Toddler won’t take medicine

[Ald175]

My 2.5 yr old has tonsilitis. The doctor prescribed penicillin and it tasted awful. I tried for an hour and a half to get it in him but he was having none of it. I tried bribery, mixing it with different foods, holding him and putting the syringe at the back of his mouth between his cheek and teeth. Every time he spat it out.
The doctor agreed to prescribe amoxicillin which is much better tasting but now my toddler is spitting out the new medicine and calpol and ibuprofen. Any tips for stopping the actual spitting out? I can’t see any way I can stop him and get him to actually swallow it! He is VERY strong willed and also physically very strong so pretty tricky to deal with.

What foods did you try mixing it in with?

Yoghurt is always good for hiding medicine, especially the very sugary ones.
Alternatively, you can do the "grown up big kid" talk. Explain why he HAS to take it and offer a suitable reward for doing so. Make it so it's more attractive to take it than refuse.
Good luck!

@HarrietSchulenberg
Yes I second the yogurt and also slightly warmed up milk as that seems to mask the taste of most medicines.

I tried yoghurt, fruit purée, apple juice, honey, golden syrup!
I actually think that it’s now not a taste thing but a control/behaviour thing as he’s happily taken it before and even took calpol yesterday. He now must assume all medicine tastes disgusting and is suspicious of me! He’s just spitting it all out even if he likes the taste.

@Ald175

Oooo this is a hard one when they start to get clever and suspicious!

What about trying it in warmed up milk?

Annoyingly he’s totally gone off his milk this week and won’t touch a drop.

Wrap him like a cat
Hold his nose

Harsh but needs must

Also he is suspicious of you now. Is there anyone else that could hide it in something and give it to him?

I give my toddler the syringe thing to do himself. He happily takes it then. If I put it in his mouth he screams / spits it out. Think he just likes to feel he has some control over what's happening!

Yeah the cat approach seems to be the best bet at the moment. I seem to remember we had this fuss before. He soon realised it was happening if he fought or not so eventually he stated doing it himself. Funny things toddlers. Like to do things the difficult way!

Someone once suggested to me to dip a chupa chups lolly in the medicine and get dc to lick/suck the medicine off. Didn't try it, but could be worth a shot!

Yep you do it like you'd give medicine to a cat.
Wrap tightly, tip their head back, hold their nose, and squirt medicine with a syringe right at the back of their mouth. Horrible, but less traumatic than having a cannula inserted in A&E.

When my toddlers been ill and I Ive had to give antibiotics and inhaler I had to basically get them in a headlock with my legs over her legs and squirt it in. I'm guessing could be similar to the cat medicine technique. It's awful but if they have to take it it has to be done. I had to demonstrate the technique to the Asthma nurse so they were confident I could get the medicine/inhaler into her - it's a known technique!

Oh I think I tried the headlock technique tonight and it was fairly successful! Glad to know they have professionals using it too (I have been wondering what on earth they must do in hospitals). Anything is worth a shot to get the meds in as it has to be done no matter what. You’ve all been amazingly helpful and reassured me that I’m not the only one with a toddler who needs a little ‘persuasion’ to comply