DD won't take antibiotic...desperate 😫

[Greenginghamdress]

DD has a bad ear infection. She was prescribed fluoxacillin and we just can't get it down her. She's had a little but now won't take it and I've tried everything. In desperation I've tried pinning her down but she won't swallow it. I know this was cruel 😢 and we both ended up in tears.
Her outer ear is very infected and her temperature keeps rising. MIL told me she may be at risk from meningitis and I'm terrified.
How can I get these antibiotics down her?

Cats have a handy tooth gap but if it's metacam some cats love it

PUT it in one of those syringe things and squirt it in her mouth
Ahh remember those days well

My 4 year old still managed to spit it all out when held down and syringed back by gums. The only thing that worked for us was mixing it in a strawberry Yop or icecream.

Worked for mine and they didn't therapy to get over it stop being so dramatic

007DoubleOSeven I have no idea.

Garman It can take practice but if you do it slowly enough and in the right place it isn’t possible for DC to spit it out.

@Discovereads the parents who don't manage to get their child to take medication are the ones who kids are admitted for medication and the first line of attack from us is pinning them down and forcing medication

That you know of. I have had years of therapy for things my parents did to me and never ever spoke a word about it to them. What would be the point? They’re like you and would just sit there and justify themselves, say it wasn’t cruel, it was my fault for being a stubborn mare, etc

Mix it with something she can drink. My parents (in the 80s) mixed fluclox with Coca Cola when I had meningitis. Make me hate coke for years!

@Discovereads it's not traumatising ffs 😂 it's necessary.

4.5?? I thought you were going to say 1!! Just pin her down and syringe it in. She's old enough to be told straight she's taking it with no nonsense. And certainly old enough for some bribery.

@Discovereads would have preferred to have died of sepsis?

Would you *

Surely by 4.5 there is something she wants enough to be bribed with. Chocolate, toy, time on tablet etc. Might be harder the first couple of times, but they soon get the message. When ds had covid, we had to seriously pin him down for the first test, but then he was lining up for time on the favourite video game after that. He was quite disappointed to be better and not need testing any more.

Squirt it down the side of her cheek it should go down , bribery , let her do it herself so she can pull it up the syringe then she can have a sweet or whatever afterwards, tell her she can't do x until she has taken her medicine, sympathise that it's horrible but she has to take it for her ears. Are the tactics I used.

Many medical interventions can be both traumatising and necessary. Shocked you think they are mutually exclusive! And I think it’s best to try every other means possible before even considering physical force.

Now who is being dramatic?

We were told to pin down trapping one arm behind your back and one hold firmly and tilt head back. Blow on their face which will hopefully open their mouth but if not a gentle pinch of their nose to ge them to open, shove it in and blow again!

Squeeze it in against the cheek pouch if she won't fully open her mouth, she'll swallow reflexively. Good luck!

@Discovereads I don't think theyre mutually exclusive. But pinning a 4 year old to give her necessary medication isn't going to traumatise her.

I definitely wrapped Ds1 in a towel at 4, pinned him down and syringed antibiotics into his mouth as it was that or hospitalise him and I know which one would have caused him more trauma. He is 19, and fine because he knows that we are loving and caring parents who only did that once, maybe twice and understands why we would do that. We are not cruel by nature. Some parents are.

That's the really bitter one isn't it? My son got prescribed that and when he wouldn't take it I tried some and I really couldn't make him take it again it was so bitter. I gave it a few days without him taking it to see if he'd get better and luckily he did without otherwise I would have asked for something else, it's vile.

@Discovereads there is a reason we gives kids antibiotics and that's to stop death from infection it's not for fun

4 is too old for physical force. She will remember. It will affect her. It’s best to try every other means possible before even considering it. To make it your go to option at the drop of a hat is lazy and cruel parenting in my opinion. I have 4 DC and never had to physically force them.

Slowly? When he's flailing and screaming like a wild animal because he's so against it?! There's no slowly about it without risking the trauma being mentioned here, he splutters and stores it somehow and spits it back out when you think it's gone. Had to give up that method, it's not possible with all kids. I have experience giving meds to small animals and I still couldn't manage to get it into him. Hiding it in icecream or Yoghurt drink was all that worked.

@Discovereads your opinion is clearly clouded by your own upbringing being a cruel one. Not everything a parent does is cruel just because it was done to you and you had a shitty upbringing. Good for you having never had to force your kids. Some parents have to or their kids end up in hospital being forced by strangers. What's more traumatising do you think? 🤔