How do I get my child to take this evil stuff?!

[Littlebearstrousers]

Flucloxacillin Awful stuff

Any tried and tested tips please? I'm desperate it's vile stuff and DD(5) is not having any of it. Tried chocolate buttons, bribes, having a nice drink handy to drink straight after. Not happening.

I tried everything with my four year old to get him to take this. I bribed him with coke. He had a little drink of coke then a half the dose and then more coke and then the rest of dose and then even more coke . He was really unwell with Periorbital cellulitis so we were desperate to get him to take it to avoid a hospital stay and the coke worked

Either cruel mummy, with a syringe of medicine and a stern forceful manner, OR an awesome mummy, who will "sneak" some "fizzy juice", OR the approach I took with my 5yo nephew when my sister was at her wits end, I gave him the syringe full of medicine, and told him he was in charge! I told him that I knew it wasn't nice, but when all the medicine was finished in a few days, he'd be feeling much better, and we could go for a day out anywhere he wanted! It worked, but I think he was smarter than I gave him credit for, because he chose to go to "Smyths!"

@Frogshoe I swear by coke for myself, so when kiddies have infections, upset tummy, dehydration risk etc, a little drink of coke is my go to!

God I'll never forget that stuff. My dd was such a legend with it and would take it without complaining. But 5 mins later would throw it all back up again. I went back to the GP and got something else.

Retroflex he was smarter than I gave him credit for, because he chose to go to "Smyths!"

I'm really mean and squirt it straight into their mouths with a medicine syringe (like you get in the calpol box). There's not much I'm mean about but my kids know that teeth get brushed and medicine gets taken. I do give them Haribo afterwards though, the fizzy ones get rid of the taste.

I used to take A LOT of antibiotics as a kid (I've always been the sickly type) and I ended up quite liking the banana medicine (it is an acquired taste though) but I could never make myself like the cherry one, and was relieved when I learnt to swallow pills.

Probably not helpful for a five year old, but for younger kids (for other people's benefit), I had the same issue and found that teddy having some first did the trick.

Its so awful I had to ask the GP for another antibiotic. It would help if it wasn't sugar free.i would prefer my Children to have sugar rather than the nasty substitutes, especially when they are ill.

It’s disgusting stuff. We bribed 3 year old DS with cola . He’s not allowed it at any other time, but we let him have a (teeny) amount after each dose. He took it like a trooper.

We did two spoons of yoghurt (thick stuff), medicine in before swallowing, swallow, rest of pot shovelled in.

DS1 has had a full course of this twice, and it's the only method we've found, but he doesn't like anything fizzy, otherwise we'd have done the Lilt trick.

Yack, this stuff is the work of the devil. We just couldn't get our daughter to have any! Luckily her symptoms cleared up with eye drops but otherwise I was going to go back to the GP to see if anything else could be prescribed. I swear she could taste it a mile off in a yoghurt or a pud or god knows what else we tried.
Heaven knows why they make it so unpalatable for notoriously fussy already kids. Good luck!

I couldnt see why DS was making a fuss as normally good with medicine until i tasted it myself🤢 had to bribe him with a polo straight afted to take the taste away. School receptionist looked at me confused when i handed her the medicine and half a pack of polos🙈 worked though!

Oh god op if you can go back to GP and get anything else do! I took the tiniest bit on my fingertip lately as dd had it and I was nearly crying for her giving it to her. Tried giving her juice immediately after. We did it for 2 days and then got an alternative. Should not be prescribed for kids (or adults even! )

Probably the worst parenting advice ever but I found Lucazade hid the taste well enough for my 4 year old DSD who is very fussy with medicine x

Explain why and offer bribes. Then by syringe, but as far to the back of the tongue as possible so the taste has minimum contact. And do it quickly, if necessary with a syringe with a wider tip. Get her to hold something like a favourite drink ready to have the second you've finished with the syringe.

You could also tell her that some people think holding their nose takes the taste away. If she subconsciously believes it helps then it will. I wouldn't say all because if it doesn't work she won't believe any other tricks.

It was awful. We ended up having ice cubes just before taking the medicine, and then making sure the syringe didn’t touch the tongues straight down the sides into the back. If the tongue got a slight taste of it he refused the medicine. It is truly awful. 4 x a day for 7 days we had. Rewarded with chocolate after or icecream before hand also to make the mouth cold if he didn’t want an ice cube/ice cold water.

For any medicine my son doesn't want it goes in a calpol syringe and I slowly syringe it in whilst holding him in my arms and blowing gently on his face to make him blink which activates his swallowing. A nurse taught me that when she was giving the vaccine for rotavirus which is oral. He is only almost 2 though. Doing it in tiny bits seems to stop him spitting it all out; I did manage to get him to take Flucloxicillin a month ago.

Dd5 had to have this last year for scarlett fever. I made her hold her nose and swallow the medicine so she couldn't taste it, then while still holding her nose take a spoon of yoghurt or a drink of something. It worked she finished her course and I got her a little pressie at the end of the course.

Neat mint cordial disguises the flavour. Only works if your child loves mint.

Try it yourself. Would you take it? If not, ask the doc for an alternative.

Thank you all! It really is horrible isn't it.

She did manage to get some down before bed after half an hour of refusals, tears, tantrums and chocolate mousse but not the full syringe.

For those who's DC couldn't finish the course, what did they end up having? And was the GP nice about it? I can see mine being a bit "well you have to get her to take it she has no choice" and maybe a bit judgy

Had similar problems with clarithromycin and my son. The stuff is totally vile. Tried everything but he was just gagging/bringing it back up. I tasted it mixed with something and even I gagged.

I just called the GP and got them to prescribe something else. Give yours a call and ask them.

It's one thing needing medicine but quite another trying to swallow something so vile. Especially when you feel poorly anyway.

Crush it into a yoghurt or drink and chocolate straight afterwards

My gp was fine about prescribing an alternative.

You do wonder who flavours this stuff. I'm on aniseed flavour medicine at the minute great when your "never again" drink is ouzo..