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Original poster

Impossible to get Antibiotics into toddler - help please

30 replies

TwittleBee · 02/01/2019 13:58

My DS is 18 months and has what the Nurse thinks is tonsillitis, she prescribed him penicillin (5ml 4x daily).

For the past 2 days I just cant get him to swallow much, if any!

We tried giving it to him on a spoon, in a syringe, putting into milk, putting into orange juice. This morning we battled him to get the syringe in his mouth whilst he was constantly trying to spit it back out through crying, it was horrid.

He is so ill atm that he hasn’t really eaten anything for past 3 days (yesterday I managed to persuade him to eat an ice lolly and that was it) and so far today he sucked on a rice cracker before giving up. Fluids are just as bad too, he will only drink milk or orange juice (not something he usually has but desperate to get him to have some fluid!) but even then he will drink maybe 2oz at a time most. Yesterday he wore the same nappy all day as he didn’t actually wee until the evening!

He has a temp of 38.2 (we have been trying to get Calpol in him but he reacts same bloomin way as he does with the penicillin!)

He is just so bloomin ill, wont do anything but have cuddles with his blankie all day really. He only perks up a bit if we manage to get some Calpol in him. He also has a rash all over too and his glands are very swollen.

Thinking about taking him to the Walk in Centre after work (MIL is currently looking after him) but I am worried they will tell me they have given me antibiotics and it is my job to continue trying to get that into him!

So any ideas or tips how to please?

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PotteringAlong · 02/01/2019 14:01

Blow on his face at you’re giving it to him and it stimulates their swallow reflex.

123bananas · 02/01/2019 14:01

Take him to A&E he sounds clinically dehydrated and may need IV antibiotics if you can't get them into him via the oral route.

BollocksToBrexit · 02/01/2019 14:01

When DS was little and fought like this I did it the Mary Poppins way: a spoonful of sugar (or more often golden syrup)

PotteringAlong · 02/01/2019 14:02

Or pin him down, aim for the corner of the mouth and then blow on his face at the same time. It is horrid but he needs them and sometimes you need to do stuff for the greater good.

PotteringAlong · 02/01/2019 14:02

And ice lollies are great for fluids. Or jelly. Keep giving him those!

Elisheva · 02/01/2019 14:06

Wrap him in a towel, smoosh his cheeks together and put the syringe in, squirt the medicine into his cheek and hold until he has swallowed.
It’s horrible, but it’s one of the things that has to happen for his own good.
Also, give him a teaspoon of liquid/sip from sippy cup every 10 minutes to keep him hydrated.

Polly99 · 02/01/2019 14:06

Try putting it in a spoonful of jam.

Some antibiotics taste dreadful (e.g. flucloxaccilin) the only way I could get them into my DD was to wrap her in a towel, use a syringe so far back in her mouth she couldn’t spit and be as quick as possible. She had a v serious infection and not taking it was not an option, but it made me feel dreadful to make her cry. On the upside, after a few days she became much happier to take it.

Your wee chap may be fighting this because of his sore throat. I’d call a pharmacist and at least ask whether it is possible to get it in a suppository form , although tbh I suspect not given how we are about suppositories in the UK!

user789653241 · 02/01/2019 14:06

We had that a lot when ds was small. I had to hold his jaw shut until he swallowed.
Also the fluid is really important. Keep syringing him some fluid 5 mil etc at the time very very often. Some will get into him.

Almostthere15 · 02/01/2019 14:07

He sounds dehydrated to me. I'd call 111 and explain that he is taking almost no fluid and is unable to take the antibiotics. I've had some success stiring it into jam but it doesn't sound like it'll work in this case and it's a vicious cycle isn't it.

blackcat86 · 02/01/2019 14:08

If he's still not passing urine at least 6 hourly then you should take him to a&e for dehydration. Can you use bribery to get the medication in? A t.v. show or favourite toy perhaps?

AlexanderHamilton · 02/01/2019 14:10

When autistic ds was 4 he had cellulitis and the only way we could get the awful tasting flucoxacillin in him was to put it in very strong Ribena or Vimto. They were the only things that disguised the taste.

AlexanderHamilton · 02/01/2019 14:12

Polly - mil accused me of abuse for dong something similar. I told her I preferred that to a hospitalised or brain damaged child (infection was on his forehead).

madmum5811 · 02/01/2019 14:15

With one DC I asked for tablets which I crushed and put in jam/honey a lot easier. Peppa pig yoghurt hides the taste. You must get antibiotics down baby as others have said even if forcibly.

sar302 · 02/01/2019 15:07

Argh, my baby is a terror at this. At least he's worked out now that he quite likes calpol 🤔 Antibiotics we had to squish his cheeks (gently!) to get the syringe in, then hold his bottom jaw closed once syringe was out, and then stroke his neck gently. Like you would giving a cat medicine. It makes them swallow. He gets furious and upset, but with antibiotics they have to go in.

Fabuleuse · 02/01/2019 15:16

We have used milky bar desserts for this purpose, the small ones. They're so sweet that they disguise the awful taste if it's flucloxacillin. I think we used half a dessert per dose. He sounds very dehydrated - I'd be trying any fluids he might take at this point - any sort of juice or even strawberry milk, nesquik, ice lollies, that kind of thing. A bit of sugar as a short term measure won't hurt. You could also try what they did one time for us in hospital when DS1 wasn't drinking much - syringe in 5ml of blackcurrant squash every 5 or 10 minutes.

Bennyismydog · 02/01/2019 15:25

You need to get some advice ASAP op, not wetting nappies is a sign that he is quite significantly dehydrated.
He needs to be monitored for his fluid intake and output really. I’d be phoning the GP and asking for an urgent review or 111.

With regards to the medicine, my dd has ASD and it’s been a battle to get medicines into her over the years when she is ill.

I’ve hidden antibiotics in yoghurt (especially the Cadbury pots of joy one 5mls in half a yoghurt and save the rest for the next door) Icecream works too.
Milkshakes are a good way to hide them, I’ve even swapped the antibiotics around and given them overnight and not during the day time because she just seemed to take them better that way.

If your ds has a dummy medicine dummy’s are amazing. You put the medicine in the back of the dummy. Let him suck it and then push the medicine in and they swallow it.

Hope you get him sorted soon OP.

Original poster
TwittleBee · 02/01/2019 16:27

thanks all!

Most of these tactics we have tried, the towel wrapping only one we haven't.

He just wont swallow, I think its because he is so sore from his tonsils. He even refused chocolate (which he knows and loves thanks to xmas just passed!) and he didnt even want a sausage (usually he gobbles 5 up for a dinner, they are his fav food!) He will rather hold it in his mouth and gargle it for what feels like ages before I weaken and he spits it out.

Off to Walk in Centre (it is next to A&E) now, so shall see what they say.

OP posts:
Trying2310 · 02/01/2019 18:22

The wrapping in a towel/blanket is the best idea we were given by the hospital when little one was struggling against her nebuliser and meds. He does sound quite poorly so hopefully you got some help and advice at the walk in. Hope he gets better soon x

Bennyismydog · 02/01/2019 18:25

Ask them about difflam spray op. I’m not sure if he’s too young though. It numbs the throat so you might have more chance of getting food and drinks into him if it’s mainly just the pain stopping him.

Original poster
TwittleBee · 02/01/2019 20:17

Update, went to walk in and they said it's actually viral so not to bother with antibiotics now! They said just constantly offer him a variety of fluids and he will be fine. I'm to go back if he doesn't improve in 24 hours though

OP posts:
halfwitpicker · 02/01/2019 20:23

Is he still on bottles? DS had 3 ear infections and would only take fluids from a bottle so we went back to using them

Original poster
TwittleBee · 02/01/2019 20:25

We tried that last time he was ill actually, he didn't have a clue what to do with it. He ended up giving it to his doll instead haha

OP posts:
DontFuckingSayIt · 02/01/2019 20:27

We had this with DD and recurrent tonsillitis, she fought and cried and vomited with everything we tried, and she was older - 2.5 until about age 4 she had it every few months - so quite difficult to restrain and forcibly administer by myself, and even when I tried that she just dribbled/heaved it all back out. In the end the miracle solution was Cherry Coke Hmm which seemed to disguise the taste completely and also was a bit of treat for her. I put an inch or two in a cup with the medicine and she drank it quite happily.
It was only usually penicillin, though, which is flavoured anyway and isn't too awful. Some antibiotic suspensions can taste bloody foul.

Polly99 · 03/01/2019 09:13

How is he today, OP?

Original poster
TwittleBee · 03/01/2019 10:12

Well Polly he woke up at 5.30am so knew he must be better today, previous mornings I've been having to go get him up at 8.30am! He then scoffed his cereal, toast and milk. He then raded the fridge and ate a load of fruit. Took him out for a ride on his bike as he was asking to go on it, so that's a good sign, but he did end up falling asleep whilst we were out. He still looks ill but so happy he is eating and drinking and playing now! Yay!

OP posts: