First shots are always harder on mom than they are on baby! I recommend having daddy along, or even your mom or a friend that you trust so you won't feel silly for being upset. Most nurses will ask you to help hold the baby while they give the shot so if you think you won't be able to or don't want to, be sure to tell the nurse ahead of time so she can grab an assistant, or bring someone with you that can do the holding.

The shots themselves sting but most babies are over it quickly with the offering of a pacifier or mom's breast. Some babies will run a fever that night or the next day and the shot sites will be tender. I usually bring a bottle of fever reducer with me and dose baby up just before the shots.

Later shots are a little harder. The immune system has been 'alerted' to some of the germs in the shot so they tend to react a bit more and a bit faster to later shots than the first ones. Again, fever reducer right before the shots, a tepid bath, relaxing at home in a t shirt and a lot of TLC helps. When baby is older, you might ask your pediatrician for a prescription of EMLA cream to use topically where they usually give the shots. It will make the skin, and some of the underlying tissue numb. I did this for my oldest when he was getting his 5 year old shots and it helped some. The smaller, subcutaneous shot he hardly felt at all, but the cream doesn't get 'deep' enough to numb the muscle for the intramuscular shots that come with that visit. So, in the end he was still crying but at least the first 2 shots were painless!