A nurse is collecting data from a 3-month-old infant who is 6 hr postoperative following a cleft palate repair. Which of the following pain rating tools should the nurse use?

A. FACES scale: The FACES pain scale relies on the child’s ability to recognize and point to facial expressions that match their pain intensity. It is appropriate for children aged 3 years and older, as it requires cognitive and emotional development beyond that of a 3-month-old infant. B. FLACC scale: The FLACC (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability) scale is designed to assess pain in infants and young children who cannot verbalize their discomfort. It evaluates observable behaviors, such as facial expressions, leg movement, body activity, crying, and consolability, providing an objective measure of pain in preverbal children. C. Color tool: Color-based pain assessment tools typically require the child to associate colors with pain intensity. This method is suitable for older children with sufficient cognitive development to understand abstract representations, not for infants. D. Numeric scale: Numeric rating scales require the child to understand and quantify pain on a scale of 0 to 10. This tool is inappropriate for a 3-month-old, as infants lack the developmental capacity to comprehend numerical concepts or self-report pain.