Two questions: How do you get eyedrops into a 2 year old without force, and what do you do about car seats when you're on holiday and not hiring a car?

[Beetle73]

Self-explanatory really - DD has conjunctivitis and we haven't managed to get the eyedrops into her without pinning her down and pulling her eyes open, because she squeezes them shut while crying. I know it doesn't sting, because I tried it myself, and because the minute it's over, she's back to normal. Even the mention of eyedrops has her howling and running from the room. Any top tips?

We're off to Spain later in the month, and unlikely to hire a car, but likely to get lots of taxis. Has anyone travelled with a booster seat, and how long does it take to install the basic ones -i.e. how many Euros on the clock before you get moving? DD is just 2, and over 15kgs.

Dunno about eye drops

I regularly see people at airports with the booster and back type of carseats balanced on top of their luggage so must be easy to do. I think you can use them from 15kg and they're pretty light and very easy to install. You literally put seat in car and strap child in. Shouldn't bump up taxi fares at all.

Eye drops........continue as you are I think. I've never found an easy way of doing it and the stress lasts such a short time that I don't think it matters tbh.

Car seats and taxis are tricky, the highback type booster seats are more appropriate for your dd but presumably you don't want to be lugging them around all day once you get to where you're going? They're not exactly the most portable of things!! We went to Singapore last year with ds who was 2.3 and in the end I just strapped him into the middle seat of the taxi. Probably very irresponsible but it seemed like the easiest compromise.

My dd had conjunctivitis when she was a baby. my GP said that her eyes didn't have to be properly open, so long as you get a drop into the corner of her eye, even if her eyes are closed and screwed up, enough of the anti bs' will get in to do their job. That's what we did and it cleared up quickly so must've worked!

Thanks for the advice. Glad I'm not the only one using medieval methods on my child.

For the carseat, that's what I've often done Olihan, but this year I think I'll buy one of the base-only booster seats, as a compromise.

With the eye drops you just have to do pinning down. Ours had it on holiday a couple of years back and we were with SIL and her dd - they all got it but SIL and MIL looked on in horror as dh and I did a team effort of one holding down and one dropping them in. Their dd wasn't having any of it so they just left it and her conjuctivitis dragged on all week while ours cleared up in a day or so. Madness.

Re booster seat. You won't get them in taxis so unless you take one you'll have to do without. This is why we went for car hire option over taxi for airport transfers. I don't know if you could take one. THe only time we took one was when ds2 was 6 months and still in the rock-a-tot type. It wasn't an option for us to take them with us this year as all 3 are in seats!

we got eye drops in ds either by the pin down method (sometimes pretending it was a tickle thing rather than eye drops) and dh got him unaware once while watching reflections from my watch on the ceiling. Probably set up deep trust issues for life but worked a treat.

I got the eye drops for DS today - what a debarcle!! I lied to the pharmacist that DS was two (a couple of months off) as the Walk in centre no longer sees children under 16 and advised me to take him to the A and E department!!!

Message withdrawn

Eyedrops are a nightmaer. My DD said they hurt but it was just that they were cold from storing them in fridge. Best way we found was to close her eyes and put drop in corner so that when she opened job done! I even at one point tried putting drop on cotton bud and wiping it on eye!!! i think it's one of them things that is never easy but you are not alone!!!

When you are putting them in, rest the side of your hand against her cheekbone. You are less likely that way to touch the bottle to her eye or lid which would contaminate the drops. Aiming for the corner (which has already been suggested, I see) is another good idea to try. Kids, and adults for that matter, can use a truly amazing amount of force in closing lids. If they are thrashing around a lot it can sometimes take two people. Keep at it, you have my deepest sympathy

hi beetle73, do it when she is asleep!!!!!

My ds2, who is two as well, had conjunctivitis a few months ago and found it so upsetting having to hold him still while he cried his eyes out! So, when he was asleep in his car seat, I gently lifted one of his eyelids and dropped them in!! Hope it works for you too!!

dd was pretty good about eye drops when she was just two and had conjuncitivitis....she got a polka dot (or three) for every successful eye drop application. Wouldn't normally advocate chocolate rewards, but in this case....

Sorry, no help on the car seat problem, but looks like you've had some great feedback on that.

put them in when she is sleeping! wait until she is sleeping deeply (poke her - lightly! - and if she doesn't swat at you she is sleeping deeply enough lol). gently lift her eye lid and drop it in. she might stir a bit but hopefully wont wake up. i had to do this with ds a couple of months ago when he had an eye infection. its bad enough pinning him down to brush his teeth so i didnt wanna do this to him too! lol

I do the lie on the floor eyes shut thing, drop them in, get the child to blink and is done.

I did this on another child who was doing all thetrashing thing and it worked too. Don't touch the eye, just put a drop on the inner corner of teh eye and then get them to blink. Honestly it really works.

BLIMEY and I thought nose drops were traumatic!

I would use a combination of holding down and bribery with sweeties....

Yes I do what yorkshirelass and crunchie do

Plus, I got some innocuous saline eyedrops from boots and let her do me first in the same way, then she was very happy for me to do her. (this was after several nightmare pinning down sessions!)