Cream may ease baby shot pain, study finds

This study tested whether applying Emla cream (a numbing cream) before a routine pneumococcal vaccination reduces pain in 3-month-old babies. 72 healthy infants were randomly assigned to receive either Emla cream or a placebo cream. Pain was measured using a standard scale (FLACC) that looks at facial expression, leg movement, activity, crying, and how easily the baby is comforted. The goal was to see if the cream leads to lower pain scores during the shot.