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SophiasMom
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Nov 30, 2007
Posts: 33
Location: Moncton, NB
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 Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:57 pm Post subject: Any advice on getting medication into toddlers? |
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Miss Sophia has low iron & environmental allergies. I cannot get her medication into her, it seems she can taste it in whatever I try to sneak it into & she just will not swallow it, not cherry, not grape, not bubble gum.
Any one have any tricks/suggestions? |
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gbollard
cosmic hobo
Joined: Oct 06, 2007
Age: 39
Posts: 3269
Location: Sydney, Australia
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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The best suggestions I can provide are;
Get the medication into a syringe (without the needle) so that you can very very slowly inject it into the toddler's mouth without giving them enough to spit it back out. Rub their neck with your third arm -- maybe get a partner to help.
If restraints are required, get an adult to hug her with her arms and legs wrapped around their stomache and feed her over the shoulder - that way she can't kick or hit. BTW: You'll probably want a teatowel on the shoulder - or it could get messy
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http://life-with-aspergers.blogspot.com/ |
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adverb
Sea Gull
Joined: Dec 08, 2007
Posts: 242
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:36 pm Post subject: |
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find a compounding pharmacy. they'll be able to provide the medication in a variety of ways your toddler will be happy with.
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What will happen in the morning when the world it gets so crowded that you can't look out the window in the morning?
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BeautyWithin
Deinonychus
Joined: Feb 07, 2007
Posts: 375
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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I used to use bribery....
First medicine, then candy (or juice or whatever he was into).
Good luck! |
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Lainie
Raven
Joined: May 28, 2007
Posts: 123
Location: Central California
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 1:35 am Post subject: |
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Gosh I went thru this. I couldn't get my kids to take any kind of meds. When my son had a streph infection, he picked shots over liquid twice!!! They put these shots in his upper thigh and he couldn't walk for 4 days. I begged and begged for him to take the liquid, but he just wouldn't.
At 2 I just had to deal with fevers with tepid baths and wash clothes. Later I was able to give him a mini m&m to swallow and that worked. Now he can take meds.
Maybe you should try that? Give him one to swallow, give him one to eat? See what happens? Then maybe you could get him to take the pill form?
Lainie |
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ster
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 24, 2005
Posts: 2398
Location: new england
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 7:58 am Post subject: |
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| my son wasn't sick very often, so didn't run into this problem much.........i'll admit that bribery worked here. if he swallowed the med without a fuss, then he got a piece of his favorite candy. |
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flowergal
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: Jun 13, 2008
Age: 37
Posts: 58
Location: Peaceful Countryside, USA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:11 am Post subject: |
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My 9 yr old daughter absolutely detests medicine, whether it is antibiotics or Tylenol. AS a baby we would restrain her, plug her nose so she would swallow the meds, but she usually would puke it all back up due to being so upset. NOW, at her age I just tell her, its that or shots, or we may have to go the hospital...your choice, this usually works and I let her hold the cup or medicine holder so she can control it, and I just let her take her time, it may take 20 minutes, but she will usually resolve to doing it herself. ..... Bribery doesnt work with her, but telling her the other options does....at this age. My 7 yr old son on the other hand loves medicine, liquid or pills.....go figure! 
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Tortuga
Phoenix
Joined: Dec 12, 2007
Posts: 512
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:31 am Post subject: |
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My son absolutely hated any kind of medicinal syrup and I could not conceal it. I had to do what gbollard posted. Put the medicine in a little dropper, put the dropper as far back in his throat as possible and slowly put the medicine towards the back of his mouth where he couldn't spit it right back at me. It was horrible any time he needed meds.
Good news is that he grew up to be an excellent pill swallower. I love it now that he's old enough that he can get medicine in tablet form. Sometimes the doctor will try to give him a syrup, but I always ask for the pill form instead. |
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jat
Snowy Owl
Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 151
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 10:55 am Post subject: |
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| We pretty much used gbollard's approach, but found that, when our boys realized they were going to get the medicine, they sometimes relaxed and took a bit of control over the pace - how quickly and how much we squeezed into their mouths. Sometimes they "helped" squeeze the syringe. With one of mine, bribery never worked. His world view was that if he could have it after, there was no reason why he couldn't have it (whatever "it" was) before. When he got a bit older, he would sometimes make "deals:" if I can have this [whatever] first, then I'll do/take [whatever] after. Being a "man" of his word, he generally abided by his deals. |
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Ana54
International Incident Initiator
Joined: Dec 27, 2005
Age: 20
Posts: 6493
Location: Channelview, Texas, USA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:56 am Post subject: |
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Thosde are horrible things to do. Will you stop ignoring adverb for once and listen to what he has to say? Using force will traumatize the child and be worse for the child than the medication is beneficial, and the child will REALLY need medication, for depression, after you've done that.
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jat
Snowy Owl
Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 151
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 12:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Ana54 wrote: | | Thosde are horrible things to do. Will you stop ignoring adverb for once and listen to what he has to say? Using force will traumatize the child and be worse for the child than the medication is beneficial, and the child will REALLY need medication, for depression, after you've done that. |
Adverb's advice is great - if you can find such a pharmacy (they aren't everywhere), if the taste of the medication can be successfully masked (not all can), and if you can afford it (many pharmacies don't accept insurance plans for these "special orders"). If you can get all those things met, though, adverb is absolutely right - for kids who will take something if it tastes good, a pharmacy of that sort is a wonderful option. Unfortunately, one of our kids wouldn't take anything that didn't taste exactly like what he drank - apple juice! LOL! And sometimes, the child really needs to take the medicine. |
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SophiasMom
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Nov 30, 2007
Posts: 33
Location: Moncton, NB
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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| adverb wrote: | | find a compounding pharmacy. they'll be able to provide the medication in a variety of ways your toddler will be happy with. |
They cannot do anything with iron, at least the one I went to cannot. It is already flavoured. They said the flavour is just too strong. The allergy meds are flavoured too, she hates them all we have tried every flavour on the shelf. I'll go back to the pharmacy next week to see if they can do anything with the allergy meds.
She needs them, her sinuses look like they are trying to bust through her skin without them, she is pretty unhappy.
And iron, well yep she needs that too, it makes you tired lethargic, can lower your IQ & too little in your blood could lead to death.
I don't think she will understand the swallowing whole thing yet, so I'm trying bribeing with popcycles. Wish me luck. |
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ster
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 24, 2005
Posts: 2398
Location: new england
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 4:24 pm Post subject: |
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| good luck !..........if you're trying popsicles, you could always try letting her have a couple of licks before taking the meds ( i dunno, maybe it will numb her tongue ever so slightly)..... |
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adverb
Sea Gull
Joined: Dec 08, 2007
Posts: 242
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:08 pm Post subject: |
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not sure about this one, but...
in college this girl i knew had prescription benzocaine gel. we soon learned that the nastiest of straight liquors goes down easy with a numbed mouth (and especially tongue).
there are otc baby teething pain gels available with 10% benzocaine.
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What will happen in the morning when the world it gets so crowded that you can't look out the window in the morning?
- Nick Drake |
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equinn
Phoenix
Joined: Apr 20, 2007
Posts: 652
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 2:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Ana54 wrote: | | Thosde are horrible things to do. Will you stop ignoring adverb for once and listen to what he has to say? Using force will traumatize the child and be worse for the child than the medication is beneficial, and the child will REALLY need medication, for depression, after you've done that. |
Yes, I agree. Do not use restraints. This is very traumatizing to a child. My oldest son was just like this. I dreaded each time he required an antibiotic! I tried everything. What finally worked was using a chaser. He would take some of medicine and then a drink of water. This is how we did it. It gave him some control, but it did take lots of patience and more time!
equinn |
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