won't take medicine

[cdmj2111]

my son is 34 months old and at the moment needs to take medicine. Well I just can't get him to take it. I've tried bribbing, explaining, holding him down, putting it in juice and a fair few other ideas. He just crys, or wriggles out of my grip and ALWAYS spits it out. How do you get your child to take it? I'm getting desperate.

Happy Christmas. Have fun playing Father Christmas!

[Hgrove]

A friend of mine squirts it into the mouth using a plastic syringe.  You could threaten him with going to hospital/to the health visitor/nurse if nothing else works perhaps?

[Kay]

I always used used a syringe,its much easier! Please dont threaten your son with hospital etc as this could give him a phobia about them.Its the same when parents tell their little ones " I'll tell that policeman about you" which only makes the child afraid to ever approach the police if need be!

[Dom Tuk]

The issue is not that the child does not take the medicine but that anxious parents make a big thing about it. Yes the syringe is the best way to do it and squirt it inside the mouth into the cheeks and not down the tongue. But if the child refuses say he is  missing out on the fun. Try some similar coloured juice (dilute jam) on yourself and partner and make a big show of how much fun it is and how it tickles and get partner to ask for more....and make a big game out of refusing him/her...involve the child and then the child gets his go. He will soon twig that the liquid is calpol or the antibiotic....but atleast you have got one shot in. This is where i run out of ideas and someone else will have to guide you on how to complete the course. meanwhile enjoy the puddings...

[atkrhome]

You could ask the pharmacist for advice, Im sure they come across this quite often !

[FP]

My son would never take medicine, but from two years old would happily take a tablet with a drink.  Doctors always prescribe liquid medicine for children, thinking it is easier, but they were quite willing to prescribe tablets when I told them my son was happy to take them.  It often means halving or quartering an adult dose tablet.

[_Poizon_]

Try putting it into a strong liquid (when I was younger I liked pure fresh sqeezed lemon juice, don't ask me why) or even squirting it onto your sons favourite food or into his jam, butter or otherwise. Or try a different medicine, I always actually liked the taste of calpol.

[sugarmags]

My child has some slight disabilities and is very sensitive to taste/texture. I tried putting medicine in applesause, yougurt, juice, etc. The only thing that would sometimes work for me was chocolate syrup. The stuff you put on ice cream or in your milk. I gave him tylenol in suppository form. He hated his medicines so much he preferred suppositories until he could swallow pills. If there was NO other way, I would have to straddle him with my knees on either side of his head and use a medicine syringe. Sometimes it was the only thing that worked.

[hattster]

If the child doesn't know that he is taking medicine he won't spit it out etc, keep the bottle away from him and just disguise it in a drink or my favourite was to put it on top of jelly or jello if your american :o)