To ask how you get a 14 month old to take medicine I’m out of ideas

[B3ck89]

My little one has had a temp and feeling very groggy last few days, tried so many times to get him to take calpol... syringe, spoon, airplane, mixing it in a drink but no luck he spits, gags and goes tight lip.
Today I took him docs and he has a throat infection and ear infection so he’s on penicillin (horrible banana stuff) just had not a lot of fun trying to get him to take it, soon as he sees the syringe he screams blue murder. I must of got 1ml if that in him, the rest ended up on both of us
Does anyone please please please have any tips at all? Or a yoghurt/drink strong enough to disguise the smell and taste

The only way I cooked get my DD to take penicillin was to mix it with a big spoonful of jam! Would that work for your DD?

You can try mixing it in a fruit yougurt,or you could wrap him in a towel and dribble a bit in to his cheek pouch. If it really tastes foul talk to the doctor an=bout changing the prescription a she wont take it. If he likes calpol might be worth mixing a bit

Ooh jam, I never thought of that he may go for that I’ll give it a go with 2.5 ml as he already had a tiny bit

Could try stirring it into something banana flavour? Milkshake maybe as that's already a bit artificial tasting.

We used to pop a bottle in their mouth , lie them back for a cuddle, and quickly squirt it in with the syringe from the side as they were sucking.

Use the syringe, but try and keep calm but if he screams at least his mouth will be open, then squirt it into the back of his mouth but not too much at once, and remember it's making him better. Bribery helps too

He hates calpol too he goes absolutely mental, he’s not poorly often so I can’t remember last time he had to take Medicine but it wasn’t as bad as this

I know it sounds cruel but if you pinch his nose (lightly) he’ll open his mouth. Squirt in the medicine and hold his mouth closed. I know it sounds awful and he’ll probably cry for a minute but give him lots of cuddles and he will be fine. You really do need to get it into him and this will work. Easier if you have another person with you but obviously that’s not always possible.

DD (16 months) was on the exact same stuff last week- the neon yellow suspension

We mixed it in with a yoghurt or fromage frais for each dose and she was none the wiser. It meant she ate a lot of yoghurt over the course of the prescription, but it was worth it to avoid the shouting!

So you can immobilise him and force it into him, you can go back to the checkist and ask them to make it a different flavour, or you can beibe the heck out of him.

Immobilise - sit on floor with him inbetween your legs and facing away from you. Lie him down so his head is now between your thighs, your legs go over each side pinning an arm and a leg each. Squeeze your thighs to hold his head still, hold his nose (he will open his mouth) use the syringe and drip it into the cheek. Wait until it is swallowed. Honnestly is rough emotionally to do this but after a couple of times they usually just agree to take it themselves. Mine squirted it themselves.

For bribery, try favourite tv show, favourite snack and a toy to hold all at the same time

For a while when he was a baby my DS's prescription for antibiotics was made up as suppositories. That worked.

I used to use milky bar buttons but I guess that would be frowned upon these days, I would give DS 2 buttons and when he had almost finished those I would squirt half of the medicine into his cheek and then immediately give him 2 more then finish the medicine and give him 2 more, the first few times we would end up with medicine everywhere but then he became more interested in the chocolate and less concerned about the medicine.

One mum said those mango pouches worked for her DC. Here we have used peppa pig yoghurts. You used to be able to get it in pill form I would crush it between two spoons then mix with jam.

Fruit pouch or squeezy yoghurt works well. Banana milk?

Ew I still have nightmares about smelling that stuff.... I'm highly allergic to penicillin so DH had to give it to ours, and they would nearly always throw it back up it was so vile. In the end we asked the pharmacy for tablets and crushed them up into yogurt.

We mixed into yoghurt or fruit purée and other times we've had to poke the syringe into his cheek, near the back so he's forced to swallow it. He had a lot of medication when he was 3 weeks old for a good few months and it became a battle and now he's very good at accepting a syringe, it took time though. Good luck!

Put a jumper on but don’t put their arms in the sleeves. Then the rest of SeatoSki’s method. Once it’s in their mouth hold their mouth closed and tickle under the chin - it makes them swallow.

And be glad it’s penicillin you’re forcing on him and not an insulin injection. Those really are a bugger to do on a fighting child!

I have a very distinct childhood memory of spouting out the banana medicine while my mother stood in front of me with a tea towel trying to catch it. According to my memory it hit the ceiling. But I think that's an embellishment.

I used to give my children Magic Milkshakes, which were Nesquick or similar with huge amounts of the flavouring in, which did disguise the taste of the medication. Even once they cottoned on they still liked their Magic Milkshakes. It might be worth trying.

These little chocolate/ vanilla mousses for any liquid meds. Squirt in and stir

www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/petits-filous-chocolate-and-vanilla-dairy-desserts/053613-26860-26860?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIluW8seO74AIV77_tCh1wQwF4EAQYASABEgLo0vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

They are very sweet and medicine gets disguised very effectively - obviously not nutritionally ideal (tbh I’m not a sugar worrier) but it’s not forever and they are quite mini.

If hiding in food doesn’t work..
Wrap tightly in a towel, arms in of course, sit dc in your lap and lean them back into your left arm, curling your left arm round to hold their forehead back/prise mouth open. Use syringe to give medicine into their cheek. They will be crying, but you should be able to give them their full dose because of it! and by controlling their angle in your arm you ensure they swallow/don’t dribble out/ don’t choke. Lying on the ground as pp have said also works but I find it stressful giving liquid to someone flat on their back, esp if they’re crying 😰

If you’re left handed, reverse the side!

Immobilise - sit on floor with him inbetween your legs and facing away from you. Lie him down so his head is now between your thighs, your legs go over each side pinning an arm and a leg each. Squeeze your thighs to hold his head still, hold his nose (he will open his mouth) use the syringe and drip it into the cheek. Wait until it is swallowed.

We have just discovered this method and it is hard emotionally but it’s quick, it’s effective and it works! You have to let them do something they want afterwards, like watch baby shark 30 times on repeat to get over the shock

Jam, apple sauce, fruit purée, the fruit corner part of a Muller yoghurt are excellent for hiding tastes.