Tips to get liquid medication into 16wk old baby.

[mimmymouse]

Hello,

my beautiful baby girl has a hideous rash all over her and she has been prescribed two liquid medications. However, I'm struggling to get the medication in!

Have tried:

• syringing it into the cheek, little by little
• putting into some expressed milk (she is EBF) - a resounding failure
• using the supplied spoon

DD is quite the rebel and just spits it out. I'd love to see if this medication could help her, but need her to take it!!

All tips gratefully received.

I know its really hard, as it upsets your baby, but if you need to get meds in to her and she does not comply you will just have to use the syringe in to her mouth bit by bit, waiting for her to swallow each time. she wont like it but it will get the meds in to her. My DD has just started taking meds from a spoon which is soooo much easier, but I hated having to 'force' meds in to her - heartbraking to see them upset because of what you are doing - but needs must sometimes. I would be interested to hear if anyone has any better ideas!

You can get a dummy that you put the meds into, and the baby sucks it out, would that be better?

What are the meds actually for? If she just has a harmless rash I would just stick with Calamine Lotion to stop it itching, but then I'm very mean with medicines

I find about 2mls at a time is the most effective amount - any less and it takes ages (and more opportunities to spit) any more and they gag. Tilt her back, wait for her to open her mouth (or if she is like my DS, scream) syringe it straight down the side but quite far back IYKWIM, if you put it into the front of the mouth it's much easier to spit out.

Then sit her up immediately. For some reason the sitting up action always makes my DS swallow instinctively.

Offer a feed / water straight away afterwards to get rid of the taste.

You can get little soft rubber nozzle things that fit over oral syringes if you are worried about jabbing her mouth with the end, maybe ask your GP for one of those?

Try syringing it into her cheek and immediately blow in her face, she will be so shocked she will swallow the med and not spit it out. Hope it works!

Thanks very much!! Will have a go.

Someone suggested to me putting the liquid into the teat of a bottle and letting them suck it from that / let it spill into their mouths that way. If they're bottle fed they're used to that method so it's not as alien to them...