Toddler asking for medicine...

[MrsHelsBels74]

DS1 is 2.9 & asking for medicine 'to feel me better' he says. But if I ask him what's wrong he won't tell me. He quite likes the taste so I don't know if he just wants it as a 'treat'. We had to go to the doctor with DS2 this morning so don't know if that has something to do with it.

Should I just give him a dose on the grounds that it won't hurt him, trick him with something that isn't medicine or just tell him he can't have any?

Been awake since 3am with poorly DS2 so advice much appreciated.

I'm afraid baby and toddler calpol is rather nice. It is however attention seeking and best not to give him it for no reason. Is there an alternative treat he could have?

I wouldn't, he'll only ask again. And again. DD does this. "More Calpol, Mummy!" the little junkie. I'm sure your own instinct will tell you if he really is sick.

Both my two do this so I explained that medicine is for when you're ill but you can have vitamins every day.
They love taking the vitamin supplement (even though it tastes foul!) they also love cleaning their teeth so I'm aware that they may be a little odd :)

I would try not to give him any- but I'm rabidly anti calpol- mine had o be practically at deaths door before I gave it to them! Could you say something like "no, you only have medicine when you're poorly, it's not like sweeties. But you can have a treat if you'd lik one" and give him some chocolate buttons or something? Is ds2 very little? If so it' a good opportunity to remind ds1 that there are advantages to being older.....the occasional bit of chocolate being one of them!

Does sound like attention seeking to me. Could you make a role play game of it? Make it clear you are playing a pretend game, and give him a spoon of apple juice? You could give him a plaster too perhaps, and then get him to give you the same 'medicine' and plaster. Or if you're busy with DS2, perhaps you could get him to give 'medicine' to his poorly teddies instead..?

My 2.3yo DS asks for calpol when he can't sleep- we have never given it to him to help him sleep but he has obviously noticed that it has that effect.

I tell him medicine is bad for him unless he's actually ill. Later I will ramp it up to medicine is dangerous- only a 'safe' adult can decide whether you should have any and how much. That is the message I would want him to have in his mind if he ever got his hands on any medicine accidentally.

If I was playing a roleplay game involving giving medicine I would make sure it involved careful vetting of the recipient teddy/doll's health- taking their temperature etc and emphasised a cautious message about medicine.

Give him pretend medicine! My DS (18 months) loves calpol and he loves playing with the spoon. Often he indicates that he wants some (but at that point definitely doesn't need it - I can tell when he's in pain as he isn't happy or chirpy at that time!), so I pretend pour onto the spoon and pretend give it to him, and I'll pretend to have some myself as well. He loves it and it seems to satisfy him.

I've given chocolate covered medicine, choc raisin, and 2.5ml of undiluted squash before (ribena as its almost foul undiluted).

Haven't been asked again since this second one....

I wouldn't. My oldest (age 12) can ask for medicine now, and I believe her but I wouldn't accept it from my youngest age 5. In fact he asked for calpol this morning when I gave some to dd2, and I refused him.

My ds does this. He was ill a few weeks ago and had a few high temp sleepless nights with calpol administered, he obviously associates it with feeling less fretful and falling asleep wrapped round me. He keeps taking me to the fridge and giving me the bambi eyes and saying "palpoo mummy?"

It's a simple "no," coupled with "you don't need it, you feel nice inside already"

Definitely don't give medicine when not ill, and I wouldn't go the 'tricking' route either. As others have said above, playing pretend doctor/medicine games can be fun with something else standing in for the medicine.

If you are having a fun time pretending to hand medicine around as a game I really hope you keep your real medicine VERY secure and ensure that anybody else your DC spends time with does too.

I agree, needs to be clearly a 'game' - but you can work the safety aspect into the role play. As in 'you need a safe place to keep ted's medicine in, where he cant get it..' Is a good way of raising awareness about how taking too much medicine can make you more poorly, isn't a treat, etc.

Hope DS2 feels better soon OP :)

Managed to distract him from the medicine but then had to go back to the doctor with DS2 so it may all start again.