Sugar 'can ease jab pain for babies'

A sugary solution can act as an analgesic and make youngsters feel more comfortable, experts said.

Researchers from Canada, Australia and Brazil analysed data from babies aged up to one year as part of the study, published online in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.

They looked at 14 clinical trials, involving a total of 1,674 injections. The impact on a child of a solution containing sucrose or glucose, compared to water or no treatment, was assessed.

Infants receiving a 30 per cent glucose solution were 20 per cent less likely to cry following a jab, results showed.

Sucrose and glucose solutions also led to a 10 per cent reduction in the proportion of time a baby spent crying.