Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how on earth to get DS to take antibiotics?

19 replies

CesareBorgiasUnicornMask · 05/12/2015 22:59

16 month old has tonsillitis - he usually takes calpol or ibuprophen with no problems, but he's refusing to have his antibiotics. I think about 1ml of the last 5ml dose went down him. The rest went over his pyjamas, my pyjamas, the carpet...

If I put the syringe too far back I'll drown him, and anywhere further forward he just spits it out. I held his mouth shut for nearly a minute while he screeched and kicked and wriggled and DH held him down, and he waited it out until I thought he must have swallowed it then out it all came.He actually hit his head earlier running away when he saw me getting the box out Sad.

What the hell do I do?!

OP posts:
Fantasyland · 05/12/2015 23:01

Mix it in yoghurt that was the only way for my son

Original poster
CesareBorgiasUnicornMask · 05/12/2015 23:03

Wondered about that but he's not really eating anything. We have managed half a sachet of mango puree today at breakfast time. Everything else has been thrown at me - even ice cream got rejected!

OP posts:
Scarletforya · 05/12/2015 23:04

Put the syringe in his cheek when his mouth is open (if he's like my dd when he's screaming/crying) squirt and hold his nose shop he had to swallow. I know it's really hard to bring yourself to do this but sometimes you have to.

Sympathies. My dd hates it too.

Scarletforya · 05/12/2015 23:06

Hold his nose so he has to swallow Blush

Lostmyemailaddress · 05/12/2015 23:07

My 2 year old is the same I have to wrap her in a towel with her back to me (I have a severe allergy to penicillin ) lean back slightly and squirt it in small amounts next to her cheek while she cries I hate doing it but she's refused all other ways with all medicines

CarlaJones · 05/12/2015 23:12

I think i added it to water and then offered it as the only drink.

BillMurrey · 05/12/2015 23:12

Bribe him - whatever he wants. He's poorly and you just need him to take it. My friend used to give her dd miniature heroes - one after each spoonful. Her dd had never had chocolate before but had always pointed at the big tins of MH in Tesco so that's what she got.

I think if you hold his nose till he swallows you're in real danger of frightening or hurting him and he'll always hate taking medicine.

Original poster
CesareBorgiasUnicornMask · 05/12/2015 23:18

Thanks for the ideas. The trouble is he doesn't want anything. He's not really drinking anything except milkso there's othing to mix it with - we've gone back from one breastfeed at night to full on hourly feeds so god help my boobs next week back at work - he's refusing water and milk in bottles/ sippies, squash and diluted juice. I even tried him with a fruit shoot earlier in desperation Blush.

Have attempted to feed him all his favourite things over the last three days, plus a few new ones and has all been rejected. Going loopy.

OP posts:
KnockMeDown · 05/12/2015 23:24

What worked for me when my DD was this age, was to mix the dose of anti -b's with a dose of calpol in a little pot, and feed it to her with a soft baby spoon, little by little, with lots of praise, and probably some acting that it was a special treat. If he likes calpol, it might work?

moggle · 05/12/2015 23:25

We had this problem the other week - with flucloxacillin- disgusting stuff. DD is 12mo and I could not get her to take it. Nothing disguises the vile taste and she is too young to understand bribery. Maybe I'm too soft but I didn't want to hold her down / pinch her nose :-( she's only a baby. I called the GP in desperation and they prescribed something else- in our case it was a skin problem (infected hand foot and mouth blisters) so we got an antibiotic ointment. But there must be better tasting oral ones? It's a pain it's the weekend though :-( not sure 111 or out of hours will be too interested :-(

Dameshazaba · 05/12/2015 23:49

Just had antibiotics struggle here with my one year old. Felt forcing her was actually awful. In the end, I Mixed 5ml with actimel vanilla flavour (just a little to disguise the taste) in her bottle and she knocked it back no problems. Highly recommend!

Cardbordeaux · 05/12/2015 23:53

Wrap him in a blanket so he can't wriggle/hit/kick. Tilt him back in the crook of your arm and hold him firmly. Syringe into the side of his check, as far back as possible, as quickly as possible. I've seen it recommended elsewhere on MN to gently blow in their face as it makes them swallow but I've never had to do that so can't vouch for it. Lots of cuddles and praise afterwards, maybe a little sweetie to take the taste away.

I know it seems mean but the most important thing is to get the medicine into him. When DD was tiny, for six months I had to give her a daily dose of foul antibiotics with a strong, bitter aniseed taste. The method I described above was the only way we could give it to her. It didn't leave her traumatised, she isn't afraid of medicine, and it didn't make her hate us. What it did so was to get the medicine into her as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Rememberallball · 06/12/2015 11:45

Also try giving him an ice lolly to suck first as it numbs the taste buds just long enough to get the antibiotics into them

RB68 · 06/12/2015 11:52

For me it was the need to get it done in the quickest way possible with the least fuss. I do the someone holds and the other person holds the nose and doses them, lot of praise and something cooling afterwards

Silvercatowner · 06/12/2015 12:08

I do the someone holds and the other person holds the nose and doses them, lot of praise and something cooling afterwards

Yes, this is what we used to do in the Silvercat household. (Actually we used to do not dissimilar with Silvercat...). If you do it with conviction then it takes 30 seconds and it honestly isn't traumatising. (And kids don't have claws.....)

Dontunderstand01 · 06/12/2015 12:12

It's so hard. My 18 month old knows the difference now (lots of tonsillitis and ear infections) so as soon as he smells it he goes ape.

Essentially I pin him down and he cries. It's awful.

SupSlick · 06/12/2015 14:52

Whilst breastfeeding can you not try & squirt a little in the corner of his mouth? Better when he's asleep really although he might wake up furious at you.

My DS was exactly the same as this & was on antibiotics & steroids a lot as a baby - even the ward staff couldn't get him to take it & about 5 staff had to restrain him.

So basically I don't have advice but I feel for you!!!

Original poster
CesareBorgiasUnicornMask · 07/12/2015 20:14

Thanks for all the advice - have gone with wrapping in a towel, plus loads of praise afterwards, and Frijj chocolate milk Blush.

OP posts:
shinynewusername · 07/12/2015 20:37

(I'm a GP). Chocolate is the key: the flavour is strong enough to disguise the taste of the meds. Try mushing it into chocolate yoghurt or chocolate ice cream. The wrap in a towel and squirt it in method also works well, but only if you are tough enough to do it properly - if you are half-hearted, it will make things worse as you will create a negative association with the drug without getting it into him.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page