How can I persuade my 4 year old to take antibiotics?

[KathrynAustin]

The subject says it all really!

We live in fear of our DS1 needing any kind of medication - calpol, antibiotics anything because he absolutely refuses to open his mouth.

Today he was diagnosed with a pretty bad chest infection and has been prescribed Amoxycillin. He's had 3 doses, and I've wasted about an equal amount. The only way of giving it to him is by using brute force (including me (gently!) straddling him and sitting on is hands). I absolutely hate it, but know he needs the meds.

Problems are - he hates milky drinks, all juice drinks, ice cream and only drinks water, so I can't hide the antibiotics anywhere. He will usually do anything for a chocolate button, but even that bribe isn't working.

I dread each dose and would value any advice/help!

Are you giving it on a spoon or a syringe? I always found a syringe tucked inside the cheek right at the back worked. Followed by a chocoalte button or three.

(Needleless) syringe.

Is he the kind to be tempted by sweets/forbidden tv bribes or a star chart (with a view to getting a brilliant present at the end) if he takes his medicine each time? Perhaps promise some chocolate buttons/favourite tv show after medicine? My sister was like your son as a child and bribery was the only thing that worked with her... sorry...

Agree with mrsmaidamess on the stealth syringe option.
Tricky if he's immune to bribery - my 4 yr old has no scruples and will quite happily hold out for the bribe of chocolate! How about a slightly exaggerated version of events that will occur if he DOESN'T take his antibiotics....featuring tongues going green, coughing until he's 80....etc..?!!

What about Yoghurt? I hide dd's calpol in there! works a treat when she is poorly!

I also use a syringe, that helps too!

Good Luck

We said if you don't take your medicine we'll have to take you back to the doctor. DS hates going, so it was enough to make him take it. Not idea, as Doctors shouldn't be seen as scary people, but we'd tried all other options. Also said no tv or books until he took it. Horrible to have to resort to threats, but we'd tried everythign else. Lots and lots of praise when he did take it though, obviously!

Would he try holding his nose (masks the taste a bit) my dd tried this once or twice for novelty value and it got more into her.

Also take him to sweet shop perhaps - let him choose normally forbidden treats but ration them strictly to after the medicine.

Can you bribe him with more than a chocolate button? E.g. packet of Smarties / chocolate brownie / new DVD if he takes the medicine for two days / etc.

Thanks for your ideas. I have a box of maltesers that we don't normally have and he loves, but he won't open his mouth for them!! The annoying thing is he promises next time he'll be good and swallow it and I feel (false) hope, then he has a complete tantrum when the medicine comes out...

We're using a spoon. Even less success with a syringe because he just spat it out and gagged, maybe I was squirting too near his throat, and not into is cheek? I guess if too near the throat it's even worse.

Smee your idea has come the closest to working! He hates going to the gp so the thought of another visit is terrible!

Because of his age (and sex?) he doesn't reason very well and gets so caught up in the moment that whatever he's promised me goes out of the window when meds come out...

I'm worried that me and dh make it worse because he knows we're expecting a tantrum with every dose.

Can you do it with a syringe and let him squirt himself? That may get acouple of doses in if you are lucky until hte novelty wears off.

If you do really have to pin him down the most effective way to do it is to wrap him in a large towel or sheet pinning his arms down by his sides. He may be a bit old for that though.

Be matter of fact - ie 'this is going to happen'. Warn him five minutes before and tell him you're going to do something lovely straight afterwards. We also did deep breaths thing to stop the wailing, so get him to take deep breaths in, deep breaths out and to focus on that. Really go ott on it, because it's fun and makes them laugh. You do it too and see who can take the biggest breath, etc. Get medicine ready and he/you only stop the breathing thing to take it. Massive hug and round of applause once he's done it. We also did a sticker chart - for a course of five days of antibiotics, we did 3 stickers a day (one for for each dose) and the chart ended on day 5 with a visit to the shop for a comic. Sopmehow seeing the stickers showed him he could do it and he felt proud of what he'd achieved.

I have to give my 4yr old many, many med each day and he started out like you ds.

You have to be firm 'it is going to haooen' give him the choice to take it nicley and if he doesn't im afrais brute force does have to come into play.

Go behind him and put your arm round him like a big hug, holding his arms. and get your dp to tilt his head backwards, use a syringe and squirt samll amounts at a time directly at his cheek as its harder to spit out tehna and he is less likely to choke whilst crying. Loads of praise afterwards and a malteaser, by the end of the course he should be getting better, you just have to tell yourslef that it is whats besst for him!

agree be matter of fact - it is going to happen and give warning and then give a sweet after if need be,but tbh i dnt feel that you should have to bribe a child to do something that you as an adult wants him to do - esp at 4

i actually like the taste of amoxycillin and would gladly lick the spoon afterwards

I agree blondes, you shouldn't have to bribe, but if they're ill and in a state - so ill in fact that the bribe of chocolate has no power, then I can't see the harm in offering a bigger incentive. When we did the sticker chart for our son he hadn't eaten for 3 days and was incredibly weak. The medicine taking had become massive for him, so though it seemed ridiculous to us (after all it's just a spoon of something) it was genuinely a huge deal for him to take it. To me that deserves a reward everytime.

very true

wonder what i would do for a malteaser?

I can't see a box of malteasers without scoffing the lot. Very medicinal