Getting medicine into a 15 month old

[catherinemummy]

Any ideas please? (This is my first Mumsnet post). DD is 15 months and has always been reluctant to take any medicine. Rarely need it but we have used syringes, spoons, medicine cups - all met with screams and coughing/spluttering. Only thing that ever worked was combining a course of antibiotics with her meals but obviously don't want to give her yoghurt in the middle of the night when all she needs is calpol... Thanks

I also had this problem with DS2. I had to hold him down and force him sometimes, much as I hated doing it. I'd keep persevering with the syrine if i were you, less chance of spillage. Trust me, they do grow out of it evntually.

Not sure I can suggest anything particularly helpful. There are dummies with a chamber that holds the medicine, so as they suck on the dummy, they get the medicine as well, but that can be a bit hit and miss too. Have to admit that we did the 'one of us hold them and the other use the syringe' method, and eventually they get old enough to realise cause and effect, and to do it willingly (or at least tolerate it).

(and welcome to Mumsnet, catherinemummy)

When she had a bad ear infection I let DD play with a syringe filled with tap water and showed her how to suck water out of it.
Now when I show her the syringe she opens up eagerly and then asks for more!

'I let DD play with a syringe'

Just had this problem with dd (see this thread). We ended up with suppositories, which sound horrible but really weren't too traumatic at all.

And welcome too!

syringe is al i can suggest unlesss you buy baby dis2prol and give it her with a drink

I'll second suppositories. Dead easy, just a little poke and they're in, no fuss, no mess, plus they take effect quicker.

I treat DD like a cat, ie apply same techniques as when giving medicine to the cat.

Wrap her in a towel with just the head sticking out, tilt back, force mouth open, get medicine in & stroke throat until swallowed.

Works better on the cats.

Can you get paracetamol suppositries over the counter though?

Thanks folks.

Chirpygirl - have also let her play with a syringe... Hope SS not watching.

She was slightly better a couple of months ago when she had a really bad cold - think she realised then that the disprol/medised/cough linctus were all helping her feel better. Perhaps that's because she had the syringe several times each day and got to play with it in between times so it was familiar.

Good point about getting them over the counter. Don't know, tbh. Ours were prescribed. Maybe just call the doctor and see if they mind prescribing them?

Just seen on another thread (here) that they're v. expensive if you get them over the counter, so probably best to get them subscribed.

I seem to be talking about nothing but suppositories tonight - quite funny, considering my mn name!

my dd is the same age. what we did with ds who is now 5 and dd is one of us holds them on your lap. quickley put syringe to their mounth and press the plunger. which ever one of you has a free hand stuff their dummy in as quickley as possible after pressing the syringe. When they start sucking it means that they can't spit the medicine out and is unlikely to choke/cough it out