To have put water in the syringe??

[rabbitheadlights]

Whining, moaning, Mardy 4yr DS has been going on for hours over the tiniest scratch on his foot. "It hurts" "it stings" "owwww" "I can't have a bath my foot hurts" .... Arghhhhh

DP then helpfully asks "do you want some medicine?"

I'm not giving medicine for a scratch so put water in a syringe and gave that.

DS none the wiser and he's stopped moaning!!

DP thinks I've conned DSant "that's tight!"

So YABU ...as DP says

Or YANBU ... there's a lot to be said for the placebo effect, DS has stopped moaning, no need for unnecessary medicine everyone's a winner!!

Yanbu. Well done.

Think its genius

I think that's great and will steal it!

I am properly on the fence! Placebo effect is indeed awesome, so we used magic flannels a plenty, but I think not filling the syringe with the correct real medicine might bite you inadvertently in th arse, especially if he starts refusing the real in preference to water.

'Silly daddy, we don't need medicine for that'

I don't think offering a placebo is bad as a one off, but if this were to become standard it would be less than ideal.

I think YABU. You’ve lied to him to shut him up; I’d just straight up tell him it’s a scratch and he’ll be fine, not pander to him as he’ll just repeat this behaviour again.

Surely 'there there' and a dab of germolene.

As far as I remember, Schools used to use "Magic Cream".

Or wet paper towels 😂

@scrapthatthen he won't let me near it, you would think his foot were hanging off!

I think it was a great idea given the circumstances. You were doing what I would have done but once your husband offered medicine you just improvised whilst knowing nothing was wrong with your child.
I wouldn't want to make a habit of it but it doesn't sound like you will anyway.

Tell DS the dose you gave lasts a year.

Oh yes. Never underestimate the power of a wet paper towel.

@emilyfrost seriously after hours of moaning? And I do mean hours?

[quote rabbitheadlights]@emilyfrost seriously after hours of moaning? And I do mean hours?[/quote]
Yep. When you give in, that’s when he learns to do it again.

With him being four it’s likely you’ve already taught him moaning gets him what he wants, hence this situation.

To be clear I've spoken to DP and he now knows not to offer medicine unless it's absolutely necessary. This is very much a one off.

I sometimes do it and put in squash!

With three kids I’ve done this many many times lol! I’ve got one hard as nails and two rather delicate children who will absolutely moan, cry and create for hours over nothing.

A good 99% if the time I hold strong but some nights I just can’t do it anymore, so I’ve pulled the placebo medication trick and surprise surprise it works.

Did I read correctly.You stuck a needle on a syringe of water in a child to pretend it was medicine. Great parenting I do not think!!!!

@emilyfrost DS is one of 7. Moaning definitely does not get you what you want in this house. He didn't ask for medicine, if he's been moaning saying "I want medicine" etc then he absolutely would not have got it.

Yeah course I did @mouse70 🤨

It was an oral syringe!!

Was he moaning for medicine for hours? If not, giving him "something" isn't giving in.

I was known to give DS2 a spoonful of water on occasion (the Calpol syringe is a new fangled thing that didn't exist when mine were little)

I agree with PP, though that some sort of cream or ointment would have been more appropriate here.

@mouse70 no needle involved I’m sure, I’m guessing it was the sort of syringe that comes with Calpol and got squirted in his mouth, not injected....

mouse70

I'm not sure where you live/if you have children but in the UK most childrens medicines come with syringes (no needles!) and you squirt them in their mouths rather than use a spoon.

@LadyMonicaBaddingham

Or wet paper towels 😂

DM called that a 'cold paggy' and it cured anything.

I'm a huge fan of the placebo effect (I once bought DD homeopathic tablets purely as a placebo for constant tummy aches that Dr's couldn't find a cause for and in hindsight I think were anxiety). I do wonder if it encourages reliance on medication though?