How Can I Get My Toddler to Take This Medicine??????

I didn't read the other responses so sorry if I am repeating someone else. I had this problem with my 10mo. He would through up every time I would give it to him. I also tried mixing it with his formula and food but he could still taste it. His pediatrician told me to mix it with hersheys syrup. As bad as I felt giving him spoon full of chocolate it worked. Good Luck

My granddaughter since 5 has not liked meds. She holds her nose, I guess then she can not smell or taste. Who knows, But also applesauce or water after? G. W

I know you have gotten a lot of responses. My children don't have Autism or ASD but other issues arise. Sometimes what works once, doesn't work the next time. I found some of these ideas new and not something I had thought of. Maybe one of them will help from time to time. I wish you the best of luck.
God Bless,
T.

Offer choices whenever you can.
"The taking of the medicine is non-negotiable but other things are," advises social worker Mary Mathews. "Even the simplest choices give the child a needed sense of control." You might ask, "Do you want the medicine before you get dressed or after?" Or, "Would you like apple, orange or grape juice with your medicine?" Mathews observes that "sometimes people don't think choices work, but they really do. Offering a choice gives a child control of the situation, and over her body." Mathews's general rule is offering two choices, not five or six, because then it turns into a negotiation and parents can lose control.

Make the medication taste better or easier to swallow, if your doctor approves.
Joan Lokar recommends, "keeping liquid medications cold to make them more palatable." She also advises you "ask your doctor and pharmacist if the medication will taste bad, and if it's safe to add a flavoring. You can also inquire if it's safe to mix a liquid medicine with juice or food. But check with your doctor or nurse practitioner to make sure, before you do."

Give medications at the same time and in the same place.
It helps to create a designated spot in your house for giving medicine, preferably not your child's room. This puts the treatment of the illness in perspective, so it doesn't take over your house -- and your child's life. "Set up a routine for taking the medicine, and do it the same time and even in the same place, if you can," recommends Mary Mathews. "A general rule is you should try not to give medication regularly in bed (as long as this is medically possible) or in the child's room. It helps the child to have her own space, separate from treatment of the illness." To stay on schedule, put a checklist on the refrigerator or your child's door. With every dose of medication, have your child make a check or put a sticker on the list.

Choose clear, age-appropriate words when you speak.
Since many children interpret things literally, the specific words you use to describe your child's treatment are very important. Some words may scare children and make them more resistant to treatment. "Don't say, 'you're going to get a shot,' " says Mary Mathews, "use the word `injection' instead, because some kids may literally think they are going to be shot with a gun." Older children will want and need a full explanation to ensure their participation or to start treating themselves.

Don't blame the child for the illness; instead praise him for accepting the treatment.
Many children will feel responsible for getting sick or injured. It helps to remind them that they did not cause this, and then praise them for following the treatment plan. "Children want to feel well and they want praise," relates Mary Mathews. But she also advises parents to be specific with their praise. "Instead of simply saying 'good boy,' say, 'I like how you took your medicine.' In this way, you are not placing a value judgment; you are instead recognizing behavior that works. By the same token, you can let the child know what you would like to have seen happen more quickly or without negotiation. In this way you are letting a child know what you expect, instead of blaming her for what she didn't do."

Explain how the medicine will help your child get well.
Adults sometimes assume that a child knows what medicine and treatments can accomplish. But young children generally don't understand this connection, advises Mary Mathews. "You could explain it by saying, 'You didn't wake up at all last night. That's because the medicine took your pain away.'" To excite a child about getting well, you might compare how she used to feel to how she feels now -- and remind her of the activities she couldn't do yesterday that she can do today. "Children love to learn, and often feel proud when they learn something new about their health," Mary Mathews says.

Listen to how a child feels--and assess his illness accordingly.
If a child says he is not feeling well, the first thing you do is acknowledge it and take it seriously. "Then, you can ask even the youngest child what he thinks you should do," relates Mary Mathews, "and his answer will help you assess how sick he is. If he says, 'I think you should get me an ice cream cone,' that's telling you he might not be that sick. If he says, 'I think you should put me to bed,' he's letting you know he's really not well. I'm not recommending you let your child diagnose himself, but this is a way of assessing what's going on."

Recognize that a child who's been sick a long time, may just be sick of feeling sick.
An extended illness can create a resistance to treatment. It may be useful to help a child identify his feelings before taking medicine by using phrases such as "This seems to bother you today more than it did yesterday." Or, "You're stomping your feet a lot. Can you tell me why?" Once you talk about it, taking the medicine may be a little easier.

Avoid physical struggles to force a child to cooperate.
While being firm, it's also essential you don't physically struggle with your child while trying to get her to take her pills. "If you start holding a child down to give her medicine," relates Mary Mathews, "you may have to do it again and again, so we don't recommend it. This might seem to help in the moment, but it doesn't solve the problem long term. If you find you are physically forcing a child to take her medicine on a regular basis, this may be a sign you should talk with your doctor, nurse or social worker for professional advice."

Explain the consequences if a child refuses to comply with treatment.
If a child refuses to take medicine, he needs to know that he is making a choice and that the choice has consequences. "You need to tell him that his behavior means he won't get to do something he likes," advises Mathews. "For example, you might say, 'I see you're choosing to stay in the house and not go outside and play until you take this medicine.' " With a more serious illness, or when timing is essential -- like getting out the door for school -- you could say, "I see you're choosing to have me give you the medicine, instead of taking it yourself."

If your child still resists, give him an "out."
Sometimes a child will still refuse to cooperate. Before you take away a privilege, you can try giving her an "out" as this allows her to save face. Mathews recommends in instances like this that you take a short break. "You might say, `Let's both take a five-minute break and do this then.' But you need to mean it about the five minutes -- it can't be an hour." Giving a child this "out" is very important because she may physically and emotionally need to regroup -- and you may need to as well. "Perhaps you just take a moment and give your child a hug, or get a drink of water and briefly break the cycle," advises Mathews. She also notes that the same strategy can work with brushing teeth or going to bed.

Let another adult take over.
For kids who are truly resistant, parents should divide up the responsibility of who gives the medicine or supervises the treatment. This gives one parent a necessary break, and helps the child realize that both parents are capable of handling this. For example, if one parent never does this, the child might think he doesn't know how to do it.

Involve your child in her treatment plan.
This approach works for almost every age and excites kids about getting well. For example, a 2-year-old can go get the spoon for his medication, while a 16-year-old can be responsible for taking his own medications. "The earlier you do this, the less resistance you will encounter. If you wait until a child is a teenager, it could be too late," notes Mary Mathews. "We also recommend that children speak with the doctor about how they are feeling, so even at a very young age, they are involved," Matthews adds. "You can also teach even a young child the name of the medicine. When he gets older, teach him the dosage, and if there are any side effects or things to avoid when taking it."

Nora,
Bless your heart. I am sure you are so frustrated right now. I had a special needs child (he passed away 6 years ago) and meds were always tough until he got his G-button. What about Yogurt? If she eats that try mixing it in with that, or ice cream. If she is able and you use a syringe why not really super include her. What I mean is let her put the syringe in her mouth and help you depress the plunger. Maybe if she feels she is doing it it won't be such a battle. I hope some of this helps! Blessings to you and your family for the holidays.
M.

Nora,
I have a sensory kid too. I wish I could tell you something else that you haven't tried. The only thing is if this is an antibiotic , could she get a shot?
I know what you are going through. Do you guys go to therapy for the sensory stuff?? We have a fantastic therapist in Plano that is sensory certified if you want her name , email me.
Good luck, L.

Does this medicine come in pill form? My son is also 3 1/2 he has adhd and has to take pills, but i have found that it is easier for him (and me) to see if i can get all his meds in pills. he takes it easily just put the pills in his mouth give him a cup of water with a straw and he swallows them right down with no problems. Hope this helps.

I agree with Tippi. It is hard, but there are some things they can choose and some things they jsut must do. All three of mine take medicine easily now but the first time with each of them I had to lay them down, squirt the medicine in and hold their nose. It's a trick I learned from the dr., they have to swallow. I told them first this is medicine it will make you feel better. You have to take it. You should just swallow it and then we can eat or drink something that tastes better. Once they saw they had to take it no matter what, they just took it as fast as they could and then got something to rinse the taste out of their mouth.

Three year olds can understand much more than you think. At our school, most of my three and 1/2 year olds are learning to read and write so they can understand the importance of medicine.

You might try letting her eat something like bread or cereal just after taking it to help her stomach.

Put a small amount of the medicine toward the back of her mouth, and blow in her face. Sounds bizarre, but she WILL swallow. Don't try to get it down her throat, just put the medicine kind of in the side of her mouth like she's saving it for later.

Mary Poppins was right! Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
When my son needs to take a new medicine, he's hesitant....so I tell him he can have ONE hershey kiss or a 3-4 M&Ms if he first takes his medicine. I also have a cup of water handy in case he really hates the taste of the medicine...it washes the taste out of his mouth...and the medicine is certain to go down if it's followed by water.

so first I show him the candy...and say you can have this...but you first must take your medicine. swallow, then drink water....and then you can have the candy.
It really works when you offer something she really likes....some kids love gummy bears or even the little Smarties or lifesavers. One per each medicine time.
My son rarely gets candy so it worked for him. And really it's just one little piece to help keep the medicine from being thrown up.
My son has taken his antibiotics (non-flavored) this way...all of it stayed down as long as he had candy following it.

And don't think that this sets up a lifetime of expecting candy all the time....my son's on Allegra every day twice a day and takes it now without candy...the takes it easily without fighting. I think the candy just starts to give positive reinforcement that the medicine is not all that bad an experience.
The holding down technique I've read some moms do (holding kids down between legs, pinning arms down and forcing med down their throats -- which they can still spit it up) ....I think that produces a negative view of the medicine routine. If I was a kid, I would start to dread that whole time of day when it was time to get medicine again. I would have anxiety about it. It'll never get easier with that.

try putting it in yogart or pudding then let her help you put sprinkles on top of it for a daily surprise sundue! We also try flavored cool whip for other meds also!

ummm...I know this is going to sound bad and not going to be a popular thing. But just make her! Do you let her tell you when she will go to bed? Do you let her tell you if she will eat junk food for breakfast or even immediately after breakfast?

You are the parent. If she can't take her meds, then maybe she does not need to be eating breakfast and getting dressed and watching cartoons and playing with her great toys?! Routine, smootine--just say this is part of the new routine and rules are you take it, then you eat breakfast, then you get dressed, etc.

My child took allergy meds from 10 months of age till well into school. He had to. If I had waited until he felt like it, we would be dealing with bad allergy reactions. I made it part of the NEW routine when we had to change things up and told him, "This is the way it is now, let's take it quickly and go on to better things". ;-) He learned it is better to just do it and move on.

You can do that with your kid too. A 3 year old is smart enough to know who is calling the shots. I would say yours has your number.

I have two ASD boys and there have been times that we have had to hold them down to give them their medicine. It is not fun. You feel bad, but sometimes you just have to do it. We wrap them in a towel. We don't squirt the medicine down the throat. We aim for the back of the cheek pocket. Also, we squirt just a little at a time. We usually manage to get most of the medicine in them. I hope that helps.

some ideas:
1- see if it comes in a suppository
2- put it in a spoonful of chocolate syrup...maybe split the dose into 2 or 3 parts throughout the morning?
3- give it in her sleep

Hi, I know what you are going through, my granddaughter also has Sensory Integration Disorder and my first thoughts are that you should get ahold of her PT or OT and ask them how to do it. As you know, our kids are really different in how they handle things and forcing anything oral can really mess them up.. but there are tricks that the therapist that knows her best can tell you about.
God bless and I hope you get it all worked out.
GrandmaVal

Call the pharmacy and see if the make an UNFLAVORED version or a neutral flavored one. If your daughter is a bit hyper sensitive and used to routine, it doesn't matter what you mix it with, she is still going to smell or taste the "cherry vanilla" medicine. The pharmacy staff should be helpful in getting the prescription "refilled" with the right flavor without charging you full price. See if you can get it as close to a neutral flavor as possible and don't tell her you are giving it to her, just mix it with her milk!

my little girl is the same way. i knew she loved dr pepper because her mimi would always sneak some to her, so i took about 4 tablespoons of dr pepper and put it in a glass and put her medicine in it. i gave her a straw and let her drink it on up! and now it works every time! i don't give her any soda except when she needs her medicine so it makes it like a treat.

Do your kiddo like oatmeal? When I was giving my son antibiotics I mixed it with his oatmeal (usually maple and brown sugar because it would hide the taste of the meds). Also you could make um some chocolate milk and put the meds in it, shake it up, they'll never know the difference. I cant say that I would use any sorta soda or candy to get my son to take his meds, thats just bribing them, just put it into something that is typical of him to have for breakfast. plus a lot of meds want you take take them with food, so adding it to oatmeal or soemthing of that nature will work. JMO. Good luck

Nora, here is a link to a question very similiar to yours posted just a couple weeks ago. I included an answer as did a few others. Maybe you will find it helpful.

http://www.mamasource.com/request/1211937542438387713

Try mixing it with Cherry or strawberry applesauce. If it is the grainy antibiotics, there is just no good way to make it taste good, but the applesause hides the texture a little.

Been there done that, now six years later, I ask the dr what the texture of the meds are before they give it to me. My girls just wont do grainy meds.

Best of luck
P.