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Original poster

tips to get child to swallow tablets?

24 replies

flipflopper · 21/02/2013 08:34

Ds is 8, he has fluclox capsules, as the syrup tasted so foul!
He took one last night, but this morning, he just couldn't get it down. I was not sympathetic, which dint help matters! He ended up crying, so I gave him the syrup.

Any ideas?

OP posts:
lljkk · 21/02/2013 16:34

Onto Back of tongue & big drink of water.

amillionyears · 21/02/2013 19:51

I wish I knew.
I dont know now, and I didnt know several years ago.

My goodish idea that worked sometimes was hiding the tablets in icecream, yogurt or whatever.

My bad idea was lying the child on the floor. Asking them to open their mouth wide, and chucking it to the back of their mouths. Blush
Used to work for a while, but I dont think I would win Mother of the Year with that idea.

OhMyNoReally · 21/02/2013 19:52

Tablet cutter, make it smaller. It might help. :)

amillionyears · 21/02/2013 20:52

I was told that cutting tablets made some of them lose their effectiveness.

chocaholic73 · 22/02/2013 13:26

Well my 16 year old still can't swallow tablets and my eldest didn't manage it until she was 18. Think it depends on the medication whether or not you can crush or cut it.

amillionyears · 22/02/2013 13:41

It is only like this with one of my children.
And thinking about it, that young person is the one that is the slowest eater.

pirouette · 22/02/2013 13:43

Open the capsules and pour the contents into a spoonful of jam or apple sauce. Drink some water to get it down.

recall · 22/02/2013 13:45

nutella....give him a couple of spoonfuls then load the tablet onto one....good luck.

CalamityKate · 22/02/2013 13:55

Take them with fizzy drinks; the bubbles stick to the pill nd they sort of float down.

LookatMeeeeeee · 22/02/2013 14:00

Make sure that his mouth isn't dry to start with (so the tablet doesn't stick to his mouth) - so big gulp of water to start off with.

pop the tablet in, then make him put his head right forwards onto the chest - this opens up the throat for swallowing, so makes it much easier to swallow; tipping the head backwards opens up the airway and makes it harder to swallow, so make sure he doesn't do this.

big drink of water/juice and keep swallowing with head right forward on chest - maybe drinking the drink through a straw would help.

TheMagicToyshop · 22/02/2013 14:15

My sister and I didn't swallow tablets till I was about 16. Used to crush them up and mix them into a teaspoon of honey, jam, nutella etc. Just don't make the mistake of using crunchy peanut butter!

TheMagicToyshop · 22/02/2013 14:16

*WE were 16 Grin

dikkertjedap · 22/02/2013 16:29

I once read somewhere that you can practise with mini smarties.

I wouldn't open capsules or break tablets unless GP says its okay.

TeenageWildlife · 22/02/2013 16:41

Me DD "invented" this: - fill mouth with water, pop in pill and then swallow all.

amillionyears · 22/02/2013 17:05

I think the reason some tablets [or is it capsules?] are not allowed to be broken up, is because the outer casing or coating protects the body, initially at least, from the contents that are inside it.

amillionyears · 22/02/2013 17:05

Could be wrong re above. Ask GP would be best answer.

ISeeSmallPeople · 22/02/2013 17:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MothershipG · 22/02/2013 17:46

What worked for us was getting DS to stick his tongue out and then put the tablet right at the back of the tongue so when he pulled it back in to sip water the pill is well placed to just slip down.

winemakesmeclever · 22/02/2013 17:51

I hated taking tabletsas a kid (still do now) and the thing that worked for me is to take a medium sized mouthful of squash, and kind of "hold" it in my mouth at the back by tipping my head back a bit. Open mouth, chuck tablet towards the back of my mouth, shut mouth and swallow hard. A bit like Teenagewildlife's DD.

Roisin · 22/02/2013 18:22

We cracked this with our kids when they were about 2 and 4.

haribo gummy bears.
Step 1: cut the bear into quarters, get them to swallow it whole with drink.
Step 2: half a bear at a time
Step 3: a whole bear

Seriously, TRY IT! It took us about 20 mins and my boys have never struggled with tablets since. (12 years ago!)

ToffeeWhirl · 22/02/2013 18:25

My son had to learn to take capsules at 12. He practised taking Smarties with yogurt (the GP recommended this). Once he was successful with this, he took the capsules and has been fine ever since (takes them with water now). And he found it impossible beforehand.

rockinhippy · 22/02/2013 18:41

My DD has needed to have these as she's intolerant to the additives in the syrup - she's also intolerant to the colours in the capsules so we' ve had to take them apart & mix the powder inside thoroughly with honey on a tablespoon - turned out to be a much easier way to get them down her as she reckons all she could taste was the honey - she got an extra bitnofbhoney ifbshevcleared every drop off the spoon - worked well for us, so might be worth a try

atarexia · 22/02/2013 18:43

Stick it inside a grape? Half a bite then swallow?

Cocodale · 22/02/2013 18:45

Put it in a little bit of yogurt.

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