All children, even babies, can feel pain. When a child’s pain is untreated, it can cause them to heal more slowly or be more sensitive to pain as they get older. This is why it’s important to know if a child is in pain, what you can do to treat it, and when to get medical care.
Children may have pain right after an injury or medical procedure, but sometimes the cause of pain is not clear. For example, headaches and stomachaches can happen any time, sometimes for no obvious reason.
Knowing when a child has pain
Crying is one way your child may show they're in pain. But there are other ways children may react.
Babies and toddlers may:
- act fussy
- not eat well (lose their appetite)
- hold on tightly to a body part that hurts and curl up
- be hard to soothe
- be quieter than usual
- not move as much
Older children may be able to tell you they’re in pain. If you think your child is in pain, you can ask them using words they understand, such as “Do you have an owie?” or “Are you hurt?”
If they say yes, ask if it hurts a little or a lot. If your child is older than 6, you can ask them to rate their pain on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being no pain and 10 being the most pain they can imagine.
But remember, everyone’s pain is different, and your child’s 7 out of 10 pain may not mean the same thing as your 7 out of 10 pain. It’s important to talk to your child and understand what they need.
Ways to manage pain
There are ways to manage your child’s pain without using medicines, such as:
- using an ice pack or a warm blanket
- helping your child to focus on other things, such as playing with toys or bubbles, listening to music, or watching TV
You can use these strategies with or without medicine to help manage pain.
If your child is in pain, let them know you understand they're in pain and treat it based on their age and medical condition.
If your child is having pain for an unknown reason, or the pain appears to be more than you’d expect, talk to your child’s healthcare provider or call Health Link at 811 to find out what to do.
Medicines to treat or prevent pain
To treat your child’s pain, you can give them a non-prescription (also called over-the-counter) pain medicine such as acetaminophen (Tylenol or Tempra) or ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin).
You can get these medicines as a liquid, pill (tablets), or chewable tablets.
Acetaminophen and ibuprofen both treat pain and a fever. Ibuprofen is also an anti-inflammatory medicine, so it’s a better option to manage pain in injuries with swelling, such as sprains and broken bones.
Dose
Ask your child’s doctor or your pharmacist what pain medicine is best for your child. Follow the package directions for what dose to give, or check with your child's doctor or pharmacist.
Tests and proceduresIf your child is having a test or medical procedure that will likely cause pain, it’s important to use the strategies above and pain medicine early to prevent pain or stop it from getting worse.
To prevent pain from a blood test, you can put on a cream that numbs your child’s skin before the test. You can get a numbing cream without a prescription. Talk to your pharmacist.
Pain doesn't go away
If a non-prescription pain medicine doesn’t help treat your child’s pain, or your child has a lot of pain (serious pain), their healthcare provider may prescribe a stronger pain medicine.
If your child’s pain doesn’t get better after a few days of using a non-prescription pain medicine, talk to your child’s healthcare provider.
Morphine and other opioids
Opioids are a type of prescription medicine that treat serious pain.
Morphine
Morphine is an opioid that's sometimes prescribed when other pain medicines, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, don’t work.
Your child may get morphine through a vein (called intravenous or I.V. morphine) or by mouth as a pill or liquid.
Morphine is safe to use in children, including newborns, for short amounts of time.
Other opioids
Your child’s healthcare provider may prescribe other types of opioids, like oxycodone or fentanyl, depending on the type of pain, how bad the pain is, and what other medicines your child has had in the past.
Side effects of opioids
As with all medicines, opioids can cause side effects. Some common side effects of opioids will likely go away on their own within a few days of starting the medicine. These side effects include feeling:
- sick to your stomach (nausea)
- a bit sleepy (drowsy)
- itchy
Constipation
A common side effect of taking opioids is constipation, which is having stool that’s hard to pass.
Talk to your child’s healthcare provider about ways to prevent and treat constipation. They may prescribe laxatives or stool softeners.
You can also give your child plenty of fluids to help with constipation.
Opioid questions and concerns Your child’s healthcare provider will tell you what dose of an opioid your child needs. They may change the dose depending on pain or side effects. Always follow the instructions from your child’s healthcare provider.
It’s normal to have concerns if your child needs to take an opioid pain medicine. You may worry about side effects or addiction. The risk of addiction is rare in children who use an opioid to treat pain for a few days.
If you’re worried about addiction or have other questions or concerns about opioid medicines, talk to your child’s healthcare provider.
Get medical help
Contact
your child’s healthcare provider right away if your child:
- has red, swollen, itchy, and raised patches on their skin (called hives)
- is very sleepy and hard to wake up
- has trouble breathing or their breathing is slow and shallow (not deep)
If you can’t reach your child’s healthcare provider, go to the nearest urgent care centre or emergency department.
If your child has trouble breathing or you can’t wake them up, call 911.
