Giving sucrose
Ask your health-care team for sucrose before the procedure. Sucrose works best when given
one or two minutes before a needle poke.
If you are using a tube of sucrose, squirt one to two drops (0.1 mL total) onto the front of your baby's tongue according to the tube instructions. If you are using your own solution, use a syringe or dropper to place one drop at a time onto the front of their tongue.
You can also squeeze or place one or two drops of the solution onto a pacifier and let your baby suck on it before and during the needle poke.
Your baby does not swallow sucrose; they simply absorb it through their mouth. This means you can use sucrose even if your child cannot eat or drink anything before a procedure. Sucrose will also not affect any blood test results.
Breastfeeding
Start breastfeeding your infant two to five minutes before the needle poke. To help your infant stay calm, continue feeding until the needle poke is finished.
If you do not breastfeed, you can still comfort your baby with bottle feeding or sucrose.