Calpol refuser

[frillseeking]

My DS is teething really badly at the moment but refuses calpol or any kind of medicine. I manage to get away with putting some in his bedtime bottle but then he wakes up at midnight screaming and I can't do anything or give him anything. I've tried giving it to him but he gags and then makes himself sick. Any advice or tips?? Tia

Suppository!

Underneath something super taster
A little bit of chocolate ice cream

If you are using a syringe, squirt into the cheek. Often when you squirt into the mouth it hits the back of the throat and feels like being stabbed and triggers the gag reflex. If you hold their nose as you gently squirt it in, then they have to swallow.

when my girl was teething, the only remedy that I find helping was teething granules.

Also a vote for suppositories. I live in Germany and it's standard here. My son likes calpol but due to covid and lack of flights, my family haven't been over in a year (and thus no Calpol!) The German liquid paracetamol tastes dreadful and my son refuses it so we do the suppositories

My daughter would actively spit Calpol out - the state of sticky mess that makes is shocking. But we were using the sugar free colour free version.

I switched to the pink calpol with sugar and she took it no problem.

Some kids can't stand the taste of artificial sweetener when we don't really even notice it.

@PippinStar

My 12 month old is like this. I give her a suppository when changing her nappy, before she even realises what’s happening!

This is what I did with my medicine refusing DC.

Have you tried nurofen instead? It lasts longer!

@Ozanj

If he won’t drink it then leave it. Just focus on other remedies. Teething powders, teething rings, a spoonful of brandy with the alcohol burned off, all work too.

You’ve got to be joking! This is a terrible idea. How do know if you’ve burnt all the alcohol off???

I saw this recommended on here and tried it with my calpol refuser and it worked - as a pp says above, put it in their cheek, between their teeth and the inside of their cheek. You can do this quickly, squirt it in and they swallow reflexively rather than spitting it out etc.

@elliejjtiny I believe it's all sugar free , even the branded one. We use the calpol brand 6+ on my ward.

Just wait till you have to give them
Oral antibiotics. They are vile!

@Toddlerteaplease no you can get branded sugar-free Calpol and branded Calpol with sugar. It was (and often still is now) hard sourcing the sugary version at the start of the Covid pandemic, I was at umpteen pharmacies searching for it.

@frillseeking I used to use the branded sugary version on a spoon for my syringe refuser.

Mine refused a syringe at that age, we mixed with milk (even in the middle of the night I’d give her 30ml milk with the Calpol in even if she didn’t need a bottle). Then one day around that age I tried a spoon and she was fine. Now the issue is working out if she actually needs calpol or is just asking for it cos she likes the taste 😂

WHY IS CALPOL SO STICKY THOUGH??? And don’t tell me it’s the sugar cos it’s sugar free!!

Another vote for suppositories. I honestly do not understand why we force sugar syrup down our children’s throats when a suppository works faster and is much easier to administer (the sugar free version just uses artificial sugar which is arguably worse). You can get a prescription for paracetamol suppositories from your doctor, however you’ll struggle to get a pharmacy that stocks them, so they will have to order them in for you. You can buy them on line, but they’re £20 for ten

However you can’t get ibruprofen suppositories in the UK. I have to have them shipped over from Ireland for me for when we have teething problems.

Tough love. Right at the back of the throat, close mouth, be persistent.

Just to add..at 19 months months mine won't take a syringe, but will happily take from a 5ml spoon 🤷‍♀️

@canyoutoleratethis think you answered your own question...20 quid for ten

I have found that pretending I am eating the Calpol first encourages them to give it a try. Sometimes we take turns.

[quote Opalfeet]@canyoutoleratethis think you answered your own question...20 quid for ten[/quote]
Hence the prescription. Cost nothing

I used to mix calpol with milk.

These are the ones I bought, expensive so better to get prescription if you can

www.chemist-4-u.com/alvedon-paracetamol-suppositories-60mg-pack-of-10

Oh sorry they’re for babies under 1 but it’s worked out by weight and my dc2 is teeny

@SRK16

Are you sure it’s teething? Teething pain is usually only a few days at a time. Could be developmental or needs change in nap routine etc? Just a thought.

I think it's a mixture of the two! He's cutting his lower cabinets which I think are notoriously bad from memory and then perhaps a developmental leap too as he's waking up jumping about chatting but then they quickly becomes screaming and bashing me round the head if I try to keep him in the bed! I've tried keeping him in his cot but he'll cry till he's sick and then the whole house is up. Not fun.

Would they take nurofen instead? I could never get calpol down DD but she’d taken nurofen no problem.