Any Suggestions on How to Get Eye Drops into a 2 Yr Old's Eye?

I don't know if this will help, or if it will work,, (ask Dr/Pharmacist) but when my little one needed ointment several times a day, I did it when she was asleep as much as possible. Just pulled her lower lid down and put the med in then massaged it around. Mine didn't need to be refrigerated, so I held it for a bit first so it wasn't cold. She never woke up and it worked like a charm. Hope this helps so you don't have a fight every time. Good luck

My son is 28 months now, but He had pink eye back in February (about 26 months old). I basically pinned him down to do it the first night, but that was a 2 person job, and my husband travels. So I decided to use a reward. I gave him a few M&Ms if he let me do it, and he just laid down and did it. Not much screaming or fighting and by the 3rd day, I don't even think I gave him the M&Ms. I don't give him much candy so it was a big reward to him, becase he loves them. Probably not the recommended way of putting them in the child, but it worked for us.

Hi N.

I feel your pain...pink eye spread through all three of my kiddos(ages 18 months to 5 years). The easiest way I found was to have them lie down and close their eyes, I placed the drop in the corner by the tear ducts, then had them blink their eyes fast about 10 times. The drops will go into the eyes as they blink. Then I had marshmallows or some kind of treat for when they were finished.

Good Luck!!

My 11 month old had this over Easter! I would lay him on my bed and pretty much had to climb on top him to keep him from rolling and crawling away. He would squeeze his eyes shut tight. I put the drops in the inside corner (by his nose) then pull down on his cheek to pull the bottom eyelid down. The drops would flow in and he instictually blinked. His was cleared up in 2 days!

The responses describing putting drops at the corners and allowing them to at least partially run into the eye represent one plausible technique, but there is a far simpler one, and I do not know why doctors don't instruct parents when dispensing the drops. All you need to do is gently pull the lower eyelid downward slightly while the eye is open (looking directly at you or some fun distracting item). Your child does not need to lay down, can help if you/they would like, and the drops are not placed on the eyeball directly so there is no panic or fighting or needing a partner to hold anyone down! Tell the child he/she will be just amazed and demonstrate on yourself if that would help. The drops are placed in the little pocket of the lower lid, pulled down while the eye is OPEN (I usually said: "look up at the ceiling" so they did not even see the bottle approaching their lower eyelid---sometimes I asked then to pull down their own lid) and after you place the drops, THEN you instruct the child to simply close their eye and blink a few times, and you or they can even gently rub upwards in a swirling motion to uniformly dispense. I taught my elderly f-i-l to use the same technique with his glaucoma drops which he was having a terrible time trying to get in his eyes directly due to the normal response to blink. Considering how widespread pink eye is, pediatricians or their nursing staff could do a huge service by suggesting this simple technique and allowing the affected child to perform it with them in the office before going home. good luck.

I can't tell you how many times I've gone through this fight with my kids, LOL! We just had pinkeye again a couple weeks ago. One peice of advice -- hold onto those drops b/c they don't expire for over a year, and they may come in handy again later.

One thing I found that helped a TINY bit with my daughter was letting her take the drops herself (with the top screwed on) and "put the drops in" her teddy's/dolly's/whomever's eyes. I had to fight with her to get them in at first (she's 18 mos, and very opinionated, LOL) but once I let her have "control" of the drops and "use" them herself on her toys, she became less defiant about it. I'm not going to lie -- I still had to hold her down and struggle, but it wasn't NEAR the kicking and screaming we went through before.

Every kid is different, but I figure it's worth a try! With my son (2.5 years) after I put them in his eyes last time, I asked if it hurt. He said no, it tickled. So after that I would say "Mommy needs to tickle your eyes again!" when we went to put the drops in. For some odd reason that worked for him. That, and me letting him "put drops" (again -- closed top) in his stuffed Dora's eyes.

Good luck!

My son is 2 and is just getting over pink eye. I put him in his highchair so he couldn't really move that much when I held his head back to put the drops in. It is a little difficult to open their eye's with your fingers to get the drops in, but at least they can't really move when in a highchair. Hope this helps some, good luck!

i think you can just put it in the corner of their eye and it will roll in on its own.

My son couldn't stand drops either. What I had him do was lie on his side on the sofa with his eyes closed. I put the drop in the "outside" corner of his eye. When he opened his eye, it rolled right in and wasn't so scary. He'd then "flip" sides and we'd repeat it without too much production.

Hope that helps.

I was going to tell you to sit on the floor and lay her between your legs w/ her head between your thighs and her legs and feet will run along yours. Put her arms under your knees. That way she cant really move and just gently pry open her eye a tad and put the drops in.
Or if you dont want to pry them open just squirt them in the little corner w/ her head slightly to the opposite side and just have her blink a whole bunch. Make a blinking game out of it or sing to distract her.
But the best advice is to ask for the cream, not the drops.

You need to hold her down. You are not going to hurt her by doing that. You may need your husband to help you. We had to do the same thing with our daughter which is 2. One of you hold her and the other fight with her eyes. If you get it open just a little then put the medicine in. She will be OK in a few days once you get the medicine in her eyes.
Good Luck
S.

We went through this a lot and I share your frustration! The best was when I could time the drops to when she was sleeping. I could just get it in there and she didn't even wake up. But that wasn't always practical. My daughter called them rain drops and somehow we worked out a reward schedule...marshmallows for drops. That worked really well. Also, you can try to get it into the corner of her eye (near the nose). It will likely flow in. Somehow my girl's infections always cleared up. I'm sure your's will too.

First off don't get stressed about it if she misses a few doses it will still clear up. Next what i did was got my daughter right in the morning. I would go in there when she was waking up and not quite alert yet. This goes for in the morning, naps I even went in while she was sleeping and pulled open her eye lid. Amazingly enough most sleep through it or wake up only a little...lol
Good luck

My son had to have eye drops this past Christmas when he was 21 months old. It was no fun at all. My husband and I had to pin him down, basically, to get the eye drops in. It is definitely a two person job. He would lay on my sons lap, my husband would try to hold his head between his arm and stomach, and I would hold on to his hands and just try to soothe him - and keep him from kicking anything to push off of. They really helped him, but it was anything but fun! Good luck!

When my 18 month old had pink eye the doctor told us to put the drops in the corner of the eye closest to the nose while he's laying down. This even works if their eyes are closed because when they open their eyes the drops will roll in, just make sure she's on her back. This worked for us, his pink eye was gone from both eyes in less than 48 hours.

My daughter had to take allergy drops for her eyes at about that same age. After struggling to convinve her to put them in her eyes I was done!!! Then I had the idea that maybe she was scared to get them in her eyes (after all, getting things in your eyes like dust is never fun!!!). SO I went to the drug store and purchased some clear eyes. The next night, I told her it was time to get her eye medicine. I then put the clear eyes in my eyes just to show her that it doesn't hurt. She let me put her medicine in!!! and I have never had an issue with it since (and shes 10 now)... Good luck to you...

I always have mine lay down either the couch or on my lap and close their eyes. Then place one or two drops in the corners and then have them open their eyes and blink. Enough of the meds should get in. Even if they rub they usually will rub some in. Good luck!

Hi N., ask your doctor for the ointment. They should have given you that anyway. For now though make it a game and have your 2 year old help you put them in.

I went through a phase where I began to reject my contacts and was constantly putting drops in my eyes. My 2 yo saw this and since she always wants to be like mommy, when she received some drops to deal w/ her allergies, she was all on board w/ letting me put them in her eyes too.

Maybe you can buy a bottle of tears for you and show her that mommy does it and so can she.

So, this won't be pretty, but it will be quick and will work. Lay your daughter on the ground, sit with her head in between your legs, so it's right up against your groin, then lay your thighs over her arms, cross your legs over her legs and squeeze your thighs gently to restrain her head. None of this should hurt her, just prevent her from moving so you can use both hands, one to hold the eye open and then one to drop the drops in. She'll cry but it will get in and it will be over much quicker than any other way. My pediatrician demonstrated it for me when I had to do this. Good luck

Hi N.!

Eye drops are hard to manage....but 'back in the day' there was an ointment...I want to say gentamycin...and that was easier to use with the littler kids...maybe call doc...and ask?

Good luck
michele/cat