Vaccine Side Effects in Children

With children 12+ eligible to be vaccinated, learn how to best prepare your child and what side effects to expect after their appointment.

Preparing your child for their Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine visit and knowing how to best support them during and after will make the vaccination process easier for the whole family. 

Before the Visit

• Revisit the confirmation email or SMS you received to check the date and time of the appointment and any details like when you need to arrive or anything you may need to bring.

  • At Rite Aid, a parent or guardian is required to book the appointment and an adult at least 18 years old must accompany a minor to their appointment.

• Complete any health forms or screeners with the most up-to-date information on your child’s vaccine and health history.

• Learn more about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

• Ask your child if they have any questions for you or their pharmacist, remind them that vaccines can help keep them and their community healthy. 

  • Getting vaccinated is a big step in helping them safely return to pre-pandemic activities. 

• Talk your child through the vaccination visit and what they should expect.

During the Visit

• Tell the pharmacist of any allergies your child may have.

• Comfort your child during the appointment and reassure them that vaccines can help keep them healthy.

• Consider re-focusing their attention away from the shot or the post-vaccination wait to keep them calm and seated.

• Ask our pharmacists for advice on using non-aspirin pain relievers and other steps that can be taken to relieve any side effects.

After the Visit

• Check-in with your child and see if they have any of these common side effects:

  • On the arm where they got the shot:

    • Pain

    • Redness

    • Swelling

  • Throughout the body:

    • Tiredness

    • Headache

    • Muscle Pain

    • Chills

    • Fever

    • Nausea

• Comfort them and help alleviate any side effects they may experience. Let them know that these above side effects are normal and will go away within a few days. Also note that some people will have no side effects at all and that’s ok as well.

• SIgn up for the free v-safe app to track your child’s vaccine experience.

• Pay close attention to your child for a few days. If you see something that concerns you, call your child’s doctor.

• Plan for the upcoming 2nd dose of the vaccine and for the date they will be considered fully vaccinated.

Vaccinations are an important step in protecting your entire family. Once fully vaccinated, children and teens can start to enjoy more of the activities they did prior to the pandemic.

To schedule an appointment or learn more, visit our COVID-19 vaccine page.