During the past month I have changed more band-aids than most parents do in their entire career as a parent. Toby has required up to four band-aid changes every day to deal with his atypical tuberculosis. I have discovered two VERY simple ways to make this multiple times a day occurrence less painful. The first is chocolate. He gets up to three chocolate chips based on how wiggly he was during the change. I keep a small container of these little bits in his wound care kit. Usually he gets three, but he knows that if he's wiggly or fights us at all he loses one or even two. (And he doesn't argue about it if he does lose one!)
The second tip I have is one that I personally consider sheer brilliance if I do say so myself. Before I put on a new bandage I fold a tiny portion of the long sticky end of the band-aid over on itself. That way there is a spot to grab onto when you have to remove it (instead of having to pick and pick and pick at it to grab it to take it off). A nurse did this on accident once during an immunization session and I took it and ran with it! I told her to do it every single time she put a band-aid on a kid. She, not having kids herself, nodded at the crazy mommy lady and went on her merry little way. Someday she'll understand...
And that, my dear readers, works for me. :) Shannon's got lots of other ideas over at her blog. Head over there and see if you can find something that works for you!
8 comments:
Tara,
I never thought of chocolate! I have a 7yo son who refuses bandaids even if he needs one. Most kids are the opposite, right? Great tip for me! Thanks.
My kids love bandaids, so offering chocolate would only be icing on the cake for them. But I love your second idea. I'll definitely be using that one!
Nice tip, very thoughtful. I love the part about folding part of it over, I'm going to do that for myself! Blessings to you in the New Year!
Those are both good ideas ~ I have used mini m&m's before for learning to read bribery :-)
Wow! High Speed - way to go TK!
benandems.blogspot.com
Oh, very good tips! I'll have to try the folding over part of the end trick. :)
You've outdone yourself again, Peekers. I'm so blessed to be married to such a creative sort!
i haven't tried this, and don't know if it works, but i read that rubbing the adhesive part of the bandaid from the outside with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol makes the bandaid come off painlessly by deactivating the adhesive. sounds like it'd definitely be worth a try for you. hope it works. :)
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