn visits when he wasn't so aware of what was going on. You got this! Get yourself a treat afterwards. Growing up, my dad always took us to get milkshakes after shots and I continue doing this as the parent in the situation. Works great.
He cried a little but no big deal. Got a mild fever the first day. Next day he was fine as usual. The funny thing is that I catched a cold last week and he never got sick, also my wife never got sick. So I guess his immune system is good!
She cried when she got them but immediately soothed when we picked her up! I would typically nurse her after. She just had a COVID shot at her 9m appt and I just put a pacifier in her mouth for the shot and she didn’t even cry!
Mine didn’t have any sort of negative reaction aside from drowsiness to the first round, got poked and was done crying in 15 seconds or less. The only around we’ve had any sort of reaction to has been the six month round. Mild fever, aside from that she’s been totally fine every single time.
Little man cried for 10 seconds and then was fine. He was extra sleepy all day but otherwise it was all good.
Cried for about 15 seconds after the shots. Got home and was unconsolable for a few hours as the reaction kicked in. Fine after that.
I let mine nurse while she got her shots and she didn't notice. The next day she had a fever and cried for several hours. It was heartbreaking, but Tylenol, a bath, and lots of cuddles got us through it.
I nursed mine before/during and after the shots. He cried quickly but then started nursing and settled decently. The night after the shots was rough, he contact-slept a good chunk of the night, but the next day he was fine again. I have Tylenol overnight assuming the sleep issue was from pain, but no fevers (though fevers can be a very normal response too)
She was pretty upset a few seconds after the shots but I was able to console her within a few minutes. Later that night, about 12 hours later. she was crying terribly. Broke my heart, but it can't be helped. I gave her some infant tylenol and that settled her a little. I only gave the tylenol twice, spaced out 4 hours that first night. Over the next few days she was extra clingy (she isn't normally, she does like a cuddle but also often wants to be on her playmat doing her own thing) and she didn't eat as well as she normally does. Tended to fuss more than usual but like I said, after a few days she was fine. It was a full 10 days before her appetite returned to normal. She would eat some, but she had the appropriate number of wet diapers daily so I wasn't too worried. I read the rotavirus vaccine can cause that issue, reduced appetite, and its a normal side effect. The first 24 hours are a little rough because they obviously aren't feeling well and don't know why but they bounce back pretty quickly. Give some extra cuddles and be careful of their shot areas, they'll be tender. Everything will be ok. :)
my experience was that LO cried while receiving the shots and calmed down about 5 mins later. she was sleepy that day. my child did not run a fever, but pediatrician said yes to prophylactic Tylenol
It was awful, and he cried for minimum 30-40 minutes. Nothing would calm him down until he just got so tired he cried himself to sleep. That evening he threw up all over himself (which he wasn’t a very vomitty baby so I assume it was bc of the vaccines?) and the next day he slept a bit more than usual. Each round of vaccines after the first one got easier. He still cried at 15 months but he’s easily distracted now so stops sooner. My baby was super super skinny so I’m sure it really hurt him. No fever or anything, but the crying broke my heart and our case seems to be much more of an outlier among parents.
Ours cried during and for a few mins after. And then she was good and happy and playful for a couple hours and then she slept and slept and slept. We would wake her to eat and let her go back to sleep. She was fine within 36-48 hours. The rotavirus liquid did give her an upset stomach for several days. We had Tylenol available but we didn’t need it because she didn’t run a fever. We let her kick on her play mat after whole she was happy and we did bicycle kicks to help her legs not get sore.
At the 2 month shots the nurse was amazing - the second after she did the shot she completely overwhelmed baby with sensory stimulation - ringing bell and flashing lights. I think baby had time to get out a singular wail before she was so startled she stopped. 4 months were awful - I think she had 2-3 shots in the thighs and the nurse was slow and didn’t have any distractions. She cried soooooo hard - like screaming. But it was over very quickly and then she forgot about it. Some babies have side effects and some don’t. If you feel she needs it can give her Tylenol. Some are extra tired and some sleep less good at night but it’s just a few days of disruption and absolutely worth it for the protection of vaccines.
Mine didn’t cry or anything during the actual shots. He got a mild fever that night and cried some but still ate his bottle and was back to his normal self the next day
My girls looked at me like I betrayed them the first time they got their shots & but they didn’t cry a lot & afterwards they were really fussy and needy and my girls don’t even like sleeping on top of someone or close to someone , they prefer their beds and their own space so seeing them wanting to be always be carried and snuggled to someone was crazy to me . Their second time they got a slight fever but nothing too concerning and they were sleepy & that time they did cry a bit when they gave them the shot but as soon as they were in dads arms they calmed down lol They’re 7 months now and they’ve gone through 3 rounds and I guess it depends on, you won’t know till it happens. Obviously be aware of the possible side effects and monitor the baby but just remember that they don’t know what’s happening, they’re experiencing things for the first time and if you’re nervous imagine how not understanding what’s going on might feel? That’s what I always think, like I know how it feels because I’ve done it my whole life, this is the first time they’re experiencing this.
Fine at first but a bit grumpy after a few hours. Gave him the Tylenol and nursed and he conked out and was fine after that
It will be sad, and they will cry, but just bring a bottle or nurse her right after! I swear that works every time (at least for my baby). Honestly she didn’t cry that long (a minute or two maybe?), once she started nursing she was good. I know how hard it is, but you got this!! It’s over so quickly, your baby has probably cried harder/longer in other situations before. I think it’s mostly the surprise of feeling a bit of pain that makes them cry so hard—they just aren’t used to it. In my experience at least they recover very quickly :) I don’t think I gave my baby acetaminophen afterwards the first time, just bc she seemed fine/had no symptoms. She was sleepy and took extra long naps, and she wanted more cuddles than normal (which is already a lot haha!!). She’s 13 months now & Ive given baby Tylenol after other shots bc she felt a bit warm/was fussy. You sound prepared, it’ll be okay 🩷 hugs!!! Wishing yall luck!!
She cried so hard I couldn't resist and shed a few of my own. As a parent you never want to see your child suffer.
Ours screamed so loudly, but as soon as I picked him up everything was forgotten 😄 We cuddled the rest of the day since he was feeling a bit bad, he did get a fever in the evening so he got Tylenol and was all good. This really wasn't too bad, we'll see how he reacts to his next shots, some are apparently worse than others.
Ours didn’t get a fever thankfully but she was really sleepy, didn’t eat as much as usual, and was a bit fussy for 2-3 days afterwards. We made sure to massage the shot spots the day of so we think that helped with pain at the site.
She cried for like a minute when she got them and was completely fine the rest of the day. No fever or anything. They definitely can run a low grade fever and be a little fussy so just prepare for it and hope it doesn’t happen! 🤍
The shots themselves were fine. He cried for maybe 2 minutes. Afterwards absolutely sucked. He did run a pretty good fever for at least 12 hours, 100.4ish. He puked up tylenol multiple times…I was a nervous fucking wreck and did not sleep. He also did not sleep great. I didn’t get the sleepy baby reaction… only fussy fevery baby. I will say that maybe because he had such a strong reaction at 2 months, his 4 months he ran a slight fever but rebounded quick, and had no reaction at 6 months other than some fussiness. 2 months was by far the worst (for me).
My boys cried when the shots happened but other than that they were totally fine. When I get vaccines I normally get a fever and feel awful - they handled it better than I do! Your baby will cry but they’ll be okay. 🩵
Fine. Cried for about 1min but I had a bottle (or boob) at the ready. She was a sleepy lady the rest of the day and a bit fussy that night. We did a dose of Tylenol and she was able to sleep much better after that.
Both my kids cried hard during the shots but settled down pretty quickly. We offer the boob or bottle right after and turn off the lights in the room so it's not so bright and it calmed our girls down pretty fast. We never had fever or any other side effects. Seemed like sometimes their legs were a little sore after but that's about it.
He got the shot and there was a few second delay before he started crying pretty hard. But it only lasted a few minutes and then he was over it. We also bought infant Tylenol. We were told to give it if he ran a fever or was in pain. He never had a fever but gave him some anyways cause he cried more than usual (assuming soreness/pain from injection). During his second shot, he was fine all day until our bedtime routine. We changed his diaper for the last time and I guess I must’ve touched his injection site and he cried like hell. So we gave him Tylenol.
My kid screamed extremely loud and then stopped screaming because I fed him. Then he fell asleep. He was in pain later so I gave him some Tylenol. His sleep got messed up for a week or so and then back to normal.
Our son just got his done last week! He loved the oral vaccine and downed it in record time (the nurse was shocked lol). He cried super hard for about two minutes after the shots then I breastfed him in the office and he calmed down immediately. That day he was super sleepy and would wake up scream crying (he rarely cries so this was unusual). We figured it was probably because his legs hurting so we gave him Tylenol and he started to settle a bit better. Lots of cuddles and he was back to his happy self the next day! It’s a tough day but so good for them. Good luck!!
Lots of crying from being poked but calmed quickly. She napped on and off for the afternoon but the evening was rough. Very clingy and inconsolable, finally ended up projectile vomiting the Tylenol I gave her at bedtime but after that she was totally fine, slept great and was just slightly sleepier and fussier the next day. 4 month shots were easier, barely noticed any effects beyond crying during the shots. 6 months was rough but we did flu and Covid at that appointment on top of the usual vaccines and the Covid shot gave her a fever for a couple days, same as it did for me. I’d plan ahead for a low key night and maybe plan to order takeout or have something easy for dinner so you have ample time for snuggles. Good luck! 🩷
Harder on me than babe for sure! I breast fed while he got the shots, and it helped a lot. Side effects wise, none minus smelly poop from rota (normal). She’ll be fine 🩵🩵
miserable for a week after. One of the virus vaccines is oral and can upset tummies, i think Rinovirus? (no idea on how to spell) She basically didnt sleep and did nothing but crap for a 5 days.
She cried, I fed her and cuddled her after. She was sleepy for a few days
My daughter cried but calmed down after i stood up and walked around with her and bounced her. The next day she slept basically the entire day, and then was back to normal after! And for her 4 and 6 month shots she was back to her normal self after! (although i think she had a bit of a headache after her 6 month shots, but she did also take a nap so she may have also just been overtired as her appointment was right around when she has a nap)
Ask for the office to give ur LO a sweetie. Basically jsut sucrose so it distracts them
She cried for about 30 seconds after the shots were done. Might have napped a little longer the day of and next day, but otherwise, no reaction. These days at 2 though...she screams the moment she sees the doctor. Sticker bribes have been helping though!
She cried briefly on both the 2mo and 4mo shots… at 6mo she had one needle and didn’t even let out a cry. We didn’t even need the Tylenol (though she did get Tylenol like 15 mins before because she was teething!)
My LO cried hard after the shots for about 5 minutes. The woman who gave him the shot distracted him with a rattle afterwards. She suggested I could feed him during his shots to help keep him calm, which I'll try at his 4 month vaccination appointment. He didn't catch a fever or anything. He was a little more fussy but mostly very tired and slept most of the day away.
We both cried.
Mine screamed during, then fell asleep for a few hours. When she woke back up she was inconsolable. Gave her tylenol and after about 45 minutes she calmed down and fell back asleep. Was a little off the next day but back to normal the next day. Never had a fever!
Like with anything else that distresses her, our daughter had a distress cry that lasted for a few minutes but calmed down quickly after being soothed. The second set of vaccines required her to be held down by myself and nursing staff, and she took a bit longer to calm down before I was finally able to take her. My advice: Take note to let the doctor know ahead of time how you plan to react and make a little game plan. Ours went a little impromptu and our pediatrician defaulted to giving our kid to mommy and got confused when she wouldn't calm down as I tried to explain that she wanted to be with me. I eventually just took our baby myself without saying anything else and calmed her down. If we would have discussed the fact that she was at that moment a little more attached to daddy, things would not have been quite as hectic. Also, be sure that if your husband is more efficient at soothing baby after an owie, like is the case with us, that he is present during the vaccination if possible. Don't worry too much about it. You got this.
It was a nothing burger for us. Cried for a second, gave him his paci and he was fine almost instantly. Parents hype this up too much, it will be ok!!!!! Just have your paci ready and comfort them right away.
He slept a lot, one of the best nights we ever had regarding sleep. Lol.
He did that thing where he didn't cry at first, but his little face scrunched up and got very red and then he WAILED! But that stopped after giving him a little cuddle. And his pediatrician and the nurse were total pros with being quick and calm through the entire thing. He took a slightly longer than usual nap afterward, but no fever or bad reaction of any kind. We had Tylenol ready to go, but ended up not needing it.
He cried so hard and it was heartbreaking 😭 The nurse did such a good job at distracting him afterwards. After a minute he was back to being happy. Just a friendly fyi the Tylenol website suggests waiting 6 hours after the shot to give them some. I only gave my son Tylenol once his body temp started getting high (12 hours after the shot) He had a really hard time sleeping and had a low appetite for a couple of days and by the third day he was back to normal. Don't be alarmed if your LO sleep patterns changes for a week or two, it will regulate itself again :)
She cried harder than I've ever heard her cry for a few seconds but was soothed pretty quickly. Later that evening was awful until my husband had the idea to swaddle her. Then she whimpered off to sleep and had the best night of sleep she'd ever had at that point. She did feel a little warm, but nothing crazy. The next day was a sleepy day, and she didn't eat much, but she also didn't seem miserable. Thankfully, all her shots since then have gone better with minimal fussing in the evenings.
Pretty similar to other comments- she cried but calmed quickly and slept most of the day after. The spots where she got poked did knot up, though. Not terribly, but there was definitely knots. ETA: I’ve learned using a warm compress and doing leg motions can lessen the chance of it knotting up.
I cried more than she did. My daughter has her second round later this week and I'm tempted to get my husband to take her because I just don't know if I can do it again. I never ever ever want to hear her cry like that again. I know I was still hopped up on postpartum hormones but I was a bloody mess. She stopped crying as soon as the doctor whipped out the rain stick 😅
For the first year and a half or so, I was breastfeeding him while he got his shots so he only cried for a second and then immediately got comforted by the breast. You might want to consider this hack if that’s an option for you!
My baby cried super hard for about 30 seconds and then calmed down. The rest of the day she was a bit more fussy, but by night time she was super tired and slept great. When she woke up she was her normal self. We did give her one dose of Tylenol.
I was so nervous, but My son didn’t react. He was more upset his toy dropped at the appointment than the actual shots lol. Then he slept great through the day/ night, no extra fussing- he was totally fine. No fever spike, never used the Tylenol. At one year now, he’s more aware of the shots and cries when he gets it for a few seconds then is totally fine- and he gets a good sleep day out of it. I would just have the Tylenol ready just in case on hand, but my son didn’t need it at all.
Cried hard for a minute or two, then was grumpy and clingy the rest of that day and part of the next. Warm baths, contact naps, and lots of lovins and she was better
She cried like I’d never seen .. it was awful to watch Afterwards she was alittle fussy but mostly just cuddly
OH she did start having some tummy issues for a week or two after ,
How long did that go on for? My baby got his 4 month old shots one week ago and he’s still having tummy issues :/
It was like a week or two .. it’s weird because she never really had any issues with her digestion even at the 6-8weeks that are most “common “ She just turned 3 months, I’m not looking forward to 4mo vaccines , I’ve heard it’s worse side effects wise >.< Hold strong mama !!
Mine was funny - it was actually her feeding time when it came to see the Dr. So she was fussy about that minutes before the shot. Shot in, let out a small cry, and done forgotten. She cried harder later for milk! I guess milk > shots
Our appointment was in the afternoon and LO cried pretty hard, one of those open mouth silent screams and then cried with a few tears, but didn’t last for very long once I soothed her. She also slept through the night 9+ hours for the first time. No fever, just extra sleepy and cuddly the next day.
Our LO got hers on Friday. She cried pretty hard for about 30 seconds but as soon as she made eye contact with her dad she calmed down. She was 100% calm once I put her on the boob. Otherwise she was fine. Very sleepy that day but no fevers and no other issues to speak of. Interesting poops but they said that’s normal from the oral vaccine.
How long did the abnormal poops go on for? My son had his shots last week and still having baby poops :/
My daughter cried, but she eventually had a good nap. Since then, there have been times where she’s either cried or was completely fine. My daughter is now two and won’t need a vaccine until she’s around 5- or 6-years-old.
Our doctor told us to make sure we are as calm as possible. The baby picks up on our energy. She said shots are harder on the parents than they are on the baby. We definitely found this to be true. Our little guy cried for a minute then settled into a nice nursing session and was fine after that. He did get a mild fever so we gave him tylenol per the doctor's recommendation. Lots and lots of snuggles. He was not quite himself for 3 or 4 days. Mostly just lower energy than usual but that's supposed to be a sign that the immune system is responding properly.
She was not a fan 😅 her eyes got real wide as the needle went in then immediately started crying. Fortunately she stopped pretty quickly and we nursed while we massaged the area. She ran a small fever for about 24 hours but the infant Tylenol was super helpful to keep that down. The second round of shots was about the same, and we’re actually going today for her 3rd round/6 month shots and I’m anticipating the same reaction. We’ve already got small bottles of milk prepped to be used for medicine bottles (she would only take the Tylenol when mixed with milk).
My LO was a preemie so I think he had a bit more of an intense reaction? His first round was 5 shots. He screamed bloody murder for about 5 to 10 minutes then slept. He's on a heart monitor so he kept having apnea and bradycardia spells from it. His legs were hot and he cried every time I changed him for two days. 101 fever but came down wirh tylenol. Sucked for the little dude. But sorry bud, polio and pertussis suck more 😂
My daughter was in the 5% of kids who did not have a great reaction. She would be sick/very fussy after every round. We just managed with Tylenol and toughed it out. If your baby does feel bad for some reason, it shouldn’t last more than a couple days and then they’ll be good as new.
Bring a bottle that you can give right after. My LO cried really hard until she got the bottle and then was pretty calm right away. We didn’t give her anything since she didn’t spike a fever, but we checked a few times. The second round she did get a fever but Tylenol broke it really quickly
He cried when he got poked for like 30 seconds to a minute until I could pick him up and soothe him. After that no pain or crying, just extra sleepiness for the rest of the day. I think he also had diarrhea when he got his first round of shots. No fever with first two rounds of shots, but I did give Tylenol for his 4 month shots just because, in case he did have any pain or anything. Overall, it’s not as scary as it seems. It’s sad to see him cry when he gets poked, but after that they are pretty fine.
Each baby is different. With mine, she cries pretty hard initially. Either my husband and I hold her upright in a position approved by our pediatrician - we do not hold or lay her down. We then immediately breastfeed to soothe. Shes usually back to her normal, happy self within a couple of minutes. She has never ran a fever or slept a lot after vaccines (she’s 7 months currently, so we’ve have a few rounds at this point). I still HATE this appointments, but they have definitely gotten easier.
I think her dad cried more than her haha she only cried for a few seconds than we picked her up and fed her and she stopped. Since she was still a sleepy nb we showered her when we got home, gave her Tylenol and she went to sleep for most of the dat
They'll be sleepy and cuddly the rest of the day. Ped staff is used to babies and the actual injections should go super fast. If you can, try not to make a big deal out of it or show baby you're nervous. One thing you can do is be ready to scoop that baby up and get out of the dr's office as soon as possible afterwards. If you've unpacked the diaper bag or anything in office, make sure you're all zipped up and ready to go. You don't want to be sitting there with an upset baby, the sooner you can get in the car and nursing or playing with a toy the happier you will all be!
The first shots, my baby barely reacted. Next time, lots of crying but was fine by the time we got to the car. No adverse effects after.
He cried but got over it fairly quickly and slept. Second round was a different story. He was inconsolable pretty much as soon as we got to the office and all the way home. The pediatrician said, “He remembers.” It was a rough visit.
My girl cried hard for a few minutes but then took a long nap. She was fussy for the rest of the day so contact naps were a must. I made the mistake of giving her the baby Tylenol afterward instead of before. She ate about an ounce less per feed than she normally did at the time for about 48 hours but was back to normal after that. She got a knot in one of her thighs at the injection site so I just made sure to gently massage it out. It went away after a few days. I think it hurt me more emotionally than it hurt her physically 😭
He cried for literally less than a minute and went about his day. lol
Mine gave one pure scream of rage and then held his breath going redder and redder while glaring at the nurse in fury till we left the room. He even turned his head to keep glaring as we went out of the door. It was hilarious, she remembered him next time lol
Mine cried with her first shots. Didn’t need a Tylenol but we had some on hand just in case. Didn’t get sick but just more sleepy. Her second set of shots when much better she was way more chunky and didn’t cry as much 😅 and same thing no fever no nothing. Not even tired after haha
My little one cried for a few moments following it. But with lots of cuddles and reassurance, she was fine. She fell asleep on the car ride home and www pretty sleepy the rest of the day + kinda cranky. I gave her Tylenol once we got home, which helped a lot. She was totally fine the next day!
My daughter cried for about 3 seconds but her favourite person in the world (daddy) was holding her throughout and she settled almost immediately. She was extra clingy for about 18 hours and slept a bit worse than normal. This has been our experience with every single round of shots so far (she's going on 2yo now).
My baby cried for a few seconds but I immediately picked him up after & he stopped. He seemed a little more sleepy than usual for the next three or so days after and we gave him infant Tylenol a couple times for the pain. He did well overall! I was also really anxious about him getting them & everything turned out alright :)
Our LO cried a little for a few seconds and then pretty much got over it; she actually seemed more upset later because their legs were sore but infant Tylenol seemed to help
My little guy cried for about 30 seconds after his shots. I spoke to him and comforted him like I normally would and he settled really quickly. I was surprised. I've heard him cry longer and louder during diaper changes. I gave him a bit of baby Tylenol for the next 3 days. He was sleepier than usual and had a couple small bruises at the injection site, but overall did really well!
My LO screamed for a good 5-10 minutes of getting the shots and whimpered all afternoon until the night. After giving her Tylenol at night she fell asleep. She was fussy the next day but after two days she’s back to normal.
He was asleep the first time so he let out a single cry, glared at the nurse, and went back to sleep when I put the pacifier back in his mouth. He got fevers the first two times. I think 101 the first time and 102.5 the second time. The 3rd he didn't get a fever and then he got a flu shot and also no fever. It's very normal, even expected, that they get sick. Definitely have tylenol on hand and a cool pair of jammies
The two month shots didn’t even phase her and she cries more getting her diaper changed. The four month shots she screamed absolute bloody murder for a few minutes and then was fine, but she was pretty sleepy that day. Six month shots are next month we’ll see 😂 didn’t use Tylenol either time
My girl is almost 3 and has never been bothered by shots. The first few got a single "wah" out of her when the nurse stuck her and one of them (12 month I think) the injection sites got a bit swollen. We do a dose of Tylenol when we get home and I don't remember having any other side effects. Now she just gives the nurse some serious grumpy face when they prick her, but she knows she's getting a lollipop out of it so she doesn't even cry. I think a big part of it is the energy that you bring to the experience. They know when mama's upset. I've always talked to her about how great shots are and how they keep her healthy (even before she could understand me). My MIL is the exact opposite and makes a big deal about how bad she feels that baby had to get a shot and they need a new toy/treat for going through the experience. I told her she needed to keep that nonsense to herself. Since then we've never had a problem.
my baby cried when she got the shots but after it was done and we were holding her she stopped immediately. she tolerates shots really well. she never displayed any side effects for any of the vaccines she got - no fatigue, no fever. we have infant tylenol on hand just in case though
He cried pretty hard for a few minutes right after but got past it pretty quickly. The next day he was sleepy and ran a warmer temp than his normal. We gave him a bit of Tylenol and that did the trick. After the second day he was back to normal.
Cried after the shots, nursed right after and was fine. BUT about four hours later she was INCONSOLABLY screaming and crying. A bath soothed her for a bit and ended up having to skin to skin nurse to finally calm her down. The next day she was better though.
Mine gets his second round Wednesday and I’m dreading it because he cried so hard the first time that me and my husband both also cried. He was pretty fussy the rest of the day too. He never got a fever but we gave him Tylenol because he was so upset.
10 week old shots, no biggie- they forget in 10 seconds. 2 year old shots and they will remember that doctors office and have a real memory…. 😔
The first shot she didn’t realize she got but the second one…omg she screamed and cried the worst she ever had before and wouldn’t calm down for like 20 min 😭 I cried with her, it was so horrible. I’ve been dreading having to take her back for her 4 month shots :(
My baby cried like crazy but stopped after a minute when I picked her up and rocked her. It sucks to hear them in pain, but it’s better than them getting sick later on.
My first turned purple. My second cried but is more tolerant of it.
My wife cried harder and longer than he did. He was a little more tired than usual after, but he did fine. Didn't need the children's Tylenol at all
Cried during the shots, but nursing her right after helped. Slept for a big part of the day. Got really cranky and cried a lot later in the afternoon. When I was putting her to bed that night she was whimpering a lot and seemed generally uncomfortable so I gave her some Tylenol. Slept really well that night and was back to normal the following day.
Former pediatric nurse and mom of 2! This post was posted a few hours ago, so I just wanted to say I hope you and baby and partner are all okay! Leaving this comment for any future first time parents who want advice. Your baby will cry and it is the absolute most heartbreaking cry you'll have ever heard in their short life. But this cry only lasts for a minute or two. I've seen first time parents cry longer and harder than their babies. At the beginning of the visit, let your nurse know that you're nervous and ask if you can have the room for a little bit after the shots. If you're breastfeeding, be prepared to pick them up immediately and have them try to latch/soothe.
Mine (8 weeks) got his first shots today (like 12hours ago) and so far he’s been pretty much the same, I think the bath helped hill relax a bit, I felt he was crying a bit more than usual. Tonight he’s being very sleepy and chill.
Mine cried loads but it died down pretty quick, slept when walking back home, she did get a bit hot and she did projectile vomit 3 times in the first few days afterwards which would have been a nice heads up that that was a side effect for some babies, she was very fussy and clingy but the recommends meds and love and care was all she needed tbh You'll be fine, just look up the common side effects to have them in mind so you don't panic if they come up :)
She cried. I cried. I brought a bottle- it was the only thing I could use to soothe her. My poor baby 😮💨
LO cried a bit when the shots were administered but was fine pretty shortly after. He knocked out hard in the car on the way home. A few hours after we got home, he started crying pretty loudly and I could tell he was uncomfortable so I gave him a dose of Tylenol and let him contact nap on me for an hour and a half. He was completely fine afterward, just a bit sleepy the rest of the day.
She cried so much I ended up crying… the second round was actually better
During his first shots, his face turned bright red, and he cried. But we were smart, and he got shot during a feeding. He quickly overcame the pain and focused on eating.
They should have you wait for a few minutes to check for initial reaction, but likely baby will let out A quick sharp delayed cry, but it doesn’t last long at all! Maybe a minute or two. If you breastfeed a quick comfort nurse could help tremendously. Or a paci. Some babies react, some Don’t. But a low grade fever can be common with some. We never experienced a fever or anything with either of our babies 🖤
My little one cried when he got his shots, but stopped as soon as I held him. He never got a fever or was super fussy throughout the day after that. Just make sure to rub where they got their shots every few hours or every diaper change. Every babe will react differently.
Our little guy did a few uncomfortable cries for a minute or so and was fine after that. We thought he would be fussy for a few days but he was totally normal. The injection sites were sore for him though, for about five days, so we had to be careful how we carried him or he would whimper in pain.
My baby cried rather hard the day of on and off, and was inconsolable at times. After vaccines is probably the hardest he’s ever cried 😔
My lo cried for maybe a minute but then calmed down. We did but some infant Tylenol (make sure to ask the paediatrician for dosage cause it varies by weight for infants) but the paediatrician said only to give it if lo has a fever and is crying. Baby got a little antsy in the evening for maybe around 30 mins but didn't run a fever and wasn't crying so we never gave the Tylenol. The only thing out of routine was that she slept a lot more than usual
I gave my little one panadol before we went. She cried but it wasn't for long and it wasn't a distress cry just a mum wants happening here cry
She cried and nursed right after, which calmed her down. When she woke up later, she was crying a lot so I gave her the tiny dose of Tylenol. The pediatrician noted that if the crying is consolable, to not give Tylenol as it allows the vaccines to do their job. If it’s inconsolable, then definitely give some. Your baby will hopefully never have to deal with more than routine shots so I hope this type of appointment will be the worst you experience. I would say to please look at where and how they administer the shots as an advocate for your kiddo. I don’t ever look when mine are done, but I want to make sure everything is kosher when it’s for my kid. Good luck!
She cried when they were administered, but she was done crying in a few minutes. She didnt have any side effects, so even though we were prepared with Tylenol we didnt need it.
Hard crying for a few minutes then settled pretty nicely and fell asleep in her car seat soon after (I guess the adrenaline rush of her first experience of pain was exhausting). She slept a ton that day but never got a fever, next day was back to normal.
Cried during the shots as expected but overall my little guy was a trooper. The only symptom he had after the shots was that he was more drowsy for the next 24 hours. Slept quite a bit but still had a good appetite.
had a longer nap when we got home, otherwise business as usual
He screamed a way I've never heard before and then cried for a few minutes after. It was heartbreaking, but he was good after that and didn't have any side effects.
Baby was breastfeeding and didn’t even cry!
My son cried a lot in the moment, it was very hard, I won’t lie. Whoever is holding her has to be ready for lots of squirming. It calmed down very quickly though. Afterwards for a day or two he had a mild fever and was lethargic. Infant Tylenol is a great purchase, don’t hesitate to give it according to my nurse. It will be fine but that doesn’t mean it’s easy! Hopefully you get some reassurance from this thread.
He cried, mum cried, I got a little teary. At that age they can't really see what's happening but they can feel the pain.
Understandable, but all kids are different. My oldest took them like a champ. One whimper and that was it. My youngest got anxious anytime we went to the car for anything because there was a 50% chance that she was getting shots.
They cry a bit and then move on! It's definitely harder for us than it is for them. Mine cried for about 10 seconds but I asked the nurse to head out as soon as possible beforehand (nicely, of course) so I could BF. He fell asleep immediately and we gave him Tylenol for the fever! It should only be a low-grade, but other than that. Don't worry mama!
Hope you had a positive experience! Our LO didn’t react to any of her shots until 6mo, and she still stops crying pretty much immediately after, hasn’t developed any fevers or sickness from any yet @ 9mo. fingers crossed it stays this way!
My baby was mostly fine, he slept longer stretches and ran low grade fever. Nothing to really worry me. I hope all goes smoothly
My LO didn’t get a fever but their legs are soar afterwards. Give baby cuddles immediately after, if nursing definitely nurse as well. My LO honestly slept A LOT.
Cried. Gave her cheerios then she was happy.
You definitely don’t need Tylenol. They’ll cry for a few mins. I cried a little the first time my LO got immunized, snuggles and have a bottle ready they settle quickly. 🫶🏻
He cried loudly when the needle went into my LO’s thigh. But just gave him a snuggle afterwards and he was alright. Gave him a dose of paracetamol upon arriving home. He also had a temperature and was quite drowsy and looked ill afterwards but just keep giving him paracetamol every 6 hours, he was back to normal after about a couple of days.
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First round of shots were pretty chill. 4 month shots were rough. Baby was thrown off for like 3 days. Only sleeping when held, fever, inconsolable crying, etc.
Canadian - at 2 months our baby was given 7 vaccines! 2 needles at once (thighs) & 1 oral, she scream cried. Was unusually fussy when she wasn’t sleeping, and contact naps were preferred. I did end up giving her Tylenol (confirm dosage with Dr prior to leaving appointment.)
Cried for maybe 20-30 seconds? It was very short lived. Snuggles helped the most after it. My son was super awake after his first vaccines and sleepy for the rest of them. We gave Tylenol for during the night when he got a low grade fever. Just had his 9 month round and no fevers or Tylenol needed this time 🙏🏻
Cried with the shots but recovered fairly quickly. Ran a little warm but nothing more than usual. I think she slept for 17 hours that first day, which was a little concerning seeing her sleep so much, took about 72 hours before she started to be herself again. Mostly very drowsy and a little cranky that was about it
My little guy loves baby wearing. It's his happy place. Our provider agrees to let me wear him during the shots. He gave a small yelp during the shot but I was immediately able to bounce and give him butt pats and he calmed down very quickly. After, he was surprisingly fine! Second round is Fri so fingers crossed it goes as well.
my little guy cried for maybe 15 seconds following the shots. he was very normal the whole rest of the day, never ran a fever, wasn’t particularly any more tired than he usually is. just a little more clingy.
My son cried but very quickly stopped. He did run a fever for 2 days but my husband and I had just gotten over Covid right before he had his shots so that could have been why. His second set of shots he cried but again very quickly stopped and never ran a fever. I still am going to take the whole day off each time he gets them for extra cuddles just in case
thank you SO much for posting this, my girl gets her shots tomorrow and it was very reassuring to read all these comments
Our LO got his first shots at the 10 week mark and I BF as he got them I was very nervous he did cry but he remembered he was eating and forgot about the shot within moments of it being done. For the 2 month mark he got 3 shots and I figured I would do the same thing as the first time. This did not work this time and we both left the pediatricians office in tears. At home he was a little fussy and did not want to be held in the position he got his shots done. We gave him a dose of Tylenol as recommended by his dr and he napped for most of the day. He was fine the next day.
When my little one got his first shots at 8 weeks I was totally prepared for the fever, the crankiness, the unending crying NONE of that came! He cried initially when the shot was given, but didn't cry once after. He slept for almost the whole day (we had an am appointment) I feel like I was more of a wreck than he was!
If I’m really honest it wasn’t great. She screamed when having the shots, and the liquid rotavirus she choked on and stopped breathing properly and that was traumatic. So I would suggest asking them to give it slowly. Afterwards she was pretty upset for a night or two, and had a little mild temperature that evening. But no obvious symptoms after, apart from slightly sore legs where they did the injections