AIBU giving liquid medicine to 1 yr olds, advice please!

[crinklydinkly]

I've got to give shed loads of sweet liquid medicines to my toddler tomo.

today I tried spoon-feeding yogurt, successful first time, but not the next time (tried cup feeding the second time too, I think she just wasn't in the mood for it or the medicine wasn't diluted enough as she's had it from a cup quite a bit in the past)

I did the same with Alpro chocolate pudding, it didn't work.

So I ended up with the trauma of the Calpol syringe. Sometimes she's happy with that but not today (I haven't given her much Calpol in the past).

Please help, wise mumsnetters, I've got too much else on! thank you :-)

[Sassypants82]

Could you use suppositories??

[loveulotslikejellytots]

Not great, but bribery? A chocolate button after each mouthful?

[crinklydinkly]

thanks sassy, not sure they're available for penicillin, amoxicillin and ibuprofen?

do toddlers get less upset about them?
thanks

[ohidoliketobe]

Hmm I tend to go for the squirt the syringe into the cheek and pop the dummy in before they realise what's happened. But I'm pretty mean.

[TeaBelle]

How much are we talking? Can you have two syringes? One that she can give you - water/juice etc then one for her. Alternatively I had to wrap dd in a towel to get antibiotics into her and just squirt it in her cheek

[Sassypants82]

Oh.. Right. Have only ever used paracetamol (paralink) ones on my toddler & they've been great. Work for longer for temperatures, allowing a restful night's sleep. They're glossy by themselves but would sometimes put a tiny bit of Vaseline on the tip to help it slide up.
My DS would give his right leg for a dose of any medicine though so unfortunately can't advise anything to help with oral medication. Best of luck & hope your DC feels better.

[cherryblossomcarpet]

If she doesn't want to take it you'll have to use a syringe. It's better than way than some or all of it not going in. Mine started to accept medicines at about 2, but prior to that it was a case of lying them down on a changing mat and syringing it into the corner of their mouth. It is harder for them to spit it out when lying down as gravity works in your favour.

ds is on calpol, ibuprofen and amoxicillin too today, and it is so much easier than it was a year ago.

[RockCrushesLizard]

I had a calpol refuser, and we used to mix it with couple of teaspoons of ice cream.
Not the healthiest, but any port in a storm and all that. Worked like a charm!

[ZigZagIntoTheBlue]

I lie ds (age 1) down and squirt the syringe in the side of his cheek bit by bit. Too much at once and it's spat out. If I'm organised I have a tissue in the other hand to mop up any seepage! Good luck :)

[Etak15]

Be careful with yogurt type things as if it contains guar guar gum affects absorbsion of meds. Ask doc to prescribe a high concentration so you have less to give so the 500mg in 5ml antibiotics so you only have to give 2.5ml use 6+ calpol so you only have to give 2.5ml not 5ml etc. Use a syringe lie them back a little bit and gently squirt into their cheek.

[hoopdeloop]

Syringe is definitely the easiest way for me and my wriggly boy! If he is really not wanting to take it, I have to lie him down across my knee and hold his arms with one arm and give the medicine that way as I don't think he like the amoxicillin. It's not nice but needs must sometimes. Hope she feels better soon xx

[PeppaPigTastesLikeBacon]

Does you DC use a dummy? If so you can get the dummy medicine things

www.tesco.com/direct/dentinox-medicine-dispenser/456-2273.prd?source=others

[marciagetscreamed]

I had this problem OP. The penicillin tastes vile, no matter how much you try to hide it.

Mine got used to it after a few doses, we used the calpol syringe thing straight into the cheek, no messing. Lots of praise and smiles and a biscuit afterwards.

Tastes marginally better if cold!

Good luck!

[crinklydinkly]

thank you so much for all your suggestions, I might try the ice cream but she doesn't seem to like the coldness of it yet - might just try cream!
thanks again

[Froggie13]

I had to give DD penicillin which she wasn't keen on. She likes the fruit pouches so I put the penicillin in one (about a quarter full), mixed it with the fruit, resealed it and gave it to her, which she happily ate. If she didn't take it we used the syringe squirted into the cheek. Good luck, hope your DD is better soon x

[dobbythedoggy]

Syringe into cheeck a ml or two at a time. If dh is home he holds ds back in his arms. The does he isn't about for he gets cuddled in tight to me with a big towel or blanket to swaddle him if his feeling uncooperative. Ds 11 months has to have two sweetly foul smelling drugs twice a day and has just finished his second lot of antibiotics for a chest infection.

Syringes from the chemist that come with a little adaptor for the top of the bottle are infinantly better than the calpol syringes. The thiner end makes it much easier to get into a reluctant baby's mouth. Unfortunately medicine can't be a choice for him, he needs to take it and take it on time, so we just have to get on with it. Dd now 4 was much more indulged...

[crinklydinkly]

i'm full of crap, she's on paracetamol not penicillin, calpol is paracetamol right? haven't read other comments yet xx

[SummerSazz]

A chocolate button chaser after a successful swallow worked here

[crinklydinkly]

dobby sorry to hear about your little one having to have it all the time xxx
I will have to remember about syringes from the chemist like you said etc

[DontTouchTheMoustache]

I saw on a Facebook tips page to coat a lolly with it and repeat until the whole dose is gone but I don't know if that would work.

[Inneedofaholiday2017]

(Clean) Finger in her mouth straight after you've squirted the medicine in stops them spitting it back out.

Lie on back, squirt side of mouth (using straw if they won't open mouth) and then your little finger in to make her swallow it.

Good luck!

[Witchend]

Had a veteran medicine refuser. He got lots of practice in his first two years to be fair. I ended up with a technique something along the lines of:

Wrap him in a hug with arms pinned to the side with legs.
Raise his chin slightly (makes it harder to spit out) with one hand.
Syringe the medicine into the cheek keeping his chin raised.
Put a piece of chocolate into mouth. Hold until swallowed.

All that happened if we disguised it in food was he refused that food for a long time.
I am looking at a yellow patch above the computer that was amoxicillin. It has been scrubbed, but not totally faded. he could projectile vomit antibiotics at will.

[KanyesVest]

Do you have a favourite grandparent/aunt /friend near by? Ds (2ish at the time) was a nightmare for medicines until his favourite babysitter happened to call in one day I was trying to get amoxicillan into him. When he stopped thrashing and screaming she asked him about his magic medicine and then could she watch him take it. Quick as a flash he opened his gob like a baby bird and swallowed down the lot to whoops and cheers from lovely babysitter. He spent the rest of the course asking for "Cathy's medicine"

Hope your dd is better soon.

[crinklydinkly]

I should say she's only 1 and hasn't learned to talk at all yet, so i'm not sure how well bribery will work but I can try

[BlackeyedSusan]

paracetamol can come in dispersable tablets that can be put in a drink. one Gp used coke for his (older) kids.

pink medicine (antibiotics of the vilest kind) had neat ribena, and a spoon of sugar added, followed by chocolate. (you get false teeth but not replacement eyes)

yellow antibiotics went in milk to make milk shake. he ws pissed off when we finished the course.

both could spit paracetamol miles, ages after they had had it squirted in their mouth.

we need to be more french and go for the paracetamol suppositories for littlies. mind you mine would be able to ....