How to get a two year old to take antibiotics?

[Anxiousoverthinker31]

Hi, so my two year old Dd has got tonsillitis, we've been prescribed the foul smelling amoxicillin (despite being assured it would be the banana one..) anyway, its 5ml 3x a day for 7 days. She hates it. It's a battle to get her to swallow any, however many treats/distractions we seem to offer. So I need all the hints and tricks that have worked for you..
Thanks

We did some antibiotics gently dripped in from a calpol type syringe while little one was sleeping so you could try that for the doses that it's possible.

My DS prefers a syringe rather than a spoon. He holds a drink ready to have straight after to take the taste away. Holding it himself seems to provide a bit of a distraction… just make sure the antibiotic has been swallowed first.

Bribery with haribo / sweets that they wouldn’t usually be allowed to have very often. Antibiotic, drink, sweet.

It’s hard, but hopefully once you get a bit of a consistent routine going she’ll settle into it… good luck.

Wrap up in a big bath towel, lie flat on floor, squirt into back of mouth. Blow into face to encourage swallow reflex. Apologise and give chocolate buttons.

I hated doing it but it was really important that dc had them and they can’t be disguised in food.

Go back to GP and tell them she wont take it and get different ones..

Milkshake! The sweetest, gloopiest, most UPF you can find. Do the antibiotics and then do a small glass of milkshake. It coats the mouth and throat and stops the taste of the meds

I draw the antibiotic up in a calpol syringe and then drop a small amount onto a spoon and cover it with fruit puree (the type you get in a pouch for weaning, like Ella’s Kitchen mango or prune puree). And just give it gradually, it usually takes about 6/7 spoons of the antibiotic/puree mixture but it’s the only way I can get DS to accept it. I tried hiding it in yoghurt first but he refused and the fruit puree was strong enough to hide the flavour, particularly the prune one

I did similar with mine, over and done with in seconds and soon forgot about. I didn't like doing it either but I don't mess about when it comes to infections,

When DD was 2 she developed an absess in her neck and was in hospital for 5 days. It was one of the scariest times of my life at that point, it's making me well up just thinking about how unwell she was and it was 9 years ago 😪

We made a big pantomime of it.
DH got two syringes, filled his with juice and DC with the medicine. They then did it together, either squirting it into each other’s mouths or into their own and having a competition’ over who could do it quickest and pull the funniest yuck face.
We lined up the teddies to watch the show.

i mixed my little ones in a tiny bit of juice , obviously when doing this way you need to ensure they drink the full amount to ensure they get the full dosage.

If they won’t go for the tricks and bribery you just have to pin their arms down and force it in.
medication isn’t negotiable. Keep head tilted backwards and they will swallow it (can’t spit if it’s at the back of the throat and they’re tilted backwards.)
Cuddles and treats and apologies afterwards

Less dramatic, but this. We’ve always explained briefly the need to take the medicine, then given it, willingly if possible. They all take everything well now. Don’t go back to the GP for a different flavour, that’s just embarrassing yourself and poor parenting. Do the deed and get the kid well.

Fruit pouch with some of it squeezed out, antibiotic squirted in and then smushed around to mix it. Best with a sweet one eg apple & pear or mango one

I had a similar issue with both my dc, the antibiotics tasted truly awful. I used a syringe and had a packet of polo's and would give them one straight after, was the only thing that worked

Went back to giving her milk bottles three times a day long after she'd stopped them. Put enough milk in the bottle to disguise the antibiotics. Literally the only thing that worked after we tried everything.
2 year olds are pretty hard to reason with...

I've put my toddlers antibiotics in fruit pouches.

Draw it up in syringe, open fruit pouch, slowly push it in, lid back on, shake extremely well, open lid to check none in the opening they'll taste then screw lid back on before showing yourself opening it to toddler ....

Did my toddler at one point have 2 different antibiotics meaning they had 5 fruit pouches a day for a week? Yes. But considering they had pneumonia and it got rid of it without inducing more stress on their lungs from resisting it was infinitely worth it.

Thankyou for all your replies. I think im going to battle through the next day of doses then start mixing it in with fruit..

Mix it with jam and serve on toast

Poor parenting?

When you have to pin a child down and force the medicine into their mouth whilst they're writhing and screaming and crying.... And do this every day for 5 days..... when there's an alternative available?

You crack on and force it down your kid, I refused to do this after one attempt. We went back and go t a different medicine and had no issues.

DD2 sometimes needs a horribly bitter medicine. What we landed on is a small piece of chocolate first, then meds, then more chocolate. The chocolate coats the mouth so she barely tastes it. Be quick, syringe all ready and in hand, so you can get it in as soon as the chocolate's been swallowed. (Being able to take this without any drama was her hospital party trick the winter she was two.)