Help! Can't get toddler to take penicillin medicine

[Species8472]

My DD (2) just will not take her horrible orange penicillin liquid, have tried spoon (on which she'll happily take Calpol etc), and syringe, but she just hates the taste of it, is getting really distressed and hardly any of it is going in her mouth. Can it be mixed with food/drink?(not that she's eating or drinking a huge amount anyway, so would be difficult). Am worried she's just not taking it and so much is being wasted. Thanks, will try to get back here later.

I feel your pain. You can mix it with drinks or yogurt or any other food that works. I read that if they have a spoonful of chocolate sauce first, it bonds to the taste buds and penicillin doesn't taste as bad. Try all these if they dont work, phone your gp and beg for domething else. Try crying.
Last resort ( I have to do this) wrap child in towel with arms pinned to side. Lay on back and half sit on them so they can't move. Push cheeks in so your fingers are between their jaw. Squirt in and hold mouth open. They have to swallow or choke. It is horrible and distressing for them and you but better than watching them very ill with tonsillitis.

Hi, thanks for answering :) I went to the walk-in centre this morning, they said there's no alternative to the horrible stuff, but the nurse had another look at DD and said it wasn't tonsils (doc who saw her couple of days ago couldn't get her mouth open) and said most likely viral, so penicillin wouldn't work anyway...sigh!

I feel your pain and am in the same boat today - it's awful isnt it? DD was prescribed antibiotics yesterday and we've got the gloppy high vis yellow fake banana one - she'll happily take the orange liquidy one off a spoon but will not entertain this one at all and even the sight of the bottle coming out of the fridge is currently inducing hysterics!

So far today we've had to adopt mnistooadictive's approach with the towel and syringe - it does work but is distressing for everyone and seems to involve 10 mins heated debate with DP beforehand about who'll do the holding and who'll do the medicine giving. Luckily DD seems to calm down immediately afterwards and has forgiven me about 3 minutes later.

Might try the chocolate sauce idea as that sounds interesting. Hope your DD is feeling better soon

I put it in a syringe and have a bowl of ice cream for my DD. Id get some icecream on the spoon and squirt some medicine on the spoon I would alternate with spoons with just icecream on it. DD happily ate it as long as she didnt see me squirt the medicine on.

Spoonful of ice cream straight after - cooling for throat and high in calories if they're not eating....

I usually mix my DS's in to a yoghurt.

If you have to do it by force, be quick and decisive and explain why you are having to do it. The more dithering the worse it gets