Whats Your Trick to Get 6 y.o. to Take Medicine

In my mind, 6 years old is old enough to understand "you must take this medicine" and whatever the consequences are for NOT taking them. For a 6 year old, my "trick" is "either you take this like a big boy, or I'll hold you down and plug your nose like a 2 year old, which would you prefer?"

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My son always fought me until I just told him you are going to have to take them...how do you want to do it?

He told me he wanted them in a measuring cup and suck them through a straw. So that was what we did.

Now that he is on three different allergy medicines a day...he told me he likes the plastic syringes (the measuring ones) and he shoots them down the hatch.

Also he likes to see how fast he can take them so I count and he tries to beat his record.

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Like another poster said, try letting him administer it to himself via syringe or dosing cup. Have a good drink for a chaser. (coke, sprite, etc...) Definitely find out if his weight is enough to take meds in pill form. I thought my daughter would have a hard time, but she swallows them down like a pro, but I think it's because she'd rather take a pill than the nasty liquid medicine. :) Hope he recovers quickly!

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Have him drink ice water or hold an ice cube on his tongue first to numb it, take the medicine quickly, then wash it down with something that tastes better. Also, read all the warning labels for whether they should be taken with food. When I had my wisdom teeth out, my mom gave me yogurt but the medicine wasn't supposed to be taken with dairy products.

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Popsicle makes mini slow-melt popsicles now, the perfect size to give him right before his meds. The cold will numb his taste buds and soothe his throat and be a kind of crutch to enjoy while taking those nasty medicines ; ).

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Our pediatrician told me to get the medicine in powder form (in other words, don't have the pharmacist mix it for you and put it in a bottle) from the pharmacy and mix it with juice or kool-aid. We called it "super crazy juice". I used kool-aid since that was something that we did not drink on a daily basis. He thought it was a great treat and that it magically made him better. This was preferable to him gagging and vomiting!

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It depends COMPLETELY on the kid as to whether they want to take the meds or not. My first is anti-meds and will fight tooth and nail. Sure she understands it'll make her feel better, but she also understands she's being forced to do something she doesn't want to do and will resist. Then my next two are awesome and could care less. At age 2 & 3 they were taking vitamin D3 in pill form with no problems at all. That was opposite of my oldest daughter! I think a lot of the resistance is caused from the personality.

I would do the pinning down and forcing it as LAST RESORT.

I would try a positive approach and try to get him to work with you. He's just had surgery. He's been through a lot. I think emotionally everything is probably a bit stressful for him. I'd try to bring something a bit more exciting for him. Maybe see if he can think of anything he would like to help counteract the dislike of the meds. Perhaps a jar just for him that he can put a dime or a quarter in every time he takes his meds. Then if he earns enough money, he can go to the store when he's better and buy a special toy (and, of course, make sure there ends up being enough $$ for him to get a special treat). That would make it exciting in that he is going to want to earn as much money as he can in order to get a toy.

Find whatever it is that works for HIM. I see no reason why you need to approach it negatively unless all other methods fail. It'll just make him hate meds more. I'd try to figure something out that would be exciting and make it fun for him. Maybe the jar & money wouldn't be fun for him. But perhaps he'd have some ideas of what he would like instead.

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Even my 4 year old understands you have to take them so in my opinion 6 is plenty old enough to be told you need to take these to feel better. He has two options 1. Takes them like a big boy 2. I pin you down and hold your nose like you do with a fighting toddler

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My son has had a feeding tube almost his whole life and so I've always had a way to get medicine in without him complying. Ironically he has always been a good medicine taker and I've never had to use this second option. I've always told him that it's to keep/make him healthy. I used to crush his thyroid pill when he was too little to chew it and the tube was handy for the times he needed his medicine and was asleep. Medicated and not woken up!

I love some of these mommies ideas about how to give him a bit of control on how to take it. Good thinking Mamas!!

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Aww poor little guy. After all he had a surgery in his throat and taking anything is a last thing he wants to do.
My daughter really didn't want to take anything when her tonsils were out. Her surgery didn't go so smooth at all. And she just refused to take a pain medicine. Thankfully she did not have to take other medicine your son have to take.

Maybe he will feel better tomorrow and will try to take it or ask your dr if steroids and antibiotic can wait. As I said my daughter only had to take pain medicine which she refused anyway.

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I used to have to hold down my oldest. with my middle one and my youngest i hand them the med spoon and they take it. good luck

He's six. He's really old enough to understand that the medicine is necessary for his full recovery and for his own good. Tell him the truth - if you don't take your anitbiotic - you could get an infection and end up back in the hospital or even worse. Don't take the steriod and pain med - you are going to be very uncomfortable. The thing with oral meds is they are usually thick and/or syruppy. If he's a texture person, it probably grosses him out. When it's time to take meds - just let him know the expectation is to open up and swallow and it will be done with. Make sure he has water or juice or something to wash it down with.

I would probably be in Robyn's camp... except my kids have never really given me grief over taking meds. No, they don't like it any more than the next kid, but they learned from jump street, that I have certain expectations, and taking medicine (if needed) is just something that has to happen. It isn't something they get a "say" or a "choice" about. It's just a matter of fact. It will happen. So, no point in creating a lot of drama around it. And we never did.

My "solution" for bad tasting meds (really, all it is is drinking something they don't like, right? It's not a pill that is difficult to swallow or anything).... is to pour it into the measuring "cup" thinggee, pour a cup of cold water, and set the cold water on the counter. I hand them the med cup and tell them to "drink this and then drink the water". They stand there for a moment with the cup in hand, getting those "pre swallows" out of the way, getting up their courage, then gulp the meds and chase with water. It's like doing "shots" of meds instead of tequilla. :)

They can sputter and say "bleegch" as much as they want afterwards... but it only lasts a second and then they are on to something else. A snack maybe? :))
Hope this helps.

My older one is 5 and I give him the medicine cup and then some kind of treat of drink to wash away the taste. It could be juice, chocolate milk even a piece of candy for a truly nasty tasting medicine. I did the hold him down and force him to take it thing when he was a toddler (and had a severe ear infection). It made everyone miserable and he threw up the medicine and had to take a second dose. My 2 year old I mix the medicine in a little milk. I have heard pudding works for this too but never tried it.

Per my picky son and his having to take medicine syrup:
have him eat a few Cheetos, after. It cuts the taste.
This is something our Pediatrician suggested.
It WORKED for my son and then he took his medicine with no problem.
Adding sweet things, with the medicine, did not work for my son.

That is, IF your son can intake anything solid, right now.
I imagine, not yet.

He should be able to have popsicles and pudding, right? When my daughter had oral surgery, she didn't want to take her medicine either. But I'm not above bribery--especially when medicine is contingent on it. I told my daughter she could have a popsicle (or pudding or ice-cream, etc.) but only if she took all her medicine. Granted there were days that she had 5 popsicles, but I got the real fruit kind with vitamin C... Pudding is a milk source and she wasn't eating much those days either. I also used watching movies (instead of coloring) or offering a newly bought craft & hobby as bribery too.

My 4 year old likes to "give himself" his medicine. I control it, but he gets it out of the bottle with the syringe (for the little ones), and gives it to himself. Maybe giving him as much control as you can over it other than choosing not to take it?

Good luck!

Don't get a flavor and mix it in with chocolate milk or juice. Works every time.