Need Help teaching How to Swallow Pills

[fierymyst]

I am looking for some good advice for teaching my 8 1/2 yr old and almost 11 yr old how to swallow pills. This is not something they have to take, its for taking fever reducers, etc... They don't like the liquid, chewables, meltables, etc.... and its such a struggle to get them to take anything. I leave the choice up to them, if they feel bad enough to take something then they will reluctantly. But sometimes they need to and I am trying to get them to swallow these tiny tablets made for their age. I suggest throw it to the back of the throat and get a drink, shake the pill to the back of the throat and swallow. Youngest is only one who has tried it and it takes forever, pill is half dissolved and she is frustrated, it always ends up on the side of her cheek.

Any help would be wonderful. Thanks.

[mamarhu]

Perhaps practice with little candies - those little red cinnamon dots or something? Or if you really want to avoid the sugar/dyes, how about cooked beans of various sizes, from split peas on up? It might take away the anxiety about what will happen if it "gets stuck". Your kids are old enough to understand the difference between candy and medicine, but it might be good to blur the lines for a few moments. I'd get silly and playful about prescribing candy "medicine" for all sorts of imagined ills. Good luck!

[Dar]

Someone posted this link a few weeks ago... I haven't tried it but it looked good to me!

Dar

[Debstmomy]

:
My almost 9 yr old can take HUGE vitmains, my 12 yr old will not swallow a mini M&M whole. HELP!!!

[katybear mama]

My dd can swallow a pill if I put it in a teaspoon of ice cream or pudding.

[lotusbeans]

Originally Posted by fierymyst

I am looking for some good advice for teaching my 8 1/2 yr old and almost 11 yr old how to swallow pills. This is not something they have to take, its for taking fever reducers, etc... They don't like the liquid, chewables, meltables, etc.... and its such a struggle to get them to take anything. I leave the choice up to them, if they feel bad enough to take something then they will reluctantly. But sometimes they need to and I am trying to get them to swallow these tiny tablets made for their age. I suggest throw it to the back of the throat and get a drink, shake the pill to the back of the throat and swallow. Youngest is only one who has tried it and it takes forever, pill is half dissolved and she is frustrated, it always ends up on the side of her cheek.

Any help would be wonderful. Thanks.

What's helped me and dd is to take a sip, take the pill, sort of jerk your head back (like a "hey you" sort of nod) and then drink more water. I read somewhere that this opens up something in your throat and makes the pill go down easier. It's worked for us.

Good luck! Dd has an awful time with anything liquid. I don't think she realizes that taking it all in a gulp like a shot is easier than sipping it for 20 minutes.

[fierymyst]

thank you for all the ideas, we will keep working on it for sure. My oldest hates taking any medicine and also sips it, she then gulps water and takes another sip until it is gone... she would rather be in pain then take medicine! Kids are crazy:

[canadianchick]

We just went through this recently. We practiced using little candies. Both dd and I were so excited when she was able to get one down!

[Roar]

Originally Posted by Dar

Someone posted this link a few weeks ago... I haven't tried it but it looked good to me!

Dar

That would be me and let me say that yes it really works. Our son is not particularly coordinated and it worked. Before this I was trying the throw it back and drink approach and it wasn't working for him. Now he can swallow even really big vitamins even more than one at a time. So, I'd say get the candy and work up a little bit at a time.

[momto l&a]

I taugh my girl by giving them these probiotics that are called I think pearls. They are tiny.

After they learned with those can swallow capsules that hold a gram.

My girls are 4 and 6.

[Celtain]

We used the mini M&M method in our house. It took a while but my then 12 year old was finally able to swallow one after trying one a day for like 2 weeks. It was a very proud day for both of us!!

[alegna]

The story in my family is that my grandmother used to teach lots of neighborhood kids how to swallow pills What she did was have them take a bite of a peanutbutter sandwich -chew it up- then spit it out when they were ready to swallow. Look at how big it is (MUCH bigger than a pill as a rule) then swallow it then they could do the pill.... don't know how it works... but worth a try with older kids.

-Angela

[MissAbbyRosesMamma]

Originally Posted by alegna

The story in my family is that my grandmother used to teach lots of neighborhood kids how to swallow pills What she did was have them take a bite of a peanutbutter sandwich -chew it up- then spit it out when they were ready to swallow. Look at how big it is (MUCH bigger than a pill as a rule) then swallow it then they could do the pill.... don't know how it works... but worth a try with older kids.

-Angela

thats sooooooo funny!

my mom taught me with tic tacs n i used to try n hide them under my tongue and what not til she set a rolling pin next to me n said to swallow the %$##^ tic tac and when i asked what the rolling pin was for she said shed beat me if i didnt swallow it (she never really hit me!) but the threat was enough! i havent had a problem since!

[hottmama]

I STILL have a hard time swallowing any sized pills... I was a teenager before I could do it at all and it still makes me gag, especially anything at all big.

[Pandora114]

Rockets are good practice. They are the same diameter as the regular uncoated tylonol tablets.

I've always found capsules way easyer to swallow. Instead of putting them crosswise I put them lenghtwise on the tongue, take a HUGE Gulp of water and down they go.

I've always had issues with tablets. So if you can find the stuff in exclusively capsule form, you're laughing.

But if you can't, just get them to practice with rockets.

MMMmm Rocket candies....

[midstreammama]

I learned to swallow pills when I was pregnant with dd3, I was about 21. I could finally take my prenatals!! I used to take chewables!

[Pandora114]

Originally Posted by midstreammama

I learned to swallow pills when I was pregnant with dd3, I was about 21. I could finally take my prenatals!! I used to take chewables!

But chewable vitamins are teh bomb!

Except if you're my DH...

Him and his middle brother got into a Coscto sized bottle of Flintstones vitamins once.

They spent the whole night in the ER getting their stomach's pumped...

He wont touch another flintstone vitamin ever again...

[oregongirlie]

My mom taught us to put the pills far, far, far back in our throats -- as far as we could. Then drink juice to cover up any leftover taste.

[clynnr]

I taught my cousin to swallow pills once. I was like sixteen, so this is advice from a teenager, LOL, but this is what I told her, and it worked!

Put the pill in your mouth. Forget about it. As fast as you can, chug a huge glass of water. Voila! The pill is sloshing around in your stomach.

[CraftyGardenerTN]

Swallowing Pills

Wow I remember trying to get my daughter to swallow a pill for the first time. It was a screaming mess.....lol.....she would not do it in ice cream or anything. Bad thing was the doc had prescribed them for her bladder and he said not to chew them or let them dissolve as they would turn her mouth orange and taste REALLY bad. Well, that is what ended up happening....what an ordeal that was....lol.

Blessings,
Kelly