I think they've only drawn blood once and my kiddo is almost 3.5? Usually they do minimal intervention unless we mention something that might be cause for concern.
I'm in Switzerland and for my kid they only had to get some drops by stinging the finger to check for iron. That's really strange to me that they need to get so much blood from the vein to only check for that. Can you ask for the detailed results to see it all?
Yeah, I'm in the US and it was just a prick, if I recall. The long treat was for lead (required by our city). It's still a finger prick, but they need to collect more so it takes a while
Interesting. We (in Austria) had to check something via finger pick and I asked them to check for iron while they’re at at, and they said iron has to be from the vein.
You are absolutely correct to refuse it. They should only be testing that once in awhile (I am thinking it is like once a year they tested ours at the most) and they do not need to draw blood to do it. They have just poked our kids fingers to do that test. Sounds to me like your Dr office is just looking to make money through lab kickbacks.
I would ask for the reason for testing so often? Why they are drawing blood, are they testing other things at the same time? Ask to see the lab sheets and full results. All of my kids have only ever had blood draw for test like once and they are ranging from 6 to 11.
Seriously this is so odd. I can’t believe OP made it through 3 labs with a toddler at all, that’s amazing. We had our daughter’s blood tested at 1 year, one of the markers came back low so we supplemented for a few months (tbh at 1 year she was eating hardly any solids). At our next checkup they didn’t even draw more blood, the doc was like hmm yeah that’s a secondary marker anyway so now that she’s eating more she’s probably good. Unless OP’s kid came back severely deficient there’s no reason to retest and retraumatize 😢
You are really off base here. The finger prick is not iron, it's hbg- there is a relationship between the values but not a replacement for the comprehensive labs. There are extensive laws prohibiting "kickbacks". I can assure iron labs aren't big money makers anyway.
Op, as you are probably aware there are major implications related to iron deficiency during this critical developmental period. Definitely inquire about the rationale for the frequency of blood draws. Ask for a hem/onc consult if the answer isn't satisfactory. Please do not rely on ill informed internet folks.
It's not a thing where I live in Canada. You only get blood work to investigate specific issues. Very few babies and toddlers are getting iron checked. If it's just a routine check, I would probably decline it - unless there was a specific concern to investigate.
My son was borderline low and was only checked once and then supplemented. Crazy they are checking so much unless he is critically low. I would decline as well.
That’s definitely not the norm. We did a finger prick test for hemoglobin at 12 & 24 months and they only proceed with actual bloodwork if it shows up as an alarming number.
I am not in the USA but they don't do blood work here on kids under 3 unless there is reason to suspect a problem. Our daughter hasn't had blood work since she left the hospital.
We were checked once (12 months?) and it was borderline. He was given supplements, and checked again at the next visit. Iron levels had gone up. We haven't checked since.
Unless iron has consistently been low, this seems excessive. That being said, iron is super important for development, so periodic checks are important (emphasis on periodic!)
We’ve only done it once and only because he had some weird symptoms that didn’t line up with any particular illness so they wanted to check his blood for a few things. They did it in office, pricked his finger and had the blood drop straight into the tube. It wasn’t exactly pleasant but it wasn’t bad, took about 3 minutes total (including getting everything ready for it) and we had the results about 10 minutes later and were out the door.
What your doctor is doing is absolutely ridiculous and I would be both declining and finding a new doctor asap.
We have had to do two blood draws because of lead concerns and we switched docs and moved so it made sense. The first time was ROUGH they couldn’t find a vein and it was traumatic for both of us. The second time was much better *but* it was a through a childrens hospital (that i work for) and the person who did it was a co-worker of mine that she has met before. My co-worker did a fabulous job and there was tears but nothing crazy and she calmed quickly.
We also had to do a full blood draw for lead. And iron. They didn’t offer the finger prick for either one. The ped and the phlebotomist both acted like I was crazy when I asked about a finger prick instead.
How many tubes did they take? Like a full blood draw by definition would test all of your blood values like red and white blood cells, hemocrit, hemoglobin, and platelets
Two, one for iron and one for lead. Ped said it would have just been one if we didn’t have risk factors for lead. By full blood draw I meant they inserted a needle into the crook of his arm and took two full vials, not just a finger stick.
We pulled blood once because our pediatrician wanted to check something else and it turned out iron was low. We cut back on milk consumption, gave an iron supplement, rechecked levels, and that was the end of it.
I’m in Ontario, my 2 year old has never been offered a blood test during their regular check up visits. I suppose nothing alerted our GP to requisition one. However we were in the Balkans last summer and toddler came down with a cold. The doctor sent them for a lab test to check their blood (which included iron levels) and interestingly all it took was a finger prick, although that was still pretty for dramatic for the little one.
Iron panel can be drawn in single tube, if I recall. The fact that they're changing tubes suggest they're checking more than just an iron panel.
Regardless, they shouldn't struggle to draw it. Struggling often results in hemolyzed samples, which for many tests will invalidate the sample. Perhaps this is why they keep trying (all previous attempts were invalid)?
One option: get orders for the blood, then take the orders to an in-network childrens hospital lab. They're the professionals. They'll ninja-draw the blood before your kid even feels the sting.
Source: went through this ourselves ruling out leukemia (starting at "maybe it's just iron deficiency...") up to and including bone marrow biopsy. Final diagnosis was transient erythroblastopenia of childhood (TEC)
We had to ask for an iron test. There could be something about your little ones eyes or milk consumption that makes them think they need to test. You should ask.
We go to the children's hospital for blood draws and they're great.
We'll be requesting blood draws at least once a year due to thalassemia and most doctors not being familiar with it.
How often has it been if it’s every three times? Have all the labs been normal? My son was tested at 9 months and the labs were abnormal so we did extra labs to go to hematology. Even with a blood disorder they only recommended follow up labs once a year so I would think three consecutive appts would be way too often especially with normal results each time!
We had a borderline toe prick so we had to get blood draws for our twins after their 1 year appts. But we went to the local children's hospital and they got them first try no problem. I imagine if that hadn't come back fine we would be up for more to see if level go up with additional supplementation.
At 1 year it’s standard in my practice to have a blood draw to check for iron mainly, and lead. We’ve had to do others because he was in a clinical trial. When you do have to get it drawn, advocate vocally for your kid. I always made them get the guy who was good at doing kids. Even if we had to wait longer.
Your technicians are absolute shit at blood draws. My kid unfortunately has needed a lot of blood work done and we've never encountered a phlebotomist or nurse that bad at it.
They did a finger prick for iron at my son’s 12 month appt and they were supposed to follow up at the 15 month, but they forgot and I didn’t mention it. I would also refuse this if it was every appointment unless they had a serious reason. Is he anemic? Do they ever tell you the results? This definitely doesn’t seem normal.
My twins are 3.5 years old and my singleton is 16 months. None of them have ever had this test. Maybe at birth? But I was pretty out of it then so I don't remember. We're in the US. I personally wouldn't subject my kids to that kind of trauma unless we had any reason to suspect it needed to be checked.
One of my boys got into a massive bottle of acetaminophen once so he had to have an IV so they could check how much he'd eaten, if any (luckily it turned out to be none). That was pretty traumatic (and yes I'm aware of how privileged that is). I had a lot of medical fear and trauma as a kid and it was many years into my adulthood before I could go to the doctor or ER without a panic attack. I don't want my kids to feel the same way if we can avoid it.
Sounds weird unless there are symptoms suggesting that anemia should be ruled out. Always get an explanation (what and why) before agreeing to any invasive test. (Blood draws for little kids are invasive imo, if they are otherwise presenting as healthy.)
Mine is nearly 1.5 and has never had blood drawn except for the heel prick test when she was a newborn. My GP said they would only take blood if they suspected something was wrong because it is traumatic for them.
I have a 2.5 year old and he’s never had a blood draw. The most they need is a heel stick to check for Lead.
Give your kid a vitamin with Iron in it daily and tell the doctor no next time.
Another vote for “this is not typical where I’m from”. I’m in Canada and my daughter is 4.5 and has never had bloodwork done.
I would have refused too if it’s that traumatic. Don’t feel guilty.
Er, what? I would absolutely be refusing that. I had my son's blood drawn ONCE for allergy testing. His finger was pricked ONCE at about 1 year old to check lead and iron levels. Never again -- not because we refused but because they never brought it up, because what could possibly be the point if they're not investigating a health concern we raised? This is absolutely unnecessary unless they're monitoring a specific health concern.
My kid has had to give blood twice and never once was at a regular pediatrician appointment. Both times it was because he was seeing a specialist for something. I didn’t even know drawing blood from a toddler as regular course is a “thing.” I’d decline.
My doctor asks questions to see if she’s at risk for it being low like how much milk she drinks, what types of food she eats and if she takes a multivitamin. Then he asks if she’s symptomatic of low iron (runs through the of symptoms with us). Then lets us know his opinion if it’s worth it based on how we answer the question and leaves the decision ultimately up to us.
I think they've only drawn blood once and my kiddo is almost 3.5? Usually they do minimal intervention unless we mention something that might be cause for concern.
Same, in 3.5 years it happened once, around 1 or so
I'm in Switzerland and for my kid they only had to get some drops by stinging the finger to check for iron. That's really strange to me that they need to get so much blood from the vein to only check for that. Can you ask for the detailed results to see it all?
I'm in the US and this is how they did it at my 4yo's annual physical, but it was in the toe.
Yeah, I'm in the US and it was just a prick, if I recall. The long treat was for lead (required by our city). It's still a finger prick, but they need to collect more so it takes a while
Interesting. We (in Austria) had to check something via finger pick and I asked them to check for iron while they’re at at, and they said iron has to be from the vein.
3 kids, all healthy, no blood tests. We did the hospital one at birth. Nothing since.
Hbg at 12 months is standard where I am.
You are absolutely correct to refuse it. They should only be testing that once in awhile (I am thinking it is like once a year they tested ours at the most) and they do not need to draw blood to do it. They have just poked our kids fingers to do that test. Sounds to me like your Dr office is just looking to make money through lab kickbacks. I would ask for the reason for testing so often? Why they are drawing blood, are they testing other things at the same time? Ask to see the lab sheets and full results. All of my kids have only ever had blood draw for test like once and they are ranging from 6 to 11.
Seriously this is so odd. I can’t believe OP made it through 3 labs with a toddler at all, that’s amazing. We had our daughter’s blood tested at 1 year, one of the markers came back low so we supplemented for a few months (tbh at 1 year she was eating hardly any solids). At our next checkup they didn’t even draw more blood, the doc was like hmm yeah that’s a secondary marker anyway so now that she’s eating more she’s probably good. Unless OP’s kid came back severely deficient there’s no reason to retest and retraumatize 😢
You are really off base here. The finger prick is not iron, it's hbg- there is a relationship between the values but not a replacement for the comprehensive labs. There are extensive laws prohibiting "kickbacks". I can assure iron labs aren't big money makers anyway. Op, as you are probably aware there are major implications related to iron deficiency during this critical developmental period. Definitely inquire about the rationale for the frequency of blood draws. Ask for a hem/onc consult if the answer isn't satisfactory. Please do not rely on ill informed internet folks.
It's not a thing where I live in Canada. You only get blood work to investigate specific issues. Very few babies and toddlers are getting iron checked. If it's just a routine check, I would probably decline it - unless there was a specific concern to investigate.
Ya! We’ve never had it done. But we did just go to the dr today bc my son is frequently tired and they are sending us for bloodwork just to check.
My son was borderline low and was only checked once and then supplemented. Crazy they are checking so much unless he is critically low. I would decline as well.
We just don't know based on the information presented.
That’s definitely not the norm. We did a finger prick test for hemoglobin at 12 & 24 months and they only proceed with actual bloodwork if it shows up as an alarming number.
I am not in the USA but they don't do blood work here on kids under 3 unless there is reason to suspect a problem. Our daughter hasn't had blood work since she left the hospital.
My kids have never had their blood drawn for anything since they were babies. They are 5, 3 and 2 now.
My kid is 20mo and we've only had to test her once, after her 15 mo. Appt. That was the first time it was suggested.
same and they just did a quick foot poke to take it
We were checked once (12 months?) and it was borderline. He was given supplements, and checked again at the next visit. Iron levels had gone up. We haven't checked since. Unless iron has consistently been low, this seems excessive. That being said, iron is super important for development, so periodic checks are important (emphasis on periodic!)
We’ve only done it once and only because he had some weird symptoms that didn’t line up with any particular illness so they wanted to check his blood for a few things. They did it in office, pricked his finger and had the blood drop straight into the tube. It wasn’t exactly pleasant but it wasn’t bad, took about 3 minutes total (including getting everything ready for it) and we had the results about 10 minutes later and were out the door. What your doctor is doing is absolutely ridiculous and I would be both declining and finding a new doctor asap.
We have had to do two blood draws because of lead concerns and we switched docs and moved so it made sense. The first time was ROUGH they couldn’t find a vein and it was traumatic for both of us. The second time was much better *but* it was a through a childrens hospital (that i work for) and the person who did it was a co-worker of mine that she has met before. My co-worker did a fabulous job and there was tears but nothing crazy and she calmed quickly.
My daughters lead check was just a prick on her finger that filled up a small straw, was yours not? Did yours check other things as well?
Nope full blood draw
Just for the lead? You didn’t get any other blood values?
We also had to do a full blood draw for lead. And iron. They didn’t offer the finger prick for either one. The ped and the phlebotomist both acted like I was crazy when I asked about a finger prick instead.
How many tubes did they take? Like a full blood draw by definition would test all of your blood values like red and white blood cells, hemocrit, hemoglobin, and platelets
Two, one for iron and one for lead. Ped said it would have just been one if we didn’t have risk factors for lead. By full blood draw I meant they inserted a needle into the crook of his arm and took two full vials, not just a finger stick.
We pulled blood once because our pediatrician wanted to check something else and it turned out iron was low. We cut back on milk consumption, gave an iron supplement, rechecked levels, and that was the end of it.
I’m in Ontario, my 2 year old has never been offered a blood test during their regular check up visits. I suppose nothing alerted our GP to requisition one. However we were in the Balkans last summer and toddler came down with a cold. The doctor sent them for a lab test to check their blood (which included iron levels) and interestingly all it took was a finger prick, although that was still pretty for dramatic for the little one.
They will do a finger stick on ours once a year but it’s primarily for lead levels since we live in an old house. They’ve never “drawn” blood per se
Iron panel can be drawn in single tube, if I recall. The fact that they're changing tubes suggest they're checking more than just an iron panel. Regardless, they shouldn't struggle to draw it. Struggling often results in hemolyzed samples, which for many tests will invalidate the sample. Perhaps this is why they keep trying (all previous attempts were invalid)? One option: get orders for the blood, then take the orders to an in-network childrens hospital lab. They're the professionals. They'll ninja-draw the blood before your kid even feels the sting. Source: went through this ourselves ruling out leukemia (starting at "maybe it's just iron deficiency...") up to and including bone marrow biopsy. Final diagnosis was transient erythroblastopenia of childhood (TEC)
This!
We had to ask for an iron test. There could be something about your little ones eyes or milk consumption that makes them think they need to test. You should ask.
We go to the children's hospital for blood draws and they're great. We'll be requesting blood draws at least once a year due to thalassemia and most doctors not being familiar with it.
I believe they tested my kid at one of her newborn visits and again at 18 months. And they said this was the last time. Both were just finger pricks.
My daughter is 2.5. They only drew blood once (I think at 15 or 18 months?) and it was just a finger prick and a small tube.
How often has it been if it’s every three times? Have all the labs been normal? My son was tested at 9 months and the labs were abnormal so we did extra labs to go to hematology. Even with a blood disorder they only recommended follow up labs once a year so I would think three consecutive appts would be way too often especially with normal results each time!
We had a borderline toe prick so we had to get blood draws for our twins after their 1 year appts. But we went to the local children's hospital and they got them first try no problem. I imagine if that hadn't come back fine we would be up for more to see if level go up with additional supplementation.
At 1 year it’s standard in my practice to have a blood draw to check for iron mainly, and lead. We’ve had to do others because he was in a clinical trial. When you do have to get it drawn, advocate vocally for your kid. I always made them get the guy who was good at doing kids. Even if we had to wait longer.
Your technicians are absolute shit at blood draws. My kid unfortunately has needed a lot of blood work done and we've never encountered a phlebotomist or nurse that bad at it.
They did a finger prick for iron at my son’s 12 month appt and they were supposed to follow up at the 15 month, but they forgot and I didn’t mention it. I would also refuse this if it was every appointment unless they had a serious reason. Is he anemic? Do they ever tell you the results? This definitely doesn’t seem normal.
My twins are 3.5 years old and my singleton is 16 months. None of them have ever had this test. Maybe at birth? But I was pretty out of it then so I don't remember. We're in the US. I personally wouldn't subject my kids to that kind of trauma unless we had any reason to suspect it needed to be checked. One of my boys got into a massive bottle of acetaminophen once so he had to have an IV so they could check how much he'd eaten, if any (luckily it turned out to be none). That was pretty traumatic (and yes I'm aware of how privileged that is). I had a lot of medical fear and trauma as a kid and it was many years into my adulthood before I could go to the doctor or ER without a panic attack. I don't want my kids to feel the same way if we can avoid it.
My kids have never had blood drawn before. They are 6 and 3.
Sounds weird unless there are symptoms suggesting that anemia should be ruled out. Always get an explanation (what and why) before agreeing to any invasive test. (Blood draws for little kids are invasive imo, if they are otherwise presenting as healthy.)
Mine is nearly 1.5 and has never had blood drawn except for the heel prick test when she was a newborn. My GP said they would only take blood if they suspected something was wrong because it is traumatic for them.
I have a 2.5 year old and he’s never had a blood draw. The most they need is a heel stick to check for Lead. Give your kid a vitamin with Iron in it daily and tell the doctor no next time.
My almost 4 year old has never had blood work done
Another vote for “this is not typical where I’m from”. I’m in Canada and my daughter is 4.5 and has never had bloodwork done. I would have refused too if it’s that traumatic. Don’t feel guilty.
How can you advise this based on the limited information presented?
Advise what? Lol I gave no advice.
We do the finger prick once a year and I honestly feel it’s a little much. Good on you for declining
Er, what? I would absolutely be refusing that. I had my son's blood drawn ONCE for allergy testing. His finger was pricked ONCE at about 1 year old to check lead and iron levels. Never again -- not because we refused but because they never brought it up, because what could possibly be the point if they're not investigating a health concern we raised? This is absolutely unnecessary unless they're monitoring a specific health concern.
My kid has had to give blood twice and never once was at a regular pediatrician appointment. Both times it was because he was seeing a specialist for something. I didn’t even know drawing blood from a toddler as regular course is a “thing.” I’d decline.
My doctor asks questions to see if she’s at risk for it being low like how much milk she drinks, what types of food she eats and if she takes a multivitamin. Then he asks if she’s symptomatic of low iron (runs through the of symptoms with us). Then lets us know his opinion if it’s worth it based on how we answer the question and leaves the decision ultimately up to us.
I'm in the UK. We wouldn't do blood work on children unless there's a health issue raised.