Hey Parents...I need help/advice.

JanetLM73

How do you get your little one (age 5) to take medicine? My daughter has been sick for a week, she also has impetigo which she has cream for. She told me her ear was sore today so I took her to the dr's and she has a bad infection in one ear.

I can't get her to take the antibiotics, she was in the hospital almost 6 months ago for surgery and the nurses had a hard time the whole week getting meds into her.

I've tried to hide it in many things....I have no idea what to do, I feel bad for her and I don't want to hold her down....she's been through more medical stuff then most adults, and I don't want to stress her out more then she is.

albinogorilla

Just had this problem with my 2 year old, two antibiotics and some prednisone. I give him the option, if he refuses, then i hold him down, put it in the back of his mouth, and hold his mouth shut until he swallows. And next time guess what? His mouth opened right up!

kriggs1976

With your daughter being 5, she is old enough to know to open her mouth.

Give 2 options:

either she opens her mouth

or

you hold her down and open it for her

My son is special needs and even he knows to open up and take it or the alternative is no better...It is bad sometimes, but parents need to take control. We know the medicine is what is going to make them better, so the option of not taking it, should not be an option at all.

iNkedFiTmama

If you have to hold her down try one of those little medicine syringe things.. that seems like it would be much easier and it wouldn't get the medicine all over the place. My kids love taking medicine.. I actually have to tell them no when one of them is sick & the other that the non-sick kid doesn't need medicine because they beg for it lol.

zorbaru

our 3 year old would get 2 smarties (m&m's) if he took his medicine.

rewards for good are better than punishments for bad.

generally we found if we held him down and forced it in, he would get so worked up that he would just bring it straight back up after.

JanetLM73

our 3 year old would get 2 smarties (m&m's) if he took his medicine.

rewards for good are better than punishments for bad.

generally we found if we held him down and forced it in, he would get so worked up that he would just bring it straight back up after.

That's what my daughter does, she'll throw it up.....we've held her down before and she was sobbing, she threw up a second later.

SueD66

I always used a suringe for the liquid meds. I actually never had a problem with my kids but some of the meds were nasty tasting so i thought it would help to be able to squirt it in the back of the throat. Good Luck and i home your kiddy feels better soon.

christine24t

I have one really vivid memory of my dad holding me down screaming because I didn't want to take the medications for my ear (I had a lot of ear problems as a kid). He would do that, or reward me for taking it, or my parents would try and get better tasting meds. There was one antibiotic I loved the taste of (it was like Pepto) and I used to sneak doses when my parents weren't looking because it tasted so good!

hailie08

I work as a nurse at a childrens hospital and theres a few tricks that work really well if it's a liquid medication: and if it's not, you can ask your dr and most medicines can be prescribed that way!

1.) Mix it in with something like chocolate milk. Something thin enough that it will mix in well, but has enough taste they won't taste the medicine. but in the medicine, a tablespoon of water, then the drink, Just don't let the child know!
2.) If you can use a medicinal syringe, if you hold the childs nose while putting it in their mouth, they have to swallow. But we try to avoid that as it can be traumatizing and make future medicines worse to get in them.

Talk with your child and see what he/she suggests. Let them know they have to take it no matter what , and they get to choose how. Sometimes something that seems silly to us is a solution to them.

Good luck!

Jules0336

It isn't always easy to hold them down and force it, my sister has that problem with my nephew and he will just spit it out or be sick. She found a pharmacy that will make medicine into a suppository, she has used this for antibiotics. If anything, they may decide that taking it orally isn't THAT bad

wiffe

I use liquid and use the syringe. WE squirt it in. They can either take it little bits at a time (followed with chaser of THEIR choice) or we do it all in one big SQUIRT. Their choice.

sculley

With your daughter being 5, she is old enough to know to open her mouth.

Give 2 options:

either she opens her mouth

or

you hold her down and open it for her

My son is special needs and even he knows to open up and take it or the alternative is no better...It is bad sometimes, but parents need to take control. We know the medicine is what is going to make them better, so the option of not taking it, should not be an option at all.

A little harsh in the delivery but can't say I disagree and this is coming from another mom of a special needs child that used to always protest now he demands to take all three of his pills in one gulp

JanetLM73

It isn't always easy to hold them down and force it, my sister has that problem with my nephew and he will just spit it out or be sick. She found a pharmacy that will make medicine into a suppository, she has used this for antibiotics. If anything, they may decide that taking it orally isn't THAT bad

Yep, we've been through that as well, they had to give her tylenol suppositories while she was in the hospital.

MellyLikestoRun

At 5, she should grasp the concept that this is meant to help her. How about role playing - can you have her "dose" a doll or stuffed animal with a syringe of water first, so she gets that it's not meant to hurt her? I don't think anything of slight bribery in these situations. There has to be a small token that she wants that can be a reward for taking her medicine. Anything from a star on a chart to some jelly beans or a designated amount of time on her favorite TV show, etc. etc. Best of luck!

jsmith2377

Just had this problem with my 2 year old, two antibiotics and some prednisone. I give him the option, if he refuses, then i hold him down, put it in the back of his mouth, and hold his mouth shut until he swallows. And next time guess what? His mouth opened right up!

^^ This. We had a particularly difficult time not too long ago getting rid of some antibiotic resistant pink eye. The medication stung going in and there were instances of having to hold him down. It took a month for the pink eye to finally get kicked so it was a long month.
We also use stickers as a reward for good behavior at home so we told him he could have a sticker at the end of the day if we didn't have to hold him down at all that day. Unfortunately, there were times where I had to hold him down and it sucks but it has to happen.

hbrittingham

My son would listen to his pediatrician better than he would me, so when I needed him to take some nasty meds, I'd tell him that Dr. Brown said he absolutely HAD to take it. He did. I still don't know how or why that worked because even now, at 23 years old, he doesn't like anyone telling him what to do.

Perdeks

Most pharmacies now can give the med in different flavours next time let your little one pick out the flavor they like.price chopper does this and hannaford I think walgreens as well.

JanetLM73

With your daughter being 5, she is old enough to know to open her mouth.

Give 2 options:

either she opens her mouth

or

you hold her down and open it for her

My son is special needs and even he knows to open up and take it or the alternative is no better...It is bad sometimes, but parents need to take control. We know the medicine is what is going to make them better, so the option of not taking it, should not be an option at all.

A little harsh in the delivery but can't say I disagree and this is coming from another mom of a special needs child that used to always protest now he demands to take all three of his pills in one gulp

I agree, she is not special needs, but she has had 2 major operations, the last on being 6 months ago, she had surgery on her skull/forehead her eyes were swollen shut for 3 days and were black and blue, she had major anxiety after we got home and things were back to normal, but after seeing her sob today it was like we just got home from the hospital today, I understand that she needs the medicine, I just wish there was an easier way.

KatFierce

my son is 3 and we have always had trouble getting him to take it what works for us is ...
1-i use the syringe to give me some juice, then him some juice, then him medicine, make it like a fun thing.
2-cheer ALOT when he does take it
3-bribe with m&ms or a movie to watch or a sticker/hand stamp
4-put stickers on it of like spongebob and ask if he wants spongebob medicine ( along the idea of character shaped vitamins, way more fun if its something they like)
5-allow him to push the syringe( he loooves to do this one), we put it in he puts his finger over mine and we push together he usually asks for more!!! so I split the dose in half with this one or allow him to do juice after.

abigailm83

My son has special needs and hates taking meds. I've done the holding him down thing but he is sooo strong it makes it hard for me to do it myself. I've gotten to a point where I just explain that it's the meds or the hospital and if he wants to feel better he has to take it. I also give him a chaser of choc milk, it seems to get the nasty taste out of his mouth quicker than juice or water. Hope you little one gets to feeling better, hate when little ones don't feel good. :frown:

danipals

I had read that chocolate takes away the bad taste immediately so I let my son have 2-3 m&ms or chocolate chips immediately after swallowing the meds. He has them in his hand ready to go the minute he swallows and he says it takes the bad taste away.

prettygirlhoward

my daughter used to give me a hard time too and would gag and spit it out when I would force ger and hold her down.... plus the guilt I felt for doing it was worse... Depending on the kind of medicine (Flavor) I used to mix it with strawberry milk and that worked for me. Or I would do little at a time with a glass of juice to wash the taste down. if she gave me a hard time I would tell her if she don't take it Ill take her to the hospitol and have the Dr do it......worked every time

mandamama

I would call the pharmacy and ask if they make that med in a chewable form. A good trick I use it, I freeze yogurt tubes, let her eat half, take the meds then immediately suck the rest of the tube. it works well becuase their taste buds are frozen, therefore its not as nasty. Also, I always let her use the syringe to give it to herself, she always thought that was cool, no fight... she just does it on her own. if it was something super nasty, I would mix it in applesauce, now they make the raspberry apple sauce or peach, so its a good fake out It is so stressful. But at 5 years old she is certainly old enough to sit and have a rational talk about medicine, why she needs it, and if she takes it good for the next few days, then it will be done. I also used to get special treats she wouldn't normally get for after she took her meds if she took them straight up. and I always had a cup of water right there so she could chug as soon as the med was in her mouth. I personally am a medicine hater, gagger, puker so I totally get where these kids come from LOL

mandamama

oh and also, I found bathtime to be a good time to see if shed take it herself then if it makes a mess, it really is just no big deal. Try not to be stressed going into it, it makes things a bit better... I know.. easier said than done when your 5 year old is having a melt down HAHA

iamwhimsy

When my kids were younger and had meds to take, we made a sticker picture.

Start with a blank piece of paper, colored paper makes it even a bit more fun.

Each time they are scheduled for meds, they have the opportunity to earn two stickers to add to their picture. 1 sticker for simply taking the meds, the 2nd sticker is if they take the meds without a fight.

For some kids, just the chance to earn stickers and make a picture is enough incentive. Others a reward such as earn 10 stickers and you get 20 minutes of reading time with mom; or if the weather is cooperative and the situation permits, 20 minutes of play at the park; perhaps 5 minutes later bedtime or 15 minutes of water play in the bathtub. Something creative that they can earn.

Personally, I don't agree with earning candy or food items or money.

We also used stickers that they couldn't get any other way but for taking meds. Sometimes this meant we had to buy special stickers just for the occassion, but the couple of dollars we spent on this was well worth it to encourage them to take their meds without a fight or arguement.

There were times that they would fight and argue, however they would only earn 1 sticker for that med dose and they soon learned that they could reach their goal a lot faster if they earned two stickers each dose.

Good luck.

AndiJoy812

With my 5 year-old guy who really does not like taking meds, I give him the control. I will get the dose ready, and then let him hold medicine cup or whatever the meds come in. He does so much better when he does it himself. You may want to start a reward chart - she does it 2 times, she gets a treat. Then she does it another 4 times, she can pick something else. (Little items like a few marshmellows, a cookie, etc...) Then, when the script has run out and she did it without a hassle, she gets to go to store and spend $5. Or pick a movie at the video store, or whatever. When I use this system with my kids, I just take a plain piece of paper and draw a bunch of squares on it, and when they do a great job, I draw a star. Easy. And it works. Good luck!

CleminoleTech

One time I had an issue similar, I had another adult explain the importance. Someone with a firm voice, but yet gentle when discussing the benefits. She talked her into it. Sometimes it takes someone other than Mom or Dad for them to see the importance.

donnantx

No meds: No TV, video games, etc until the child takes the meds. Period. Explain why the child has to take the meds and the consequences that will happen if the child doesnt take the meds not only as a punishment but what will happen if you have to take the child back to the doctor (ie..injection, hospital stay...etc). After the medicine is taken then reward and praise.

bethelcheryl

Hope you were able to get her to take it and she's doing better now!

marsellient

Lots of great suggestions here. At five years of age, an explanation (from an adult other than Mom or Dad, perhaps) may help along with using the "after you've" technique, as in "after you've taken your medicine you can watch an hour of television" or whatever she'd like to do. You have to stick to whatever you say.
This breaks my heart, though. I watch my very ill little nephew take a plate full of pills and syringes of liquids a couple of times a day. He's so good about it, but you can tell it's a chore for the whole family.
I hope you have a well little one soon.

qtiekiki

I know you said you tried hiding it in stuffs, but had you ever try yogurt or chocolate pudding? My 3.5 years old can detect some meds in juice because the med is a tad thicker and changes the texture of the juice. Yogurt worked for us, but the only thing that worked for my friend was chocolate pudding for any meds. Hope your daughter feels better soon. Poor thing.