How to give calpol to a baby who hates calpol

[Girlmum89]

My DD is 13 months and is teething her first set of molars. She is in so much pain it’s unbearable for us both. When I try to give her calpol she screams and screams and I genuinely think she thinks I’m abusing her when I’m doing it and it breaks my heart. Can anyone share any tips on how they get their LOs to take calpol if they hate it? I’ve tried different brands of calpol, ibuprofen, from a syringe in one go, slowly from a syringe in the corner of her mouth, from a spoon. She’s in so much pain she’s barely eating or drinking so I cant mix it in with anything. I just want to be able to help her but it feels more cruel than kind to give her medication because of how much she hates it.

Have you tried Nurofen? Both of my children hate Calpol but will happily take Nurofen. It also lasts a lot longer before you need to redose so if they still object at least you don’t have to pin them down quite as frequently.

Also for teething the gel with the lidocaine in it is pretty good and provides instant relief. You can buy it from the pharmacist.

Use a suppository instead.

But you know it’s not more cruel than kind. Does the calpol help? Is she in less pain and able to get on with her day better?
If so then you know it’s the right thing to do. 30 seconds of upset for the hours of benefit.
I just used to pin mine down and squirt it in the side of her mouth. If she doesn’t spit it out you’re winning!

Use a suppository @Girlmum89 it is much better and I find they work faster. Hope she feels better soon

Cruel to be kind op.
We've had to give ABs to DS recently and it sounded like a murder scene to next door I'm sure!
We had to lie him across my knee, hold hands down and DP put it in his mouth.
I never give him juice but I give him some afterwards to get rid of the taste.
He forgot about it after about 30 secs.

Can you try it in a cup of milk?

DD1 refused all medications until she was recently just old enough to swallow a tablet. DD2 and DS would easily take calpol from a young age.

With DD1 there was nothing we could do, she would projectile vomit from even a small amount, we also had to use a suppository. it was necessary when she had high temps to get them down.

Honestly just pin baby down and shove it in and then distract. Over quickly.

@tigerbreadandtea

Honestly just pin baby down and shove it in and then distract. Over quickly.

What about next time? And when they're old enough to resist?

Stupid idea.

I have just been pinning her down because I know it will help her but she honestly screams so much I can’t bear it. It goes against all my instincts but I have been doing it.

I didn’t realise you can give suppositories. Do you just get them from a chemist or would I need a prescription? I’ll definitely try that. I’ll also get some Nurofen and see how she gets on with that. I’ve tried teething gels, powder, and liquid but I can’t get anywhere near her back gums where the pain is coming from.

I used to wrap mine in a towel and hug them close which, in itself, seemed to calm them. Then in with the syringe in the corner of the mouth followed by cuddle.

Did the same with teeth cleans too!

Can you buy junior disprol and dissolve it in her juice. This is what I did for my ds who absolutely point blank refused to take any medicine.

Would she take a dummy? My DS hated Calpol in a syringe or a spoon, but would (slowly) take it in a dummy, to the point that he could suck the liquid out without us needing to push the plunger.

The only pain is with a bigger child, you need to refill, to get the full dose of medicine. Ibuprofen is your friend with this, as a smaller volume is used. Ibuprofen is also a much more effective painkiller for teething pain.

I used to give my ds calpol mixed in a little yogurt. Never had no problems.
Also working in childcare we get a lot of children who don't like medicine so we opt for a syringe instead of spoon. Literally just do little by little in the syringe and make sure they are on your lap so you can control their movements. Put the syringe pointing towards throat but at an angle from the side.

Also, Anbusol liquid is excellent for teething ( I also have used it when my gums around my wisdom teeth are playing up. As it is a liquid, it is easier to just swipe over the gums, rather than needing to rub it in.

I have this problem too. It’s awful

Anbesol liquid is great for teething tots.

Have you tried the calpol with sugar in?
The dummy syringe is a clever idea

Definitely try paracetamol suppositories. They were a lifesaver for my DD who always ran a raging temp with any sickness bug. They are v expensive to buy over the counter so better to get a prescription. Also maybe an idea to ring around your local pharmacies to check that they have them in stock as many don't and have to order in It may be that your DD doesn't hate the medicine but just can't bear any messing around near her mouth. But if she does genuinely hate it then suppositories will stand you in good stead for any future ailments. I think that they are the norm for children in other European countries but here most people don't even know that they exist! Good luck and I hope your DD soon feels better.

Calpol fast melts. They're for over 6s, but if you bite one in half it's the same as an infant dose. They taste of strawberry and dissolve in the mouth, and give an instant numbing feeling in the mouth plus the longer term pain relief for a few hours. A GP won't prescribe you paracetamol suppositories here, and will tell you they can prescribe 6+ calpol instead as it's less liquid to try to give them (so 5ml of 6+ calpol is the usual dose but for a baby you would give them 2.5ml of the 6+ calpol so it's less for them to swallow.

linerforlife Do you know why they won't prescribe? My DD was v prone to sickness bugs with accompanying v high temps. and was hospitalised twice as a result. It was the GP who recommended suppositories and I never had any problem getting a prescription. Finding a pharmacy who stocked them was rather more challenging.

I used to give my ds calpol mixed in a little yogurt

Same. Mixed it with a little bit of natural yoghurt.

I used to
Mix it in with a bit of yogurt!

I had to do the pin down with at least 2 of my children. They take it no problem now, so it’s not a stupid idea. Better that than a child in pain. Wrapping in a towel is a good idea.

Sounds mad - shot glass, mix it with a lil bit of water, make sure you have one as well and do shots. Works a treat for my syringe refuser.

Have something extra on hand like apple juice as it it works they’ll want to do 3 or 4.