antibiotic refusal for toddler

[JollyTeaScroller]

Please help me give antibiotic (liquid with a syringe) to my 18 month old who has tonsillitis and refuses. We have tried putting it in juice, she refuses. We have tried giving it to her in a spoon, no, she wont open her mouth.
The GP suggested we just put the syringe inside her cheek and just press and it will hopefully just go down the throat. But we have now tried to pin her down and put it in her mouth (twice) and it's utterly traumatising for everyone as she slips from when I hold her (and her dad puts the syringe in her mouth) and she lies on the floor and then I am afraid of waterboarding her. It is an unpleasant experience for all!
What should I do?

Inject some food - lump of cheese? Or saturate a sugar cube? It’s how they gave us the polio vaccine back in the day (the latter). And don’t do it in their eyesight.

It absolutely fucking sucks but you just have to pin her down and force it in. Mixing it with food is a bad idea both medically and psychologically. This is one of those things where you just have to do it even though it makes you feel terrible, I'm sorry.

Mixing it in yoghurt always worked here.

Often though holding them (properly tight so they don't slip) and putting into the check then blowing on their face to get them to swallow is actually the quickest and least traumatic way to do it if they'll not take it willingly.

I used to put DS on the floor, sit astride him with his arms pinned between my legs, hold his nose, and put the syringe in his mouth and push quickly. He was perfectly OK a little while afterwards.

Is it the orange one?

You just have to hold her tighter, so she can't slip and force it in. It's one of those things, it has to be done. Refusal is not an option.

I’d ask to be prescribed tablets. Powder so much easier to disguise in food than that awful liquid

My ds was a refuser. I used to lay him down on the floor with his head on a pillow then put my knees either side of his head and push it into the inside of his cheek and hold his chin until he swallowed. It's important they take the whole course so don't end up with resistant illness so it's the one thing I will fight over. If you're quick then have cuddles they start to learn it's not that bad.

It's a non negotiable - even though it's awful to do!

Yoghurt (overly flavoured and sweetened 😂) helped for me but yes, all of mine ended up at some point in the awful ‘water boarding’ version I’m afraid. Holding them in a sort of forced hug and wellying it down and then also (awful awful I think I still have ptsd of this) briefly holding their chin up to make sure they don’t spit it all out immediately and make you do it all again). Make it quick and follow with real hugs and reassurance!

I’m afraid that as others have said it is non- negotiable. You have to hold them tight and squirt it in. I had to do similar for steroids and inhalers.

Give Smartie
Place second smartie in plain sight.
Put toddler on lap, firmly clamp arms and insert syringe. Hopefully some will go in.
I did wrap one of mine in a towel (same as the cat...)
Give second smartie as reward

I once had this. The medicine was the most effective. I was advised to do what I needed to do but get it on the child
So... Traumatising for me. I held her screaming and I got it in child

The child never remembered. But it took effect very quick and I noticed a difference in a day.

Sometimes you need to do what you need to do.

I’ve had this issue with my 3 over the years. Once I mixed with a small amount of milky bar thick dessert pots. They masked the taste very well for my son who has asd and refuses medicine.
My middle son needed holding tightly with my left arm so he couldn’t swipe with his hands. The syringe popped into the side of his cheek between his teeth and cheek, just a bit at a time - a nurse in the hospital told me once if you blow in their face they swallow as a reaction and that worked with him.
With my youngest child she will take the medicine alternated with strong water and blackcurrant cordial mix in a separate syringe to help take the taste away and other times she’s been happy with a chocolate button as a reward after. You could try looking online for an age appropriate cartoon to explain why they need to take medicine as that helped when mine needed their pre school boosters. Good luck, it’s not easy but it’s so important they have the medicine you have to try anything x

Option 1...Wrap firmly in blanket syringe to side of cheek
option 2;....lay on floor head between your legs which pin down her arms and can cross over her leg, syringe to side of mouth.
If it was life or death you would have to get it in.

What antibiotic have you got? Is it the red one? It is absolutely awful and you can’t disguise it in my experience. 18 months is too young to reason with. I’d say your options are either the pinning down - which can work great if they don’t throw up
afterwards, or requesting an alternative - either tablets/capsules that can be crushed/opened, or a different liquid one. Clarithromycin - the white one - is easier to disguise, chocolate yoghurt worked a few times for us. And if you really can’t get it in then amoxicillin (banana) will do the teick
on most cases of tonsillitis and doesn’t actually taste too bad (and is easy to hide!)

Its awful, you have my sympathy

We went back to the GP and tried tablets, which were easier to disguise. The suspensions of many of them taste terrible and are very hard to mask in liquids.

The tablets we chopped up and hid inside haribo.