A From-the-Vein Blood Draw

Most baby and toddler screening blood tests involve a quick prick of the finger. But to get a firm diagnosis, your child's doctor needs a bigger sample -- and that means inserting a needle into a vein.

The Ouch Factor The tension of the band hurts, the needle pinches -- and the trauma of holding still with the thing dangling out of her arm is worst of all. Depending on your child's age, you may be asked to restrain her -- which could be more upsetting for you than her! "My son had his first big blood draw when he turned one," says Elizabeth Shaw, Parenting's deputy editor. "The lab tech instructed me to lie across his shoulders so he couldn't move. As he screamed and looked at me with these big, pleading eyes, I cried right along with him." Plus, a small number of kids will actually experience a blood or needle phobia that could cause fainting, says Martin Antony, Ph.D., a psychologist at Ryerson University in Toronto and author of Overcoming Medical Phobias.

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