How do I get my 3 yrold to take her medicine?!

[Mollyfloss]

My 3 yr old DD has a throat infection and the Doc prescribed antibiotics in a liquid form. She will absolutely not take it. We've tried persuading her, bribing her, turning on the TV and trying to slip it in etc. When forced she spits it out, gags and could throw up (she's done that in the past). We've tried disguising it in various juices, milk even ice cream and she still can taste it. It is orange tasting but quite bitter. I have paracetamol suppositories but the antibiotic is not available in suppository form. Anyone have any bright ideas?

Have you tried giving it to her using a syringe rather than a spoon?
Small plastic syringes (minus needle, of course) are available. This allows you to put the medicine directly into the back of the child's mouth, near their throat so that they can't really taste it and are forced to swallow it rather than spit it out.
I had to do this for my DD when she refused some antibiotics and it is now the standard method of giving medicine in our house.

Have had to give my 3 yr old ds so many antibiotics that I should be an expert in this. unfortunately the reverse has happened and he's now an expert in avoiding swallowing medicine.

The syringe is the best long term solution, although I've had success in injecting raspberries with a small amount of antibiotics. This uses a large number of raspberries, to his delight as he's not usually allowed them in apparently limitless quantities.

Even with the syringe it's difficult, so if you have any other solutions then I'll be very interested to hear.

I tried half calpol and half antibiotics as he takes calpol fine. The result? "I don't like that type of calpol."

Bear in mind that nearly everything (not really serioud things, obviously) get better without antibiotics - although it might take a little longer - and decide whether you want the hassle.

Yep, we have the syringe but she still manages to either wriggle free, spit it out or worse still gag and then vomit. The whole process is very traumatic for her. I' going to try it in Actimel next. She loves those and maybe it will disguise the taste better.

The Doc said that this infection wasn't really going away on it's own so I'd rather she takes the antibiotics.