Any advice on how I can get my 19 month old to take her antibiotic with out argument?
Posted on September 13th, 2008 in Antibiotics
Nancy L asked:
She is on an antibiotic for ear infections and I can't seem to get her to take this medicine without her spitting it out, clenching her teeth and just thrashing about. The doctor does not advise me to mix it with anything since he doesn't feel she will get all of it. He says that I should just give it to her like you would a pet. I can't do this to her! She already doesn't feel good and I hate torturing here. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
She is on an antibiotic for ear infections and I can't seem to get her to take this medicine without her spitting it out, clenching her teeth and just thrashing about. The doctor does not advise me to mix it with anything since he doesn't feel she will get all of it. He says that I should just give it to her like you would a pet. I can't do this to her! She already doesn't feel good and I hate torturing here. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
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Tags: Ear Infections, teeth
This post has 14 comments
September 15th, 2008
Put it in the bottle thing the top part where the babys drink, she should drink it like she would drink anything else.
September 18th, 2008
i hate this part of parenting. it is sooo hard to get kids this age to take medicine. i don’t blame them. it tastes terrible! the reason your doctor doesn’t want you to mix it with food is that the medicine tastes terrible and will make her food taste terrible. she will not willfully eat it….trust me. have a tiny taste of the medicine yourself, you’ll see what i mean.
i never tricked my kids or mixed medicine with anything. just be matter of fact. “you have to take your medicine now, i know it tastes terrible but it will help you feel better”. let her hold a toy or blankie and be ready with a glass of water or juice for her to drink immediately after. hold her firmly on your lap. pry open her mouth (if you have to), administer the medicine and close her mouth and tilt her head back. i know it seems mean, but if she HAS to have the antibiotic and this is the only way………you gotta do what you gotta do.
best of luck……….
September 19th, 2008
Even though i’m not a parent myself, I think the best way would be to try a creative way to get all of it into a mix with food. For example, baby food would be a good option. Crush the antibiotic, mix it into her favourite baby food (if she has one) and make sure all of it is finished. I’m sure a few granules of the pill might not be ingested but I think this may be a better option compared to giving it to her like a pet.
Taking pills at a young age isn’t a pleasant experience and forcing her to take it like you would to a pet would make it even more unpleasant.
If it’s a liquid form, I reckon the Mary Poppins trick might do it! A promise of a treat after she takes it might help.
Hope this works and that she gets better soon!
September 21st, 2008
I’ve never had trouble giving my daughter her medicine, but my bunny is on antibiotics right now, & I have to hold him tight all four legs & pry his clenched jaws open, he kicks & bites & it takes about 5 minutes for me to do this every day, BUT once he’s had it, he licks his lips & then he’s hopping around again.
I know your daughter is not a bunny, but she won’t see it as cruelty in ten years time! You’re not a bad sadistic mum, you’re doing what’s best for her & she’ll forget after half an hour!!
September 21st, 2008
put it in her juice.
September 24th, 2008
I had the same problem with my kids when they were at similar ages. Unfortunately, you’re the parent and your child must have the medication. You really don’t have a choice but to suck it up and give it to her. Make it quick and matter-of-fact but do it. We’re not a candy eating family but I used to offer some M&Ms or some other treat as incentive. Also, I’d make sure to have a drink handy for right after- to get rid of the taste. As soon as our kids were old enough for chewable options, we insisted on them and as soon as they could swallow a pill, we switched to those. Good luck. My heart goes out to you.
September 26th, 2008
If you live in America, most pharmacies have dozens of flavorings for medications. Take the medicine back to the store and ask them to make it whatever you think the baby will enjoy. Your doctor sounds like a real pip. How old is he anyway? Sounds like my doctor back in the 1940s.
September 30th, 2008
I wouldn’t mix it in with her food or anything like that because like the doc says, she might not get it all, and depending on the medicine & what it’s mixed with, it can make it taste sour or tangy, of which now your child will no longer care for that food item either.
I personally think that reverse psychology works the best around my home. My daughter just turned 2 and she goes through this very issue every now & then. If you have any other children at home, when she starts to turn away or say no to the meds simply say something like “uh oh, I’m gonna let sissy have it then,” then the older child says “oh yummy,” and you act as if you are going to let them take it. My daughter always takes it right away then.
If you don’t have any other children at home you can be the one who is going to take it then and just act like it is going to taste so good. This has never failed me. And I agree, when they don’t feel well who wants to hold down their child and force medicine down their throat?
Good Luck! Hope it works for you!
October 1st, 2008
I know you don’t want to torture her, but your doctor is right. If you just put it in a dropper and make her take it, it will be over with quickly. The trouble with mixing it like your doctor said is that she might or might not get it all and then you will be living with ear infections even longer. Put it in a dropper and give it to her directly, even if it does upset her a bit. I have to listen to my two year old yell bloody murder every time I give him medicine or brush his teeth, but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.
October 2nd, 2008
if it is a liquid medication (which I am assuming) then you can take it to almost any pharmacy and get it flavored. My son likes getting the apple flavor the most. If your daughter still don’t want it tehn too bad, she needs it and you will have to hold her down and force it into her, this isn’t something that you can just say oh toss it she isn’t in the mood, it is her meds and she NEEDS them no matter what kind of fit she works herself into.
October 2nd, 2008
I learned all kinds of tricks to get my girls to do things they didn’t want when they were that age. Unfortunately, I never learned anyway to get the medicine to go down without a fight. I usually ended up straddling them on the floor, pinning their arms to their sides with my knees. Then I pinched their mouth and squirted the medicine in. They may choke a little, but they’ll swallow it quicker lying down than if they are sitting up. Make sure to give them a treat for taking their medicine, even if you have to fight them to do it. It’ll make it easier to get them to take meds when they are older.
October 5th, 2008
I know you say you don’t won’t to torture her, but that’s not how I see it. You would be torturing her if she was hospitalized b/c they can’t clear her infection up and she may need tubes to fix the problems. I would much rather get the meds in her any way I could for 5-10 days then put her through any more unneeded pain. Follow the antibiotic up with a promise to a small sucker if she swallows it all
I always laid mine down and when I out it in their mouth blew in their face for a short blow and they quickly swallowed b/c it is a reflex.
October 5th, 2008
back right, then there is no choice but to swallow, you might have to hold her down
October 8th, 2008
My son is 2 1/2 and the best way for him to take his antibiotic and any other medication is to let him do it himself. He feels a sense of accomplishment because he does it himself. And I also give him a lot of praise when he does it and that makes him feel like a big boy. He gets the little medicine dropper whenever he gets medication so I just measure it for him and my husband taught him how to insert it in his mouth. Now he reminds ME that he has to take his medicine. This may not work for every child but it may be worth a try. Good luck with it
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