taking medicine

[littlemomma]

My 3 yo needs to take an antibiotic 2/per day. He *hates* it. It does not matter the flavor- he hates taking medicine. I have tried every approach short of holding him down and forcing it. It is usually a 30 minute ordeal for just a teaspoon.

HOW do you get your young child to take medicine when it is necessary?

[ann_of_loxley]

We use homeopathic remedies so we have never had a problem.
Now I am no expert and this could get past the GD forum - But perhaps you might want to consider more natural remedies, especially for such a young one. Each to their own though!

[littlemomma]

Originally Posted by ann_of_loxley

We use homeopathic remedies so we have never had a problem.
Now I am no expert and this could get past the GD forum - But perhaps you might want to consider more natural remedies, especially for such a young one. Each to their own though!

OOOOOkaaay...how do you get your little one to take homeopathic remedies? Obviously, if this has never been a problem for you, you may not have had to brainstorm like I have. With DS 1, never a problem.

[ann_of_loxley]

We switched to the homeopathic remedies when DS has serious chest infection and would not take any prescription/OTC medicines. Not only would he take the homepathic remedies but it worked so well that we have never gone back (I know people have their doubts about them - DH still thinks they dont 'work' but will take them as a last resort and I always find it funny when he just suddenly 'gets better' lol)...
Homeopathic remedies look like this. Any kid would take them (and they are safe for the whole family) lol. They are tiny little sweet things.

[LynnS6]

Is the antibiotics 2x a short term thing?

I'm not above bribery. Remember the Mary Poppins song "A spoonful of sugar..." well, that's what we do if we have to. Sometimes it's actually a spoonful of sugar after the medicine, sometimes it's something else they like.

I also have my kids plug their nose - a lot of 'taste' is actually smell, so if they can't smell it, it's better. I also offer water right away after it.

I didn't catch how old your child was, but it does get better as they get older and understand what the medicine is for. (My kids rarely need antibiotics - I think they've each had about 2-3 courses in their whole lives.)

[Limabean1975]

I don't have any advice that you haven't heard before (you know, the usual mix it with chocolate pudding, use a syringe....you know all this stuff, right?) but I can commiserate. Whether it's prescription meds, homeopathics, herbals, whatever, I have a very resistant young fellow and I know how hard it is. I hear people say "Oh it's easy! Mix it with something yummy! Or use a syringe and poke it in the back of their cheek!" Yeah, maybe for some kids. Not this one!

[Lazy Gardens]

Originally Posted by littlemomma

I have tried every approach short of holding him down and forcing it. It is usually a 30 minute ordeal for just a teaspoon.
HOW do you get your young child to take medicine when it is necessary?

What my parents did to me ... controlled me and forced it. Of course I didn't like it, but I learned that some things were non-negotiable and became resigned to my fate.

Here's the quickest way: Fill an eyedropper with the medicine. Place the child facing forward between your knees. Tip their head back and squirt the medicine between their cheek and teeth. Keep holding their head back for a couple of minutes. Follow with a couple of squirts of water. The medicine will trickle into their throat and they will swallow. End of problem.

It's perhaps horrifying to you to use force, but it's better than a 30-minute battle of the wills.

I had to face down a 17-year old this weekend who didn't think that being a minor meant that his mum had any rights to know what had happened to him ... sometimes the parent has to call the shots because they are the parent.

[NiteNicole]

Here's the quickest way: Fill an eyedropper with the medicine. Place the child facing forward between your knees. Tip their head back and squirt the medicine between their cheek and teeth. Keep holding their head back for a couple of minutes. Follow with a couple of squirts of water. The medicine will trickle into their throat and they will swallow. End of problem.

This doesn't take into account the screaming, thrashing, and puking or how slippery they get when covered in the tears, sweat, and snot that would result if I tried such a thing with my three year old. And I've been having to give her meds since about ten weeks so I'm not new to this.

What has worked for us most recently is letting her hold the little cup of medicine. All the other stuff we tried...she's happy if she can just hold the cup.

[Limabean1975]

Originally Posted by Lazy Gardens

Here's the quickest way: Fill an eyedropper with the medicine. Place the child facing forward between your knees. Tip their head back and squirt the medicine between their cheek and teeth. Keep holding their head back for a couple of minutes. Follow with a couple of squirts of water. The medicine will trickle into their throat and they will swallow. End of problem.

: No workie. Meds all over room.

Originally Posted by NiteNicole

This doesn't take into account the screaming, thrashing, and puking or how slippery they get when covered in the tears, sweat, and snot that would result if I tried such a thing with my three year old. And I've been having to give her meds since about ten weeks so I'm not new to this.

This.

NiteNicole, does your 3yo then drink from the cup? Amazing!

[Biscuits & Gravy]

DS (almost 3) has been taking medicine almost all his life. First reflux, then severe allergies. He has gone through phases of not wanting to take it. What has worked for us for a while now is letting him do it on his own. I put the cup on our coffee table and tell him it is there when he is ready to drink it. He does just that, when he is ready he drinks it. It was a huge power struggle for a while until we started letting him have control of the cup.

Good luck.

[labdogs42]

My DS likes to take his meds himself from the little cup or one of those medicine spoons (he's 4 now, but I have been letting him do this for at least a year or more). If it is a yucky tasting liquid, I mix in some Hershey's chocolate syrup or sweetened Kool-aid powder (grape works great!). Those seem to cover up any bad tastes! When he was littler, I used to mix his allergy meds into applesauce, but if he wasn't hungry enough and I couldn't get it all into him, I never knew exaclty how much medicine he got and that always bugged me.

[NiteNicole]

We've also been doing reflux meds forEVER and then allergy meds. Not being able to get her to take her meds was probably one of my top two parenting crazy-makers (the other being sleep because no matter how much YOU know they NEED it, you can NOT make another person eat or sleep). About a year ago I finally said WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET YOU TO TAKE THIS MEDICINE and she said, give me the cup. And that was that.

Obviously the next thing I tried was WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET YOU TO SLEEP and she said give me cookies. So we're still working on sleep.

But at least we've got the meds worked out!

I think it's harder when they are babies because there is just no reasoning with them. That is when you need "tricks" for getting it down. When they're a little older, you can ask for their input or hide it in something else (even if you tell them look, I'm putting your medicine in this jello but you won't taste it, that works for some kids). We got lucky. I just happened to ask when we weren't in the thick of a medicine-related battle of wills. I think if I had tried the same thing when she was already frantic, it wouldn't have worked.

[JessBB]

DS is 2. He's had to take abx once. We ended up getting the shots as he FLAT OUT refused to swallow the liquid, and would gag and puke it up. He wasn't keeping enough medicine down to get any better. He'll take motrin, etc. no problem.

He is a tough guy and never even cried with the shots, and a five minute stop at the ped once a day for 3 days was better than WWIII twice a day for 10 days.

So, that's an option .

[One_Girl]

I give dd the chewable kind. They can do chewable even for antibiotics. When I can't get chewable I resort to extreme bribery in the form of jelly bellies. I realize bribery isn't the best approach, but I don't want to hold dd down and a little sugar once in a while isn't going to harm her. Her pediatrician actually claims that some sugar is good for you when you are sick because it lines your stomach and that helps keep the naseau down, it also gives you some calories to use for energy that you may not get anywhere else if you are to sick to feel like eating anything else.

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by Lazy Gardens

Here's the quickest way: Fill an eyedropper with the medicine. Place the child facing forward between your knees. Tip their head back and squirt the medicine between their cheek and teeth. Keep holding their head back for a couple of minutes. Follow with a couple of squirts of water. The medicine will trickle into their throat and they will swallow. End of problem.

It's perhaps horrifying to you to use force, but it's better than a 30-minute battle of the wills.

I am baffled as to why you would post these suggestions on a GD board.

[Toolip]

Originally Posted by Lazy Gardens

What my parents did to me ... controlled me and forced it. Of course I didn't like it, but I learned that some things were non-negotiable and became resigned to my fate.

Here's the quickest way: Fill an eyedropper with the medicine. Place the child facing forward between your knees. Tip their head back and squirt the medicine between their cheek and teeth. Keep holding their head back for a couple of minutes. Follow with a couple of squirts of water. The medicine will trickle into their throat and they will swallow. End of problem.

It's perhaps horrifying to you to use force, but it's better than a 30-minute battle of the wills.

I had to face down a 17-year old this weekend who didn't think that being a minor meant that his mum had any rights to know what had happened to him ... sometimes the parent has to call the shots because they are the parent.

Please read this as an honest question...

Do you realize that the original question was posted in a forum for gentle discipline techniques? What you are suggesting is not within the realm of GD at all.

[Limabean1975]

Originally Posted by NiteNicole

We've also been doing reflux meds forEVER and then allergy meds. Not being able to get her to take her meds was probably one of my top two parenting crazy-makers (the other being sleep because no matter how much YOU know they NEED it, you can NOT make another person eat or sleep). About a year ago I finally said WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET YOU TO TAKE THIS MEDICINE and she said, give me the cup. And that was that.

Obviously the next thing I tried was WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET YOU TO SLEEP and she said give me cookies. So we're still working on sleep.

Crafty girl.

[Triniity]

Originally Posted by Toolip

Please read this as an honest question...

Do you realize that the original question was posted in a forum for gentle discipline techniques? What you are suggesting is not within the realm of GD at all.

I am personnally totally GD - but - my dd needed to take antibiotics after a tooth surgery - and she refused. I tried everything - same as little momma. And I ended up in forcing her - I just had no more ideas left. Plus - I really thought that she needed the meds - she had a really, really bad infection. I started everytime with the stuff in something nice like icecream or anything - but she was so fast in getting it.

I am still looking for the "ideal" solution. But I still think that giving it this way might be better than shots (if they are puking it up you don´t have a chance though...)

If someone comes up with a solution - I am the first one to try it! (hopefully I don´t have to - though!)

[eirual]

DS has had to take drops for Pink Eye, Just this last dose he said "you do it too!" so I let him know that we can't share medicine, but I'd get him a dropper and he could give me drops (of water) I think it helped him work through it a bit.

Maybe you could find something you don't like (or pretend not to) and go through the process together- try to let him help YOU.

[dharmama]

just bumping this up because we are in this situation with our 5 yo.

she's on a constitutional remedy and we have a very progressive doctor who does not prescribe antibiotics unless he truly feels kids need them. but still...here we are. bottle of medicine. dd freaks out if we even talk about it.

i think based on what i read here i'm going to try the approach of letting her do it all herself.