3yo DD refuses to take medicine. Any tips?

[bilblio]

I have a darling DD who at times can be very stubborn (haven't a clue where she gets it from )

Since being given piriton when she had chicken pox earlier this year she's absolutely refused point blank to take any medicines. Even calpol which she used to love.

She's picked up a tummy bug and she's burning up now. DH and I have just had to practically pin her down to get some calpol in her, our first attempt she made herself sick before any had even gone in her mouth, the second attempt she swallowed it but it's still only half a dose.... but it'll do.

Any suggestions for future doses?

In the past few months we've tried mixing it in strawberry milkshakes, vimto, with water and saying it's special sugar water.

She seems that scared of anything medical that she won't even let me take her temperature! She's never had anything seriously wrong so I haven't a clue where this phobia has come from.

[domesticslattern]

Ah, poor little thing. My DD will do anything for chocolate buttons. Anything. So we usually use them as bribery and to take the taste away.
For the longer term, what about a play doctor's kit so you can play together eg at giving teddy medicine and taking his temperature. So it's a game, not scary.

[rubyslippers]

Mix it with melted chocolate

DS had foul tasting medicine for tonsillitis and it was the only way he would ake the meds

[girliefriend]

get her to hold the spoon herself and take her own medicine ifyswim?! And a bit of 'when and then' might help ie 'when you take your medicine then you can watch cbeebies (or something she wants!!) '

Hope she feels better soon

[bilblio]

Madam - we use a syringe already, and we've tried giving her control, but she still refuses, we've tried a spoon too but that's ridiculously messy! I'd not thought of asking the pharmacist for different flavours.

ds- we've tried bribery too. She had a urine infection a few weeks ago she chose her own sweets from the shop, agreed to it all then, but refused when it came to the crunch... and we tried a star chart that time. If she took it nicely she'd only need to take the medicine for 3 days, if she kept spitting it out it would take longer to work.

I only realised this morning how bad her phobia potentially is, I thought it was just medicines she didn't like, but when I wanted to take her temperature she got really upset... then started saying how she was very brave at the doctors when she let him look in her ears. I thought at the time she sat nice and still, but it was because she was scared.

I think we're going to have to do lots of role play and desensitising.

[bilblio]

Ooh, I like the melted chocolate idea, we might have to try that one, thankyou!

[bilblio]

Eww, yes I can image castor oil would taste horrible, no matter what it was mixed with. Calpol might taste like those strawberry liquer chocolates.

She doesn't have a doctor's kit yet. I've been hunting for a nice one on ebay tonight.

[delusionsofadequacy]

I would be wary of melted chocolate as the temperature of it may affect the stability of the medicine, jam or apple sauce can be quite good to try though. maybe try approaching it as a treat?