Struggles of a child on daily medication

[Nitofirst]

Hi everyone!

I’m a parent working on an idea for a reusable, eco‑friendly oral syringe with a soft silicone tip to make giving daily liquid meds to kids easier and more comfortable.

I’m at the early stages and would really value your feedback.

If happy please comment and I can upload the questions x

Does anyone have issues with single use syringes for their kids daily meds??

Hey, yes I have much experience of this!

The most annoying part with syringes I found was that when I separated the two pieces of the syringe to clean them, I would often break a piece or make the inner piece less sturdy and more bendy. Also, sterilising it. Never knew if I needed to and the best way to.

Yes, absolutely. Or the rubber plunger bit would get stuck. The measurements on the side would wash off, too. And the pharmacy were always really resistant to giving more than one syringe per month, despite the importance of the medication and the difficulties I was having with the syringe.

Thank you both so much for sharing your experiences – this is exactly the kind of insight I was hoping to hear.

The issues you’ve mentioned – parts bending or breaking when cleaning, the rubber plunger sticking, measurement markings washing off, and not knowing the best way to sterilise – are really helpful for me to think about.

I’m exploring a design that would be reusable, with more durable parts and permanent markings, plus clear instructions on cleaning/sterilising, and possibly a softer or replaceable tip to make it more comfortable.
If you could design your ideal syringe for giving daily liquid medicine, what would it include?

– Would you value dishwasher or boiling‑safe materials?

– Would replaceable mouthpieces be useful?
– Is there anything else about current syringes that frustrates you?

I’d really love to hear from anyone else with experience too. Your feedback genuinely helps me figure out if there’s a better solution for parents and carers. Thank you again! 🙏

I’m glad it was helpful! My child is still on daily medication but has taken tablets for a few years now, which has made things a lot easier but also means that this is a few years ago for me. But yes, sturdy parts designed to be taken apart sound great, and I would have found dishwasher safe to be very useful too (though I might worry about losing small parts in the dishwasher). I’m not sure about replaceable parts but I suppose they’d be useful if it meant you didn’t have to replace the whole thing.

Sounds a good idea, but if it needs to be sterilised, coming with a a container you can steam sterilise in the microwave would be simpler, eg wash it out, pop it in it’s sterilising pot they zap for x minutes, like microwave bottle sterilisation but smaller

Thank you both so much – this is incredibly helpful feedback.

@LilacPony @busybanana you’ve really highlighted the frustration with parts breaking, getting stuck, or measurements rubbing off – and the idea of sturdier parts that come apart easily but don’t lose their shape is definitely something I’m exploring. Dishwasher‑safe or microwave‑safe sterilisation also sounds like it could be a game changer.

@minnienono I love your suggestion of a little steam‑sterilising container for the microwave. That feels so much simpler than faffing with separate sterilising methods.

Can I ask – if something like this solved those issues (sturdier build, dishwasher/microwave safe, possibly with replaceable tips), do you think you’d be willing to pay a bit more than the standard free syringes from the pharmacy?

If so, what sort of price range would feel reasonable?

Every bit of input really helps me understand what would genuinely be useful, so thank you again! 💛

I don’t have a child but I am tube fed and on a large number of medications. I absolutely despise how much plastic I have to throw out as even when I use the same syringes for weeks they break, the numbers come off and with 14+ meds a day we go through a lot.

I know tube feeding is more challenging as you need the syringes to have the enfit screw but thought I’d raise another potential avenue in the future.

I’d definitely have been willing to pay, especially if there was some kind of guarantee for how long it would last. There were times when we were giving meds up to five times a day, so we’d probably have needed at least a couple, and even then they’d have been getting fairly heavy usage.

With lots of great reviews, honestly £8-10 I think.
The other great annoyance I’ve had before is the syringe not being able to reach the last dregs of the meds. Some meds the bottles have had wide open tops so I’ve had to put the syringe in to the bottle and often when we get to the last of it, it can’t reach it

Fantastic! Yes, the syringe not reaching the bottom of the bottle is useful and absolutely a common problem.

I would like to gather as much real life feedback to ensure the product meets people's needs.

how does customisation sound- something to appeal to kids and make if feel more personal

My child has 3 daily meds and was tube fed for a while. It's not something that's ever caused an issue tbh. One of her meds is large and she takes it in one of her old 60ml syringes from tube feeding (we had a spare box). We've thrown out one occasionally but generally they are fine, if a bit stiff after a while. We clean them in the dishwasher. Fortunately they don't need to be sterile, but it they were we'd just use a steriliser.

Her smaller meds we use old Calpol/nurofen ones.

They've been taken apart and cleaned hundreds of times.

There may be some market for your idea with some, but I don't think it's a problem for everyone.

I can appreciate that not everyone will see a need!

More thoughts and feedback would be amazing everyone x

We use the Calpol like syringes now. My partner used to get ones from work previously.

When my daughter was on gaviscon it we had to avoid any with a rubber stopper as the gaviscon caused the stoppers to swell and then they couldn't be used without the rubber stoppers you don't get as smoother a plunge. This is less of a problem now she's older but as a newborn it was difficult to give the meds 0.5ml at a time, which was the amount she could manage, without sometimes it jerking and her getting more and it being spat or dribbled out

The numbers coming off with repeated use is the biggest bug bear also that the syringes often come only with 2.5 and 5ml marked on them - nurofen do mark every 0.5ml though

In one of the labs I worked in we couldn't use plastic syringes for most things as the solvents leached the plastics into our reactions. We used glass syringes which had their own issues, we had some "gas safe" glass syringes and they are by far the best syringes I've used.

Plastic waste due to syringes is a big problem in science but their often isn't the facilities to clean glassware on the volume being used. Where possible glass pipettes are used but these are then sent for disposal in most UK labs. There's an initiative called green labs. It might be worth seeing what systems they have in place for lab use in case any can be transferred into the homes for those on regular medication. It might also be another market for the products you are looking to develop.

Thank you so much — this is incredibly useful feedback. The swelling of stoppers and the jerky plunge for small doses are exactly the kinds of things I’m hoping to solve with Kiddose.
I’m working on a smoother silicone seal with clear 0.1 mL markings that won’t rub off — and it’s so helpful to hear that this could’ve helped you during those early stages.
Also loved the point about environmental impact — I’ll look into the Green Labs initiative, that’s a brilliant crossover idea I hadn’t considered. Thank you again!

Any other parents giving their kids regular medicine and having any issues with plastic syringes given by hospitals?

I've been thinking some more on this, and I'm confused if I'm honest. I guess I was trying to be nice by saying that some people might have a used to it, but actually I can't see this working as an idea. I'm sorry. I don't want to poo on your idea, but equally if you want honest feedback, I'm not sure there's benefit in being kind here just for the sake of it.

I end up going on a periodic purge of my kids syringes because I have so many of the things. Silicon tops so that they'd be hell for actually fill them upwards, especially for medicines with a syringe topper.

One of my daughter's medicines comes with a syringe every month and I think a lot of us whose kids have regular medication also have kids that end up a reasonable amount of Calpol etc, which also come with a syringe. My current drawer has 8 spares, I can see a couple of others in the washing up pile etc. Even if I didn't, I can buy a big box from Amazon, where they work out about 20p each, and would last for weeks/months.

And there's the price point. What would I pay for a syringe when I've got too many already? I personally wouldn't, but even those that would, probably wouldn't pay much so I think it would be hard to make money from it.

Sorry. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I don't get it.

Thank you again — I really appreciate your honesty.

You're right that for many families, especially those receiving frequent prescriptions or using Calpol/Nurofen, syringes are abundant and feel “free.” Where I’m coming from is looking at this from a sustainability and long-term use angle.

Some families — especially those managing daily medication over months or years — are going through dozens of syringes a year. Even if they’re technically reusable, they often wear out, degrade, or end up being tossed after a short time.

I’m exploring whether a durable, safe, truly reusable option could reduce plastic waste while offering better dosing accuracy and longevity. It definitely wouldn't be for everyone — more likely a niche group who really feel the flaws of the current system (or care deeply about reducing medical plastic waste).

That said, your feedback is exactly what I need to shape this clearly. Whether that means tightening the target audience or adjusting the product design, it helps — so thank you.

My DD has 5 doses a day permanently and I just use the Calpol ones.we get through more Calpol than loose the syringes so always have lots in the drawer.they are fine in the dishwasher too.yes the ones I get given from the hospital are rubbish but Calpol ones are solid.

We use 2 piece plastic syringes twice daily-infuriating to get back together & very prone to breakages

I'm giving 3 doses a day, but only 5 to 7 ml. I similarly find calpol / nurofen syringes last more than long enough. They pull apart for washing easily, and fit down narrow necked bottles.

I've bought bigger syringes to try and get movicol in when disimpacting. DS will drink his normal dose with a straw, but with the much bigger volumes for disimpaction he stalls. It takes a long time giving 500 ml with a 5 ml calpol syringe. However, the bigger 20ml ones I found don't survive being pulled apart for cleaning more than a couple of times I probably would have paid for a bigger reusable syringe for that reason.

The other thing I would have purchased a more expensive syringe for is when he was still on 17.5 ml pico a day. It's trickier to be sure you haven't accidentally miscounted if you are trying to give it as 3 x5 ml plus 1 x 2.5 ml in calpol syringes. The 20ml ones I bought on Amazon wouldn't go down the narrow necked medication bottle, and as above couldn't be pulled apart, washed and reused.

Well done for trying to solve a problem…but, I’m not sure it would help most people.

We’re 23 years into syringe use. We use 26 syringes a day, varying from 5ml to 60ml sizes. I wash them up at the end of each day and replace weekly (due to measurements wearing away).

As a PP said, we would need the enfit screw tip as everything goes through his gastro.

Our syringes are provided by the NHS so think this would be an expensive product compared to how much plastic syringes must cost them.

And regarding getting to the bottom of bottles. If you’re a regular user, you generally pour the medicine into a dispenser pot to draw it up.

Thanks for not taking it personally

Some families — especially those managing daily medication over months or years — are going through dozens of syringes a year. Even if they’re technically reusable, they often wear out, degrade, or end up being tossed after a short time.

My child is on multiple medications and has been for years. We certainly aren't going through dozens. We 'lose' far more syringes because we just bin the extra ones we don't need. Yes the numbers may rub off after 50 times through the dishwasher, but the nurofen ones in particular are pretty much bomb proof. They have ample markings, come apart easily.

The rubber seal on our 60ml syringes has gone on occasion, but we've only lost a few. They are designed to be single use but each one must have been taken apart and washed at least 75-100 times by now.

In terms of the bottom of the bottle (education we rarely get to as get sent a new bottle of most before we get to that stage, we pour a little into the cap and suck up from there. It's very rare we've needed to do this though.

I expect the only people that are using sealed single use syringes that they don't reuse are those where sterility is important, like for tube feeding, and so there's no way they'd touch a product they can't be sure of -so likely nothing off Amazon or eBay.

Maybe the market is a lot more niche than I anticipated.

That being said this feedback allows me to understand what is possible.

Thank you for the transparency - anyone else have thoughts or experiences?