how to get medicine down a toddler who point blank refuses?

[milkmoustache]

When bribes/threats/reasoning doesn't work, but brute force feels traumatic and she coughs half of it up anyway.... what the hell do we do next? I see DD's cough dragging on and on, but I don't want her to develop a huge phobia about medicines. And we all know this is NOT going to be the only time she needs medicine - help!!

Mix it in with something else. Yogurt/ice cream normally works in chez loler. Don't let her see that it's in there

Is she old enough for bribery? Magic stars worked when ds was 19mths and had to have fluclox, which is foul

My dd wouldn't take calpol - for a while she would drink milk mixed with calpol but then she refused as she started to taste it and worked out what was going on. She wouldn't eat a yoghurt or similar when she had a high temp.

After one particularly horrendous time when her temp went up to 40 degrees I rang the health line and was told if I didn't get it down in an hour I had to take her to hospital. They recommended paracetamol suppositories, which worked a treat PLUS she hated it so much that she will now take calpol from a spoon albeit with much grumbling. (she was 2 1/2 at the time)

One GP seemed quite horrified I'd done this and said he didn't like to put things up children's bottoms, but the only alternative in that situation would have been to go to hospital and have her on a drip.

don't know what else you can get in suppository form but might be worth a try if you can't fool her by mixing it in other food/drink.

My LO would only take calpol in diet coke ! (suggested by my GP) It was the only drink he couldn't taste it (and cos he never has it he never realised that it shouldn't taste like this) Now hes older hes realised that if he has the horrid medicine it will make him feel better

A syringe. Pop it in the mouth and squirt. DS finds it hilarious.

Here's my thread with DH's remedy. Hope it helps.

I second the suppositories for paracetamol. I have a son who has convulsions and they work soooo quickly. I've never had a GP balk at putting them up his bottom tho, how weird your GP said that! I also mix things in with yoghurt, a tiny bit at a time so they don't suss. Mix it with anything you think they'l definitely eat....

Also, try different versions. Tesco do a cherry paracetamol, Boots is strawberry, like calpol, but not as strong tasting. Also, Ibruprofen comes in lots of varieties.

Completely off topic, I have two sisters who are pharmacists and they both say Ibruprofen is much better for them anyway as it's much harder to overdose on ibruprofen. I give both paracetamol and ibroprofen if DS is spiking in his temp.

Good luck xx

Use a syringe, just pop into the side of the mouth and squirt in little bits at a time, dont force it, they have to swallow if you do it just right, just hold them tight and do it gently, i was showed how to do this when my ds was in hospital with glandular fever and croup and had a temp over 40 degrees

And dont push the syringe to far in the mouth as they will just balk