2 year old won't take Calpol

[homarr]

My 2 year old has got Covid.

Her temperature has been up and down a lot over the last couple of days.
It has gone up to 39.5 tonight. She is refusing Calpol.

We have tried everything to get her to take it. We've tried bribery, trying to just get the syringe in her mouth but she retches. She is just getting more distressed the more we try.

She has had a cool bath and we have put a fan in her room. Temp has come down a bit but she needs the Calpol. Any ideas?

We usually mixed it with fruit juice - it always worked.

Tip it into a little cup and get her to drink it instead?
Mix it in with something you know she'll eat all of, like a strawberry yogurt?

I used tesco own brand paracetamol as it’s strawberry or cherry flavour .

• Put it in a teat and let her suck it out?
• put the dose actually on a spoon? She might be more receptive to it
• mix it in with a fruity flavour yoghurt? Small amount so not too much to eat
• get her to practice with water only in the syringe
• tiny drops of calpol at a time under her tongue or cheek so she has no choice but to swallow
• Suppositorys for future maybe (altho doesnt help u now) and prescription only I think

Good luck, hope shes feeling better soon!

Second vote for mix it in yoghurt or fromage frais. Works a treat.

I give ibuprofen as it lasts 6 hours so fewer doses. Then hold them down and squirt into the side of the cheek and massage under the chin to encourage swallowing. I always give options first, he can do it or I can do it. I found after a couple of doses he was happy with a cup of juice and being able to squeeze the syringe himself.

I also bought different flavours. Orange or strawberry to see if that helped. It didn’t with mine.

Putting it in a strongly flavoured juice drink was the only way I managed to get the last lot of medicine into my toddler when they were poorly. Forcing it didn’t work as they just vomited when upset.

I made up the juice with sparking water so it was a special treat (fizzy juice),

My kids also hate calpol. In future try other brands, there was a colourless cherry flavoured one from the pharmacy that mine found more tolerable. For now though, mix with a small amount (like 1 tsp) of something super sweet like golden syrup.

Paralink are very fast working and quick to administer. Try to get hold of some of those.

Ours like Calpol but hate the Neurofen. I have to admit the smell of that one makes me gag too.

I had to mix calpol in mint chocolate ice cream this afternoon to get my 2 year old take some. He just will not take it, his sister on the other hand loves it.

Pin them down and aim for the cheek hold nose for a second to make them swallow . Feels really cruel pinning them down but you just have to sometimes.

The cherry flavour tastes much better if you can get it.

This doesn’t help for tonight but definitely get suppository. You can get over the counter but very expensive but worth it .Not ideal but took seconds! We tried every trick to get child to take calpol/ ibuprofen and it just was too stressful and ended up vomiting!! Good luck! 💐

Do not recommend pinning down !

Try nurofen for kids if you can. It may go down better

You can buy a suppository form from pharmacies! Works well if a child is vomiting and can't keep paracetamol or ibuprofen down orally, or they a refusing oral! Quick and simple.

Controversial on here but..:just don’t bother? Having a temperature, especially under 40 C, does not actually hurt children. I recall reading one study — I think from New Zealand — that found fevers were useful in shortening the duration disease. If your child is able to sleep and not miserable directly because of the fever I’d just let them get on with it.

Other liquid paracetamols are available. Also liquid ibuprofen.

Unpopular opinion: if everything else doesn't work put the medicine in a syringe, aim for the cheek, expect drama and calpol up the walls. Have a drink to hand for afterwards and some cuddles.

Patenting means making the right decision, not the easy ones unfortunately.

I had to do this with my daughter. Now much older and she will squirt her own medicine in if needed.

What about calpol melts? Do they make them for little ones... not sure but maybe an idea?

Unpopular opinion: if everything else doesn't work put the medicine in a syringe, aim for the cheek, expect drama and calpol up the walls. Have a drink to hand for afterwards and some cuddles.

I agree. It’s just one of those things.
39.5 is very high. I wouldn’t be pussy footing around with bribes and ‘oh come on please, try it on a spoon then.’ If she’s that unwell she’s not going to take any notice anyway.

Have you tried the sugar free Calpol? It's vile. You can buy standard old fashioned Calpol that's not sugar free it tastes much better. The sugar free one is so bitter.

I'm with Confuciusornis
Calpol doesn't make children better, it makes them more comfortable whilst they're ill. If it's not doing that because they're fighting it this much, it's not worth giving it.