RNsarahj

You're right in saying that no method of soothing/comfort is going to work 100% of the time and that's okay. I usually start by asking the parents what does best to soothe them- parents know best! I usually don't lie to them either but I will give a non-descript answer. Like if someone asks me if a medicine tastes bad I'll tell them "Why don't you try it and let me know what you think?" If it's a teenager or an older kid that clearly knows I'm BSing them, I'll say basically what you said above- "it doesn't taste the best but I have juice right here." Explaining procedures: depends on the age of the child- school age I might depending on their developmental status but I typically wait till right before and explain it simply- same for toddlers. Older kids, I'll explain it in more detail. If your new place has access to Child Life Specialists, these can be excellent resources to help prep kids for procedural type things (they often have stuffed animals that they can practice change a dressing on etc.) As far as soothing kids you just do your best. If possible, I'll let the parent hold them, or at the very least be right in front of their face soothing them (stroking their hair, talking to them etc.). Distraction can be your best friend with school age and older kids (ask about their pets their favorite color... just get them talking!) Older kids I'll do breathing techniques or even some guided imagery and depending on the kid it will work great. But like I said, sometimes there is just no way to calm them down and it's not your fault- a lot is parent dependent too. Parents can be your greatest asset or your worst enemy and there's no way around it. I had a 12 year old almost sprint out of the room yesterday before we put an IV in her- there was nothing to calm her down and eventually we just had to hold her down and do it- just remember that you're not being mean, you're helping them feel better and get the heck out of the hospital. I hope this helps. Don't be nervous! You'll learn a lot as you go along- pay attention to what different parents and nurses do and you'll eventually develop your own "tool kit" of methods. Good luck!