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Original poster

how the hell do i get toddler to take meds?

25 replies

Tortycat · 27/07/2018 19:49

Dc is 2. she's recently had a operation and has to have antibiotics (3 x tablet and 3 x liquid) and painkillers (ibrufen and paracetamol x6 total) daily. She hates meds! Today i managed tablets (ground up in smoothie or hidden in flapjack), 2 out of 3 antibiotic liquid in smoothie, and 1 painkilker in smoothie. She's now clearly sick of smooothie so teatime dose was rejected. Cue 5 mins of screaming trying to syringe it down her, which she mainly spits out. I felt so frustrated i got cross, ds1 upset listening to the crying, most of it spat out. She's clearly in pain but I've abandoned anymore.

The liquid is strong tasting so i cant hide in milk, dc wont eat soup, and clearly now wont take smoothie. No idea how we will manage this for 2 weeks!!

Any top tips??

OP posts:
ImSoExhausted · 27/07/2018 19:52

Little petit filous yoghurts? My DS has melatonin every night, we put the medicine in the yoghurt, DONT mix it, that way the first spoonful contains the full dose and we can relax and let him enjoy the rest of it.
This works for crushed tablets and liquids I've found :)

ImSoExhausted · 27/07/2018 19:54

Do they really not like the taste of calpol?? My kids love it and get angry when we only give them a half dose! Can you try getting different brands? I know they prefer on brand calpol to the pharmacy one.
If it's their throat that's been operated on, there's a spray called Difflam Spray which numbs the throat, was an absolute god send for when DC had tonsillitis

ProperLavs · 27/07/2018 19:56

If mine absolutely had to have the medicine but refused I would pin them down, hold their nose and syringe it in. It was more important that they got the medicine. And no I didn't like having to do it.

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triangulator · 27/07/2018 19:56

I found we had some success letting DS sort of lap it off a spoon. He didn't like the syringe as it tasted horrible and gave him no control. He would just about tolerate having it off the spoon himself. Just.

Original poster
Tortycat · 27/07/2018 20:03

Both dc hate calpol and anything else it seems Sad I've tried yoghurt but maybe a more sugary one would hide the taste better, I'll try again. We were given morphine by the hospital so tempted to try that as each dose is only 1ml vs 5 for calpol. I find it soo stressful!

I do try to force it in as a last resort but she clamps her teeth shut or blows raspberries, which is a remarkably effective way to spit it all out.

OP posts:
NoTeaNoShadeNoPinkLemonade · 27/07/2018 20:04

chocolate mousse or ice cream...usually takes the bitterness away x

CertainSlant · 27/07/2018 20:07

When ours was two we - oddly - had success but doing a “practice” ie giving a first syringe was full of water which they swallowed quickly and then a second syringe of meds which they would then also swallow quickly. I have no idea why it worked but it made a huge huge difference. (We were clear with them: “this one is a practice...now here is the last one”)

CertainSlant · 27/07/2018 20:07

*by doing a practice - not but!

Summerdays2014 · 27/07/2018 20:10

The only things that worked for my 2 year old was mixing it 50/50 with chocolate syrup. And he still wouldn’t have it every time. I dread to think how much sugar he had that week...

SleepWarrior · 27/07/2018 20:13

I've seen coca cola recommended on here for hiding medicine in as its so strong it hides the taste very well.

Not ideal giving a toddler coke, but it would be temporary. Maybe start by reverse psychology of you having a glass with a straw but say that she can't as its mummy's special drink. Lots of fanfare about how delicious it is, then 'relent' and let her have a bit.

Good luck

OhTheRoses · 27/07/2018 20:15

DD was hellish. Suppositories for pain relief worked. Even pratice nurse couldn't get AB"s down her. At about 3 I cd take her to toy shop promise a toy providing she took every dose. At 4 she was quite poorly mouth related. She agreed to take all meds and drink half cup water to avoid admission and needles for iv.

Can't think where she got stubborn gene from.

ProperLavs · 27/07/2018 20:16

syringe in the corner of the mouth and hold her nose

rebelrosie12 · 27/07/2018 20:16

What worked for mine was suggested by the Dr was to basically swaddled them in a large blanket, on your knees and lean them back a bit then syringe it down the side of their cheek in small amounts, waiting for them to swallow each bit. My boy was about 2 when he needed anti biotics. The first time I did it he was really upset but I calmly talked through what I was doing and that it was to help him. From the second time he just submitted and was a dream.

lapenguin · 27/07/2018 20:25

Can you try and time some around sleep times? I know you probably can't give them all during nap or bed times, but dream feeding meds has been a god send before. Make sure you do it very slowly and tiny amounts at a time. They usually just start sucking on the syringe. I'm not sure what age this works well up to though!

lapenguin · 27/07/2018 20:26

Also if they have a dummy still you can slip the syringe in the side with the dummy still in and as they are already sucking they kind of just take it

anotherangel2 · 27/07/2018 20:30

When DD had been in hospital I had to resort to wrapping her arms in a blanket like a feral cat, laying her across me and syringing the meds into the back of her mouth. She did not like it but it was quick better then her ending back in hospital.

NEFink · 27/07/2018 20:32

Mixed in Ice cream might work

Tigersteeth · 27/07/2018 20:36

We used to put it in fruit shoots, because they were a)highly prized, b) strong tasting, c) they never normally had them, so couldn't recognise the weird aniseed flavour that shouldn't be there!
Seriously, who invented aniseed flavoured antibiotics for toddlers?!

halesie · 27/07/2018 20:45

We've had some success with offering a bribe (eg a big chocolate button) immediately afterwards to take the taste away - we get it out and ready beforehand so they can see it and know all will be ok after a second or two.

UnaOfStormhold · 27/07/2018 20:46

Might be worth trying different flavour for the painkillers - I think Lloyds and asda do a cherry flavour paracetamol that used to work well. And I think galpharm does an orange flavour ibuprofen though that was rejected. I have had to resort to pinning and syringing though it is horrible. At 2 you might find that getting her to press the plunger on the syringe works - if offered the choice between being pinned down or doing it himself, DS generally screwed up his face and took the medicine.

sickmumma · 27/07/2018 21:06

My boys were fab but my daughter is another story, literally DH has to pin her down and I have to syringe in calpol if she has a temp! The boys I used to just bribe with chocolate buttons... drink this quickly and have some chocolate... much simpler and less years!

BananaRumpus · 27/07/2018 21:12

When my 2 year old had to take tablets the nurse recommended mixing the ground tablet in peanut butter as it's hard to spit out. Worked very well for us as my dd loves peanut butter. Sometimes when she didn't want to take it we bribed with another food she only had as a treat (dry cheerios) saying if she had her peanut butter she could have some dry cheerios.

For the liquid I'd syringe if she wouldn't take (she has been fine with liquid antibiotics). She'd hate it and it would upset me but it's important so I'd do whatever it took.

Hope your little one is on the mend soon x

Original poster
Tortycat · 27/07/2018 21:13

Thanks all for the tips. will hit the shops tmrw to find all types of sugary shit that might help it go down. She's actually 2 tomorrow so it will be an awful birthday (for both of us!). And too young to cooperate at all (or go for a bribe!). Unfortuneately loads of smoothie is giving her runny poos and she had bowel surgery, so having to deal with problems at the other end too keeping the catheter clean!!

OP posts:
HumpHumpWhale · 27/07/2018 21:31

I second the wrap in a towel and syringe in method. You have to get It far back in their mouth so they can't spit out out. It's fucking horrible, but after 3 days, DD just started taking the revolting banana antibiotics without a fight. Also, she stopped having a 40 degree temperature, so that did make it worth it!

TheWanderlust · 27/07/2018 21:37

Have you tried smarties as rewards after each medicine? For each one that goes down 1 smartie.

Rolo yoghurts are good as they're thick

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