Anyone else have a baby who just will not take medication?

[23mum]

I have tried every trick in the book. Syringe in the cheek, she just cries and gargles it all in the back of her mouth until I give up and she spits it out. Put it in food, she won't eat her food. Feed her food without medication and then put the medication in her food when she's not looking, she won't realises I've deceived her and then pandemonium commences. She is too smart for me. I give up

@kissthegirlshesnotbehindthedoor lol that's a new one! My baby loves it when you blow on her face tho. When I'm feeding her hot food I pretend to blow on the spoon but really just blowing on her face and she finds it hilarious so not sure that one would work for me. Funny the things we try

What @kissthegirlshesnotbehindthedoor suggested works for my baby and she is very tricky! Has to be a short sharp blow as soon as you've put the medicine in, instinctively makes them swallow

Give it a try, when they're screaming and going puce it's might just work. It was a tip from the nurse. I tried everything: jam, bottle teet, juice, spoon, syringe etc. he still howled and it was AWFUL but a quick blow shocked him out if it, gulped and didn't spit it out!

It's definitely squirt blow, squirt blow. Not a gentle blow either! It's a reflex apparently...

That is interesting I might give it a try then. I just worry about choking, she "chokes" a lot when I'm trying to give her medication and I do suspect it's just to get me to stop but it does still scare me a bit

Does she use a dummy? We used to use one of these for dc when they were babies, you can buy them in Asda as well as online

https://www.tradeinn.com/kidinn/en/saro-medicine-dispenser-for-babies/137725376/p?utmsource=googleeproducts&utmmedium=merchant&iddproducte=11540129&country=uk&gbraid=0AAAAAC0elVBwfn1lZ84XDlhTyjwNHN4Ya&gbraid=0AAAAAC0elVBwfn1lZ84XDlhTyjwNHN4Ya&gclid=Cj0KCQiA8aOeBhCWARIsANRFrQG3XcwvjV2R6uNrbmX6EGelTPYNRRxK5CP3EZZmlruJ1GIx2Bt72QaAuKYEALww_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

She doesn't use a dummy I'm afraid, although I suspect even if she did she wouldn't be fooled by one of those!

I got over it by taking the calpol myself in front of him. Once he got it into his head I liked it, he liked it too.

See I wouldn't mind taking a swig of calpol but she's currently on Clarithromycin and, in her defence, it looks and smells vile. But then again she also won't take calpol so

Sorry 23mum, it was a bit vague. The gp turned me upside down , put the medicine in my mouth with a spoon ( didn’t have medicine syringes then) then put me the right way up . Apparently I was so gobsmacked about being upside down I just gulped it down in surprise

Oh my god that sounds horrific, I don't think I'll be giving that one a try but at least it worked for you!

@23mum

Ds is 15yo and I can still see a yellow splat in front of me where he spat amoxicillin out at speed.🤣 It never came out of the paintwork despite scrubbing.

Another method that sometimes worked was feeding him, slowly, when asleep. Drip by drip into the side of the mouth. But it needs to be done very very slowly, and make sure they are swallowing, and it only really worked at night too. That was one of my desperation methods.

He really did have "not taking medication" as one of his talents. He wouldn't even take calpol. He had antibiotics about 15 times per year in his first two years so he got practice. He learnt avoidance quicker than I learnt how to do it. Every now and then I'd get a dose in and think I'd cracked it. Then the next time he'd have wised up to that method.

When he got to about 5 or 6 we were able to do some bribery, but it only worked sporadically.
As soon as he was old enough we worked on taking tablets and he takes them well. I think he was about 8 or 9yo when they let him have tablets.

Definitely a sharp blow in the face for the trickiest babies! Swaddle them in a blanket like a burrito, lay them back slightly, squirt down the side of the gums/teeth against the cheek and then a quick sharp blow in their face. Sometimes best to do it in two goes so there isn't as much liquid for them to swallow.

Also you can mix meds with milk in a bottle. If it's sweet and diluted they tend not to mind too much. If it's the disgusting sugar free antibiotics that might not work!!

Or mix with yoghurt, custard or chocolate custard if older.

Can you tell I've looked after a few medicine refusers

@MargaretThursday Every time I think of a new way to trick her it never works. Being outsmarted by a 9 month old is not fun

@staybyyou I'm gonna have to try this blowing in the face thing, got me curious now

My DD used to be like this and we tried something not probably recommended and against our other parenting principles but we were desperate. We used to tell her police are doing the rounds and take away children (or parents of children whichever works) who don't take medicine. And it's gonna be time for their rounds soon and in 5 mins play a siren from YouTube or Amazon music on a Bluetooth speaker in another room / floor. And then create a drama about oh they are on their way.. can you hear them?! Let's take quick before they knock on our door to check! I know it's horrible and very dramatic but same like you used to be so much spitting vomiting (having to go to hospital because of the hard crying causing rashes that won't go away causing false alarm) it worked for few months until she grew up enough to tell us ok our face that it's playing from our phones 😂.

Yes, I have one of these. Mixing it in a yoghurt worked briefly. Mixing it in coke in a mug worked briefly (he is certainly not normally allowed coke, that’s why it worked!). At the moment nothing works, I swear he can hear me thinking about it! He’ll smell medicine hidden in absolutely anything, will not be bribed, and if I force it in him with any of the syringe/blowing/etc techniques then he’ll make himself vomit it back up. My friend’s child is the same, ended up in hospital recently for IV antibiotics, I see that in my child’s future! I figure it’s the price I’m paying for my older one who’ll take any medicine happily.

@PuntoLon Hey if it works, it works! That's hilarious lol

*I swear he can hear me thinking about it!
*
massively relate to that

When ds was about 1.5 he had to take those horrible bitter orange antibiotics. Nursery managed it much better than me with syringe to back of cheek and blow in face technique. I think it helped that they weren't the parent. The doctor said while it is best not to mix with food, do if you can't get it in any other way. He soon twigged that I doped his yoghurt though. I found changing food types frequently helped.

*I think it helped that they weren't the parent
*
Yes definitely, not easy when it's your own baby

*He soon twigged that I doped his yoghurt though
*
😂😂😂

Just read on one of insta parenting pages to add sprinkles to the medicine. Apparently it's a game changer?! I doubt it would work for the headstrong ones but in case you want to try it!

We had success with suppositories when it was paracetamol we wanted to administer

they can’t stop that going in. Not nice and after 2 or 3 times DS (about 18 months I think) took them orally as the alternative was far worse.

Suppositories for children are more in Europe and they are expensive to buy. But it did work a treat

*'23mum · Today 18:44

@Holdmycoat suppose I could try in a bottle though? She does take a bottle'*

It's worth a try, or a little in a sippy cup with breakfast maybe as that way you can just put in a tiny bit milk and the medicine, with a little honey or what ever you're using. I always tasted it first and this is what worked for my little one. He thought he was getting all of these weird and wonderful flavours of milk! 😂

@PuntoLon How very strange.. Perhaps to fool them into thinking it's just icing. Lol

@Holdmycoat Yes I think that's probably my best bet, she likes drinking from her sippy cup. Will try that today

Thank you for all the replies!