65
I don't like using strength or force to do things, and I am afraid to cause fear or trauma on my little one
This dislike of using force speaks for you. However, in this case, it might be the only thing that is guaranteed to be sucessfull in getting her to take her medicine, and it's in her interest, even if she doesn't understand it. This is what parents ...
answered Sep 8 '19 at 20:04
Pascal says Talk To Monica
8,1902 gold badges17 silver badges38 bronze badges
31
Try a two-pronged approach:
Teach proper technique. Many of us were taught to tilt the face upward when swallowing, but recent research see here shows, that this actually makes it harder to swallow. The suggestion is to either a) put the pill on the tongue, then suck a big gulp of water from a plastic bottle or b) put the pill on the tongue, take some water ...
31
Let her moan, cry, and delay the inevitable, showing respect for her feelings, but set a timer for these activities. When the timer goes off, it's time to take the medicine.
Refusing medicine necessary to get better is not an option, just like playing in traffic is not an option. But respecting her feelings about it is an option.
The following is a very ...
21
There's technique as @Stephie detailed (+1 btw), but don't forget the psychology. No one wants to swallow a pill, especially young ones (rather ironic since they don't always want to chew their food well, either). For my daughter, we made it a game: Get the boat to float in the water and then swallow it all. Years later she still referred to "floating the ...
19
This is advice based on adult experience, so take it with a grain of salt: I was catheterized once briefly (just in and out, to help me void my bladder while I was giving birth) and was told to watch out for UTI signs after, because catheters can cause a UTI. So if I were you I would not ask for it routinely.
15
When my son has to take prednisolone I sandwich the dose between teaspoons of honey and graham crackers. It is supposed to be taken with food anyway, and I find that the honey + cracker makes a coating on his tongue so that he can't taste the medicine as much. You know what they say..."a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down..."
Honey is also good ...
11
Here are a few things I've recommended. I know this might gross some people out.
Some pills (some antibiotics and others) are notoriously bitter/ bad tasting. As soon as they hit the tongue, they start to dissolve, leaving a bad taste and a desire to spit the thing out, which only makes you hold it there longer and get more bad taste in the mouth. A butter ...
11
How you should react will depend on what your child has gotten into and how they are currently acting.
First, lets clarify what each option will get you.
Poison Control (U.S.: 1-800-222-1222)
See This URL for information about who you will be talking to (medical experts in toxicology), what information they will ask you, etc. The Poison Control Center ...
11
I'm assuming that your daughter is very young--not quite 1 yet maybe? Older children are usually capable of giving a urine sample, so if they had to use a catheter then obviously she's not old enough to do that, yet.
In small children, fever, vomiting, and general crankiness can be the only signs of a UTI. They can also be signs of gastroenteritis, which, ...
9
It's unlikely you would have never known except by "luck." The worst case is the fever still doesn't break after a few days, so you go back in and they run more tests. You know your child better than any doctor. You followed your instincts and it worked out.
However, they can't test for everything all the time. They have to go with what is most likely ...
8
I'm lacking a bit of information, so I'l write an extended answer.
When a child has trouble with a really bad tasting liquid medicine you could try various approaches:
1. Avoidance
Of course you can't avoid taking necessary antibiotics. But check with your doctor:
Are there other manufacturers that supply the same active ingredient, but with a ...
8
We couldn't wait any longer. Our daughter confronted us about why we wanted her to make her take "happy pills" and that it was silly to expect someone to be happy all the time. I told her that whoever told her they were "happy pills" was very, very wrong.
I then made a concrete analogy between her inattentive-ADD and her brother's colorblindness. Just like ...
7
I know I am late to this discussion but really wanted to pass this tip along. I has worked for anyone I have told that has tried it and a nurse on a pediatric ward of a hospital. Follow with peanut butter, takes the taste away immediately.
7
Parent: "It's time to take your medicine."
Kid: "Charlie should not take medicine."
Parent: "No it's time to take medicine. First we'll take the medicine, then we can go do < fun activity>."
Kid: "Charlie should not."
Parent: "You can take your medicine, or you can go to time out."
Kid: "No medicine, no time out."
Parent: "Okay, time-out it is. Wait ...
6
As a kid, I learned by putting the pill in a dab of yogurt on a teaspoon. It was the old-fashion thick yogurt with lots of sugar. Unlike a pill (or even a piece of small candy) swallowing a blob of yogurt feels natural. The yogurt acted as a lubricant against the pill sticking to a dry mouth or tongue. The yogurt also overpowers the bitter taste you ...
6
According to the US Dept. of Health and Human Services Poison Help website and the Mayo Clinic, you should first call Poison Control, unless the victim is unconscious, having trouble breathing, having seizures, or is "uncontrollably restless or agitated" (I assume this is meant to be a proxy for high adrenaline levels, and not meant to imply simply stressed ...
5
My son has severe asthma, the first time his pulmonologist prescribed prednisolone my son vomited it up due to the awful taste, this happened several times... We tried adding juice, even chocolate syrup and many suggestions found online, finally the pulmonologist switched and gave my son pulmicort. Well its been a few months and his asthma is bad again so of ...
5
Of course, your ideal solution would be for your wife to see the error of her ways and agree with you that homoeopathy is just expensive water. But then again, your wife would prefer for you to come around to her point of view. Neither is very likely to happen, from what I gather from your story. I assume you've reasoned this six ways from Sunday with her ...
5
Physically, this should be relatively straightforward, at that age they can't bite that hard - and you can use a thumb to help hold the jaw open.
But a more useful way to do this is to get her cooperation - at that age, especially if the ulcer is hurting her, help her understand what the medicine will do to help. Of course this is easier if it tastes nice, ...
5
I was ADHD inattentive and did not receive medication for it (story for another time, but I am passed that now). My wife is ADHD inattentive and she may be mild ASD, and she started her medication as an adult (post 30). Of my 3 daughters, the oldest is ADHD inattentive, another is ADHD inattentive and mild hyperactive (though some days it seems like anything ...
5
I think that @threetimes is definitely on the right track here, but I wanted to add something else as well.
I have a distinct memory as a kid of taking medicine for something and then being very worried when whatever was wrong didn't immediately get better. My mom finally told me that I had to wait the length of an entire episode of Mr. Roger's ...
4
Medication noncompliance is an issue with about 70% of schizophrenic patients. There are a number of reasons for this, including:
Lack of awareness (I'm not sick, so why should I take medication?). This is biological.
Denial (patient knows he is sick but refuses to believe it). This is psychological.
Side effects which doctors often underestimate.
Delusions ...
4
Just passing along an idea for anyone having to use the worst tasting med ever. I cut a little piece of gummy candy in half (mine is Starkist ? gummy). Then split it again and pushed the pill inside. These gummys are soft enough that I could then squeeze the top and bottom around the pill and they stayed stuck. I drank it right down with water (and I'm going ...
4
I always hated taking pills. Here are some things that helped me:
Practice swallowing with soft and slimy food objects first. I recommend standard (cooked) cheesy noodles made with elbow or shell macaroni. Pick one noodle out with your spoon and see if you can swallow it without chewing. (Disclaimer: Supervise in case of choking. I never had problems with ...
4
Children can be odd in how they respond to illness. When one of my children was not even two he caught a stomach bug. We all did. But everyone got better within short order, then the toddler became sick again and this time he stayed sick for 10 scary days. We saw the doctor, went to emergency, it was really one of the most scary and unpleasant things I ...
4
I had similar with 2 sons... and yes I am 110kg...
Around 5 &3 they had to have injections at the docs. Oldest refused, hating needles while youngest sat and was so easy - they were in the room together... The youngest, after the first one in the left arm, turned and offered the right arm for the next injection... The nurse laughed with him and said "it'...
4
My eldest has a chronic medical condition (cerebral palsy), for which we have given her literally thousands of doses of medicine (through a tube directly into her stomach), not to mention some much more painful things like physical therapy, so perhaps my perspective is different, but I have always been a fan of the "no big deal, it's over already" approach ...
3
I was terrible at swallowing pills for years. My inability to swallow tablets and capsules was a contributing factor to simply lying down in bed when I had a headache instead of taking some Tylenol, for example. The few times where I had an acute condition that required swallowing a pill, it would be a big chore that occasionally resulting in spitting out ...
3
I used to have the worst problems both with taste and with it sticking to my tongue, and this technique solved both issues for me. I'm the only one I know who does this, and I'm not sure how I came up with it, but maybe it will help.
I actually put pills under my tongue, just behind my bottom front teeth. Then as the water comes in, I use the tip of my ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
