Try gel packs, ice cubes or frozen peas wrapped in a thin towel. Or keep an emergency freezer supply of colorful sponges cut into animal shapes and soaked in water. Children in pain often try to hold their breath to keep from hurting more, but this just increases muscle tension and adds to the pain. Teach your child to exhale forcefully and then move to an easy, regular breathing pattern. Or they can literally blow bubbles, pinwheels or party blowers.
Mental imagery helps some children manage mild to moderate persistent pain.
Have them close their eyes, relax their breathing and imagine themselves traveling inside their body to examine their pain. Let them pretend to take out a magnifying glass and inspect the pain from every angle. Tell them they can spray the pain with a can of shrinking solution, then visualize it melting away and changing color. If your child quivers at the thought of a needle or a minor surgical procedure such as wart removal, consider asking your doctor for a prescription for EMLA, an anesthetic cream that contains prilocaine and lidocaine. To be effective, it must be applied to the skin at least an hour or two in advance.