3 year old won't take medicine

[Deenamumof1]

Hi guys. Newish to this so bare with me.
My 3 year old has caught a cold he's had his cough now for 3 weeks so after having to put his calpol in his drink to make him get his temp down now he's OK in himself but he won't take cough medicine. I try talking to him nicely about it first but he always gets so wound up before we even start I've tried telling him he can add more stickers to his reward chart I've tried having a bag of sweets ready for when he's finished but he spits it out everywhere. The only thing that actually works is if o raise my voice and basically pin him down and force him to drink it but I feel I'm doing more damage mentally than doing good physically I'm so worn out and I literally get anxiety when I hear him coughing or sneezing as I know how hard he is to take medicine. Any advice would be appreciated!!

[rach2713]

Hi didn't want to read and run. I have had this trouble with my 3 year old she was good at taken until she was in hospital just before her 1st bday with a temp over 40 the nurse wouldn't jet ne put the calpol in her mouth and rammed it in her mouth and ever since then she was a night mare to take medicine would spit it out make her self sick wouldn't take it in anything so we had to pin her down and put it to the side if her mouth and have kinder eggs on stand by for after. She has had a little bit of a temp so we watched peppa pig and she was ill and she watched her take her medicine so I asked if she could take hers just like peppa did and she took it and has had more before bed so hopefully cracked it x

[Micah]

Is it cough medicine prescribed by a doctor?

If not, don't bother. They don't work. Hot water with some honey in is just as good.

Has he had a cough and temperature for 3 weeks? Has he seen a dr? It's not clear from your post.

[ffffffedup]

Put the medicine in a yoghurt give it a quick stir and then give it to your dc always worked for me they don't even realise they're having medicine

[Deenamumof1]

Thanks for the reply ladies with calpol I've been putting it in with some squash so he's ok, but I bought some cough medicine to try and get rid of his cough yes sorry I rush while I type, yeah been to see doctor twice just said its a long lasting flu. I just get so anxious when I know he's unwell trying to give him medicine is so hard, he also a very very very picky eater he doesn't eat yoghurts ive even considered making my own medicine ice lollies because he loves them but I don't know if that would work by freezing the medicine

[Cass168]

Hi OP, only thing that works with my 2 yr old DS is giving him a straw. He will drink anything with a straw before the novelty wears off! Could you try something similar?

[Cass168]

And also mixing calpol with warm Ribena, which I know is a dental nightmare but he only gets a small amount, the warmth is soothing for a cough / cold and he has a good teeth clean afterwards.

[rudolphistheboss]

Over the counter cough medicine won't do much anyway. Wrt to the Calpol, would he be happier to do it himself with one of the squirty syringes? My DD thinks that is the best thing ever and likes being treated like a grown up 😊

[bittapitta]

NHS website says very clearly that cough medicine is no better than warm drinks (eg warm honey and lemon)!

Stick with calpol if he still needs it but otherwise don't bother with cough syrup.

[Sirzy]

Unless he was really miserable/running a very high temp I just wouldn't give the calpol.

I wouldn't give otc cough medicine either as it is pretty pointless.

Give him some warm juice to soothe his throat/cough a bit maybe?