Encourage discussion and answer all questions. Parents can buy medical kits at the store or simply stock their own from clinic castoffs and the pharmacy. We had IV bottles made from empty shampoo containers, complete with tubing and plastic needles. Several dolls had accessed ports, and many stuffed animals in our house fell apart after being speared by the pen during countless spinal taps. Katy's younger sister even ran around sometimes with her own pretend port taped onto her chest.
Hypnosis is a well-documented method for reducing discomfort during painful procedures.
The professional helps guide children or teens into an altered state of consciousness that helps focus or narrow attention. Imagery is a way to deliberately create a mental image of sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and feelings. Imagery is an active process that helps children or teens feel as if they are actually entering the imagined place. Focusing on pleasant images allows the child to shift attention from the pain. It can also allow the child to actually alter the experience of pain, which simultaneously gives the child control and diminishes pain.