Toddler WILL NOT swallow Antibiotics PLEASE help

[Jars11]

I know there are so many threads on this but I haven’t read anything that has managed to help me. My son is 18 months old and we are having to give him antibiotics for the first time since he was a little baby, it’s penicillin, and it for Strep throat so have to give it to him four times a day for 10 days! It is literally impossible to get much down him, I’ve tried everything, mixing with food drink, dummy dispencer, and the only thing sort of working is a savage syringe to the back of the mouth whilst restraining but even this isn’t really working, I would say more than half is dripping out as he screams. I am at my wits end, it’s day 2 and i just can’t do it anymore we’re both so miserable. Please please does anyone have any other miraculous tactic that works. I’ve ran out of ideas. And the will to live.

Can you ask the pharmacist if it’s safe to mix in with juice/ spoon full of yoghurt? Some medicines are.

Yep i’ve tried yoghurt smoothies porridge savoury food the lot. No joy

I'm afraid that when DD was on antibiotics (those disgusting bright yellow banana flavoured ones) I had to lie her on the ground, clamp her head between my knees and fire it in. Didn't help that the syringe that came with it was very stiff so I went and bought myself one from the pharmacy which was much better.

May not have been stellar parenting but it needed to be done and she certainly doesn't remember it.

In my experience you just have to be brutal and force it in with a syringe as best you can. It’s not nice

Have something nice to drink for straight after - pure juice or something.

Penicillin tastes absolutely foul, we had the same problem when dd caught scarlet fever after an op. In the end I asked for capsules with powder in (the ones adults swallow) and I'd put a little layer of ice cream on a spoon, pour half the powder on and top with another little layer and syrup or sprinkles, I'd do this twice per capsule and the powder doesn't taste of anything so now we do this wherever possible. It was literally the only way to get it in her!

You'll have to ask if the dosage is right for their age/weight but with penicillin the sugar coating of the capsule isn't for a slow digestion so it's perfectly safe to do in the right dose.

Hold their nose whilst you push it into the back of their cheek. By holding their nose they have to breath and swallow.

Also had to force my toddler to take it. We ended up having to ask the doctor for another bottle as a lot was spat back at us. Hating forcing him to take it but no choice really.

Thicken lightly to make the dribbling harder - yoghurt or similar.
Have it really cold to reduce taste.
Draw it up in an oral syringe before approaching him
Take a large bath sheet and wrap him firmly - swaddle with arms inside
Syringe not to back of throat but inside cheek and dribble it in.
Close mouth and stroke neck downwards
Cuddle afterwards

Syringe then chocolate buttons.

Sit them on your knee, on the side of your non-dominant hand, so left knee if you are right handed. Tuck the arm that’s nearest you against your body to restrain in. Put your arm around their shoulders, and use that hand to hold down their other arm. Tip them back slightly, then syringe in just a bit of the antibiotic. Immediately after you’ve squeezed the small amount in, stroke them under the chin, downwards, which makes them swallow. Repeat in small amounts until it’s done.

Don’t open capsules and use the active ingredient on food. The capsules are carefully formulated to ensure the correct release of the drug once swolliwed.

Mix with luxury toffee yoghurt (a nice fully sugary one) work gems here.

I remember this with my son when he was a toddler. I had to restrain him to syringe it into his mouth, but he still spat most out. In the end I went back to the GP who gave us another prescription for another less foul tasting antibiotic, and that did the trick

I can assure you they're perfectly safe, it was suggested by my daughters surgeon and her various specialist doctors who did the relevant checks for us, the GP also did her own research before she was happy to prescribe as some capsules are coated so they don't release in the stomach, some aren't. Assuming you don't have their combined medical knowledge and contacts

I treat DD like a feral cat. I wrapped her in a blanket with her arms in, tipped her so she was slightly upside down and gentle syringes it into the back of her mouth.

She hated but it was quick than other methods and a necessity. I am into gentle/attachment parent btw.

Syringe + brute force. You're not doing him any favours by being wet about it, and he'll know you mean business quickly enough. Follow up with highly desirable (edible) treat within 2 seconds of him swallowing, and be holding the treat alluringly from the start.

Possible backfire: years of expensive therapy to get to root if adult child's mystery aversion to said highly desirable treat.

Feral cat way here too. Wrapped dd as tightly as I could without hurting her so only head was out. Laid her across my lap with head slightly back and syringed in. It was horrible, but a necessary evil.

I don’t think i’m being wet about, i’m really trying my best but i can’t manage to get the syringe past his teeth enough to not have him not spit it out :(

Side of the mouth with a syringe so he doesn't gag, pinch nose closed so he has to swallow, done.

Big fuss afterwards, aren't you clever aren't you brave blah blah. He'll get with the programme.

We've been known to put amoxycillan in umbongo and tell dd that if she drinks her juice she didn't have to have her medicine....

So the problem is he’s not quite on it communication wise so bribery won’t work sadly..
As for the pinch their nose thing, do this the whole time we’re forcing it in? Could be a good few minutes..

I feel your pain OP. We had and still HAVE this problem with DS now 5 😳. I've tried pinning him down but he just spits it out. The only way I can get him to take any medicine including calpol is a fruit shoot. I hate giving him them as they are so sugary but it's the only way he will take any sort of medicine so I unscrew the top pour half out and pour the medicine in this way I know he will drink it. It's so stressful when they are poorly so this on top of that is such hard work. Hope you find something that works.

Chocolate spread on the end of the syringe? As he's sucking it off you can push it in.

I used to put it in the syringe with calpol when DS was small, but that only works if they like calpol..

I'm afraid you may just have to do what others suggest and swaddle/manhandle and force it down. I find the best way to get their teeth apart is to squeeze the jaw slightly (like a cat ) I do this to get thinks out of DS2's mouth

The only thingy to do is pin the toddler down, squirt the medicine in and then blow hard in their face. It's not nice but they need to take the medicine.