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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask for tips to get a toddler to take medicine (without 'force')

43 replies

Totality22 · 02/03/2015 17:50

DS, 27 months is severely constipated. Got a month's prescription of Movicol but he will not take it.

I've tried it diluted in squash, in yoghurt, bribing with choccie buttons.

He has now refusing all his drinks as he knows something is up (he drinks several beakers a day) . He is so grumpy and uncomfy and I'm feeling really stressed and frustrated about it. ..

if it was a one off I'd syringe it but he is going to need the full course (one month).. beginning with 2 sachets a day. He hasn't had so much as a sip of drink since about 8am.

OP posts:

Jasonandyawegunorts · 03/03/2015 13:37

Perhaps I ate too much chocolate in one go.

A punishment for being greedy?

Marioswife · 03/03/2015 15:13

if it's been a week, I def agree with suppositories, pop one in at nappy change time, let him go and play and in half and hour he will go, it's not nice as its building up, it makes their little tummy's churn and grumble, but it saves weeks of trying to get laxatives down their throat.

onemiddlefinger · 03/03/2015 15:48

I am currently struggling with giving my DS montelukast granules, also a month's course. He ate it with ice cream with no problems, but I don't really want to give him ice cream every evening for a month.Have tried yoghurt and jelly with no luck and diluted it in milk once, but realised it says not to dilute...

Regarding constipation, does your DS like fruits? My DS loves mango and it always makes him go quite soon after, same with blueberries actually.
But obviously it might be past this stage and if he really needs the medicine, then I would keep trying but maybe not with drinks for a while, perhaps a food that you know he loves.

Petallic · 03/03/2015 15:55

My DS doesn't mind the movicol sachets (although I don't let him
See them to be on the safe side). I do mix the squash a bit stronger than normal though, perhaps that might help if you haven't already tried?

ILovePud · 03/03/2015 16:09

Poor little thing, personally I'm not a fan of mixing medicine with other foods, if they decide they don't want to eat it then you're stuck trying to persuade them to eat a greater quality of stuff. If you've had success with syringes (you say that's what you'd do with a single dose) could you not just use a syringe to administer, just dismantle and put it in sterilising fluid between uses.

Piratejones · 04/03/2015 08:44

How's it going OP have you had any luck getting him to take it?

MrsMaker83 · 04/03/2015 09:17

Maybe buy him a fancy cup or bottle of his choice? The novelty of it might get him drinking!

TwoOddSocks · 04/03/2015 09:21

I'm in the same boat here! I think mine definitely picks up on the fact I'm keen for him to drink it which puts him off even more. Could you back off for a little while until he's not thinking about it as much? I mis with ALOT of juice and give him a choice and I'll have a drink of the juice too at the same time (without the movicol obviously).

Discopanda · 04/03/2015 09:38

Try the Peppa Pig episode 'George catches a cold', he has to take 'magic' medicine, worked a treat with my DD

miniavenger · 04/03/2015 11:08

Is he eating other things? When I get bad constipation I don't like to eat because i already feel uncomfortable. Syringe it? You'll have to keep at it but after a while he might start putting up with it and you can tr soemthign else.

Or fybrogel?

Isandri · 04/03/2015 12:07

op you didn't say if your son is taking movicol junior or adult? If he's on junior that sounds like a very low dose considering that your son is probably compacted after not pooing for a week.

My 2 year old has been taking movicol since he was 5 months old. He's currently on 3 1/2 movicol junior (neutral) flavor. That's like 2 adult sachets. We mix the movicol with soadstream dr Pete (dr pepper dupe) and give it all at once with a syringe. We add a tiny bit of lactalose just to sweeten the mix a bit more. My sons doctor and dentist have both said that its ok to give it to him like this. My son also walks almost 1.5 miles a day. If he doesn't poo for 2-3 days it takes 3 weeks to get all the blockage out.

Mix the medicine with whatever works for your son. I haven't tried this but have been told another good method is make the movicol with just enough water to dissolve it and the mix it into thick porridge. If you are going to mix it with a milk based product your you have to dissolve all the movicol with water first other wise the mix will separate and can't be used.

Isandri · 04/03/2015 12:08

I forgot to say we give the medicine by syringe while watching television in the morning. It takes 30-45 minutes for my son to drink 4 sachets.

SummerHouse · 04/03/2015 12:15

Could you mix it into main meal e.g spag bol?

GritStrength · 04/03/2015 15:22

I feel your pain. Dc will not consume any medicine whatsoever and would be similarly refusing to drink in that situation. If pinned down, Dc will make themselves sick. I've resorted to importing paediatric pessaries for ibuprofen and paracetamol as we simply cannot get even calpol or nurofen down even when dangerously hot or in massive pain.

BertieBotts · 04/03/2015 15:29

Fruit shoots are great for this because they taste vile really strong and mask the flavour. Plus I think they actually have toddler crack in them.

I used to give DS ribena in a baby bottle until he was about four whenever he needed calpol

Jasonandyawegunorts · 04/03/2015 15:31

I used to give DS ribena in a baby bottle until he was about four whenever he needed calpol

Got the job done didn't it.

TheOddity · 04/03/2015 15:39

Mine has been begging for medicine since we have been playing doctors and me pretending to find the medicine really disgusting! Could you try a bit of role play and make it a bit fun? E.g. Now mummy has to swallow the syringe. Yuk! Now DS doctor needs to give me an injection. Ow ow ow! Etc

Or what about some really funky straws? Letting him drink it out of a bowl or something weird. That always appeals to toddlers. Lapping it like a dog?

I think best thing for now might be just to give quickly in syringe and make a big fuss of what a brave good boy he is after. It's over in seconds and breaks the association with drinks. Then slowly start trying to introduce concept of medicine to make you better etc and he might take it from a spoon if followed by a sweetie.

Piratejones · 05/03/2015 20:47

Lut's of juicey grapes!

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