how do I get 2 year old to take medicine?

[Singbluesilver]

Hoping someone might have some advice. 2.5 year old, high temp and ear ache,refusing to take medicine from syringe and spoon. Any tips?

What kind of medicine is it?
Is it just normal paracetamol(calpol) or anti- biotics?

My Ds is 8 now so I hardly remember, but he had real problem taking medicine. We tried every thing, mixing with other drinks(this depend on what your dc is taking, it can make the medicine ineffective), give him little by little and hold his jaw closed so he would swallow, give him other drink straight away afterward, etc. Also talked to him that the medicine would take the pain away and make him better, so we can go out and play sooner.

If it's just normal shop bought calpol or something, changing brand or flavour might work. My ds hated orange flavor but was ok with strawberry.
Same for anti-biotics. He hated banana flavoured one, but was ok with others.

Just remember, you might feel that you are doing something horrible to your child, when forcing to take medicine. you are not.
My child ended up in hospital because I couldn't do it, first time.
Sometimes Mums and Dads have to be really strong.
Good luck.

It's antibiotics and also calpol,and yes the banana and orange flavours.
He won't let me put the spoon/syringe anywhere near him and is getting hysterical.
Hoping when dh comes home he can help. Thanks for your advice, i think I need to be stronger!

I've recently shown my dd who is just 3, how to use the calpol syringe. I load it up with correct dose of medicine and she puts it in her mouth and presses the plunger. Obviously I supervise v carefully and never let her touch the bottle of medicine. I did this yesterday with ovex (worm medicine) and she took it no probs...depends if your ds is near to 3 or only just 2 as he may be too little to do this.

Ds4 had the horrid banana antibiotics recently the doctor said to put in his juice or food, yogurts worked well as did the juice

A spoon dipped in sugar straight after helped. Lollipop?

Although he has asd so any other way of getting it in didn't work. With the others I just used to do what Irvin said and just hold and squirt

I let them do the syringe themselves so they seems to like that.

Doing it himself works for our two yr old to. Although he just sucks the medicine out rather than syringe.

I give the syringe to DS to do himself.

When he had antibiotics at 15mo I did it ml by ml with a round of applause btw each one. That took a while...

I guess this is why in France it's all suppositories for kids!

We put dds in some um bongo, and told her that if she drank her special juice she didn't have to have her yucky medicine it worked

Lie your DS on the floor on his back.

Straddle over him so that you're pinning legs with your body.

Hold loaded syringe in your right hand (if right handed - reverse this procedure, obvs, if you're left handed).

Use your forearms to pin his arms. You might even be able to use your knees to pin hands as well as forearms.

While continuing to hold arms down with your forearms, push his head to his left/your right using your left hand so that his right cheek is facing upwards. Keep holding his head to the side.

Inject syringe contents in short bursts into upwards-facing cheek, right to the back behind his teeth. If you do it into the cheek closest to the floor, he'll just let it pool and spit it out. If you do it into the upwards-facing cheek, gravity will make it dribble towards the back of his throat such that he'll have to swallow, and not be able to save it up so that he just spits it out again.

Two medication-refusing DSs mean that I've perfected this technique somewhat

Turn it into a game. Put it on a saucer and let DC lap it up whilst pretending to be a cat. Worked with both of mine.

My son was allowed "Diet Coke" when he was ill, he wasn't allowed it normally - perhaps offer him some contraband drink with it mixed in. Diet Coke was strong enough to disguise the flavour but don't let them see you add it

i ask he is 2.8 years and will sometimes do it if i ask him i tell him it will make him feel better and i will give him chocolate after if he demands chocolate first i say no take this first he will either tantrum or take it if he tantrums i wrap him like a cat and syringe it in the side of his mouth he likes to hold it and spit it out a quick blow (of AIR i don't punch him) in his face solves that

to be fair the older he gets the better he is at taking it

lol you emphasized air.

Oh a quick punch gets the medicine down everytime.

Thanks for all your tips. I let ds do the syringe himself, with lots of clapping and praise. Antibiotics hidden in the yoghurt...