Any Suggestions on How to Give a 2 Yr Old Medicine

We have tried several things with this same problem. Two things helped. One, we told him we'd hold him down and force it on him, then he'd get a time out, or he could be a big boy and do it good, but we'd let him have chocolate milk, he'd take a bit of medicine, then a quick sip of milk, then more meds, and so on, giving him choices, and not making him do the whole thing all at once really helped, plus not putting the meds in something they like doesn't give them the negative association. Hope this makes sense/helps.

2 things that worked for MY stuborn 2 year old who was 2 smart for his own good. Chocolate syrup! Its strong flavor and usual off limits makes it appealing to hide medicine in.
also, bribing him with a yummy candy after taking yuck medicine. For my boy it was those mini dumdums they sell by the pound at winco. Not too much sugar for me but enough for him. I show him it and ask him to take the meds before he gets it. Works sometimes, if he is not determined to say no just because. LOL. My boy wont take robatusim or similar meds but loves the sugary tylonol brands, not that that helps with a prescripton. Good Luck, Jen
p.s. when my baby girl got really sick with pnumonia and had athma with it (at 4months) they gave us a vaporizer thing to have her breath the meds in....maybe an alternative...

Oh J.! What a pain in the rear!! I don't think bribery is a great parenting tool, but I think I would use it in your case! : ) What does he love? Ice cream, M&Ms? I'd get it and then make a deal that if he takes his medicine he gets his reward (of course, it doesn't have to be a giant bowl of ice-cream- just a a little).

A totally different option is to treat this as you would any other defiant behavior. Time-out until he's willing, missing out on activities, etc. When my 2 year old gets completely out of hand, I put her in her crib and tell her to just let me know when she's ready to XyZ. She stays there until I hear her say, "Mommy, I ready now." I come back happily and give her a big hug and kiss and then quickly have her do whatever she was supposed to have done. If she resists, I sorrowfully say, "Oh, how sad!" and take her without another word back to her crib. I've never had to do that more than twice.

Gosh, hope this helps or that someone else has an idea that works for your little guy!

Good luck!

J.

My now-four year old has asthma and we dealt with all of those same problems. We found that refrigerating the medicine helped a bit with the nasty taste, but we did our best to dose him when he was more asleep than awake. (Not always very practical.)

We finally got a system worked out with the nebulizer and his inhaler. He helps assemble the nebulizer and puts the medicine in it - that works like a treat. He's happy to do his breathing treatment now. Back when it was a battle, we would have to secure him in the high chair and do our best to hold his hands

Imight be late, but listen to Patty (the Peds nurse). I worked in Peds before I worked NICU and when a kid doesn't want to take a medicine, it can be a struggle. Sometimes you might feel like a mean mommy, but what is more important, that every second of every day your kid adors every inch of you - or that he gets the medicine he needs and lives to love every inch of you every other moment?
What I did (and I did this with my own strong willed daughter who hated medicine too) is place them on your lap, tuck one arm behind you (so they can't bat at your attempts with their arm) and hold the other arm firmly but gently in their lap (how firmly will depend on how hard they fight) and then, and yes I know it sounds mean, you put the syringe in like Patty decribed and squirt just a little at a time. It will sounds like he's choking. I assure you he's fine. Once you get all of the medicine in and swallowed (even chokingly), tell him "good job! you did it!" and give him something tasty to drink to get the taste out of his mouth.
You never want to mix medicine in with juice or other drinks becuase if they decide to stop (they taste a rat! ha!), you have no idea how much of the medicine they have gotten and you can easily overmedicate them by giving a second dose another route. So then, you are forced to give whatever amount of "mix" you fixed, which equals out to be a LOT more than the original dose, that's for sure!
I'm not saying it will get easier each time. My daughter is 6 and we still fight over her taking medicine. But, sometimes as parents we realize we can't always be the good guy and we sometimes have to be mean to be kind. Much better that he get healthier, eh?

Good luck - I don't envy you! For some reason my son, 15 months, Looooooves medicine (which I worry about, afraid he'll try to get into it and poison himself, but that is a WHOLE other post), so I guess Karma smiled on me. Maybe it will for you too with you other children!

You've been given some great advice, J.. If those approaches don't work, and you can find the patience for this (considering you're seldom if ever getting medicine into your son anyway), you might want to try reducing your forcefulness and putting MORE power into your son's hands. I find this is usually effective and stress-banishing with my grandboy, who has just turned 2. But you may have to give it some time.

Ask your son, while he's having difficult symptoms, if he likes what's happening, or if he likes how it limits his ability to do things he likes. IF he says no (and this won't work if he doesn't care that his breathing is rough), ask him to suggest some things that might make him feel better. You can coax some yes/no answers by brainstorming with him. Make some ideas silly and fun, like, "Do you think you'd feel better if a flock of parakeets landed on your head? …if you sit in a warm bath? …if I tickle your sister? …if Daddy eats your shoe? …if a fireman brings you a fire truck full of balloons?" …etc.

If he gets on board, and he might after a number of tries if you keep it low-pressure, ask him if he's noticed he feels better when he takes that ICKY!!! medicine (be cheerfully sympathetic) and then tell him you'll be happy to let him take the medicine (use the nebulizer, whatever) if he wants to feel better, and that he should think it over and let you know. Then change the subject.

It may seem counterintuitive, yet empowering children, especially a strong-willed child, can make a world of difference. And you'll have to be willing to let it take whatever time it takes. You say your son "really needs" this medicine. Might it be more accurate to say he would really be helped by this medicine, but he is apparently surviving without it, so YOU are the one who needs him to take it? His symptom might be tormenting you, but merely annoying him. Could that be as true? It is so hard to listen to what we interpret as suffering in our precious little ones.

I grew up with asthma myself, and learned by my early 20's that feeling pressured, forced, and disempowered simply made my wheezing worse. (I'm amazed now that it took me so long to figure this out.) There was always a physical trigger, but anxiety, frustration or anger could turn a tickle into gasping desperation, and of course my poor mother would get desperate for my breathing to ease, and redouble her efforts and her intrusiveness. This modern medicine wasn't available when I was a kid (I'm 60 now), but I can't help but wonder if that wouldn't have seemed like one more layer of torture I had to endure at her hands.

If you can get your own need under control, it might make your interactions with your son much less stressful, and give him a chance to cooperate. It sounds as though he probably doesn't have the space to to that now.

This stuff really does taste nasty, I don't blame him for not wanting to take it! But I can suggest a technique that works. Put the medicine in a syringe. Hold him in your lap, cradling his head like a baby but use your arm to hold his head still and have someone handy to grab his hands. Approach him with the syringe and even if he clams up tight, sooner or later he will open a little so you can get the syringe in between his back teeth, approaching from the cheek so as not to injure his throat if he makes any sudden moves. Push out a little of the medicine at a time (1 or 2 ml) but keep the syringe between his teeth the whole time, till he has swallowed the last bit, and keep his head tipped low. He will try to yell (this will sound like gargling) but will have to swallow--then squeeze in a little more. Once you get the hang of this it works pretty fast, and the parents' decisiveness eventually takes some of the struggle out of it. I was a pediatric nurse for 8 years and this was the best way I found to get meds down when the child objects. Many other techniques just end up in a power struggle.

My son is 50/50 about taking medicine, but he HATES his nebulizer. We got him to use it by using the kids dinosaur mask and making big breath stomping dinosaur roars. Which means he's getting the medicine into his lungs by pretending to be a dinosaur. He's really into imaginary play, so I kind of brought the cool factor into it and used it as play time, as well as medicine time.

As far as liquids go, he'll either fight me all the time, or he'll just take it. It depends on his mood. It can be really frustrating trying to get him to take meds he doesn't want and keeps spitting out...so I hear you on the blowing raspberries thing. What I usually do is something similar to what someone else had said about holding on the lap, one arm behind the back and putting in a little at a time until it's all gone. He fights tooth and nail when I do it, but if I squish his cheeks together (not hard, but with enough pressure to keep him from blowing raspberries at me) so he can't spit it back at me, he does swallow it. I do it until it's all gone, little by little. Power struggles suck, so if there is a way to get around them by creative imagination, I do that first.

He's kinda into spiderman and dinosaurs now, so sometimes I tell him it's spiderman's special elixir to make him strong so he can climb the walls, or I tell him that it's the dinosaur's super grow big and strong syrup. Usually he'll fall for one of those types of things and we don't have to go the route of force. Try interesting him in it.

Get the correct dosage from the measurement device you are using and put it in a neat little small tupperware container so that he doesn't know right away what it is and you might be able to fool him some. We have several "elixir" (tupperware containers) lying around, and we use them for things OTHER than medicine, so he's not always getting medicine in them and therefore doesn't fear the container. (something like the "midgets" that tupperware makes)

Good luck in what you decide to do and let us know what works!!

Beka

I have one of those. A strong willed 8 year old girl who WILL NOT take medicine, or should I say used to not take medicine. She hated it from the first time she got a cold at 18 months.

We did everything you've done. I even shoved a pill down her throat when she was 4, thinking she would have to swallow it, but she ended up throwing up all over me (she stills reminds me of this).

What worked for us was asking the doctor about a suppository. They have them for many different kinds of medicines. So I gave her a choice, you can either drink this or I will have to put a pill up your bottom. Needless to say I've never had to use the suppositorys.

Your son is younger than my daughter was when I told her about them but maybe he'll just let you use them and that will be the end of it.

Good luck, I hope he grows out of it because it's awful having a kid not take medicine!

Megan

I have a suggestion about the inhaler and nebulizer. My granddaughter had severe asthma attacks and so she first used those in the hospital when she was around a year in age. She was struggling so hard to breathe that she was willing to use them. While she was a toddler the doctor told us to hold her in our lap with her facing forward and just hold the nebulizer near her face. Turn the nebulizer as she turns her face.

When she was older it worked to have her set it up, etc. But in between those ages she didn't like it either. The home nebulizer is much noisier than the hospital one. We discovered that if we gave her earphones so that she could listen to music she managed better. We also held her and another person played hand games with her. Sometimes that worked.

When she's not going into an asthma attack we didn't force her to use either one. Once the breathing got just a little bit difficult she was willing. Forcing her to use either one would set up a power struggle or even a panic attack and just made her condition worse.

Saying you have to do this didn't work with my granddaughter. Asking for help even when she wasn't old enough to put it together sometimes helped. Even when she was 4 or 5 we often held the mist blower near her nose as she watched TV with the sound turned up. She was usually feeling sick enough to let us do that. You could do this while he's sleeping too. Leave him lying down and after he's asleep hold the mist in front of his nose.

If the noise bother's him see if it would be alright to get a longer tube and put the nebulizer further away, pehaps in a closet or cupboard.

I love the idea of dinasaur exercise.

What worked for me was to be casual and light hearted when I wanted my granddaughter to use either one. Now that she's 7 she asks for them when she feels an attack coming on. She does use a preventive inhaler and sometimes she absolutely refuses and then I give her a choice.

What would happen if your son didn't get a treatment? Perhaps you could give him a choice.
Do you want to use the inhaler now or 20 minutes from now? or turn off the TV and say we can turn it back on while you're using the inhaler.

My granddaughter preferred pills a year or two before the dr usually procribed pills. I think she was 3. The dr said that was unusual but it sure did make giving meds easier.

Kuddos and please listen to Alexia and Patty! As a nurse, Army wife and mother of 11, 8 and 3, I understand exactly where you are! My son, 3yr old, was born with a heart defect and underwent 3 open heart surgeries...needless to say we've had our fair share of medications. My sister-in-law is an ER/ICU nurse and told me exactly what Alexia told you...hold in the lap, one arm under your's, hold the other arm, tuck him back and with the syringe, give small amounts in the cheek. It will work. You never want to give medication with something they like due the fact they will associate it with the medicine taste and stop liking it!

For the asthma...we have seasonal asthma and need the nebulizer every so often. The only thing I can tell you is give it while he is sleeping. My son fights if he is awake, so if we are having an "attack" the cough, sucking breath while he's playing, I give him coffee, with milk and sugar. He loves it and it opens the lungs up. And happy for me, he doesn't get the jittery caffeine attack you would think. It actually helps to calm him down...maybe a touch of ADHD!!!LOL! Anyway, hope this helps and best of luck with it all!

Hey there. I am also a Navy wife, with 3 kids (17, 16, & 5) I have a 5 yr old who to this day fights me about medicine. I put her liquid medinces in ANYTHING that I can get her to drink. Even soda,i if I have too. Kool-Aid, soda, juice, hot cocoa etc. The key is too only give them a little bit of it. Like 1/2 a cup of soda with the meds in it. That way they are sure to get the whole dose.

I would definately KEEP TRYING! Don't mess around with prednisone, or asthma! Have you tried saying " if you take your medicine you can do this or have this (something she wants, or wants to do, if you don't, here is a punishment?

Is it possible to reason with him and reason with him - tell him that you know the medicine tastes bad, but if he doesn't take it, he will get terribly sick. Then try to bribe him with something he really likes. Or, tell him he can't watch his favourite TV show unless he takes his medicine.

Good luck and God bless. The other option is to have allergy tests done and see what's causing his asthma.

I was just at Walgreen's yesterday and saw an advertisement up front that said to ask for them to add a flavor that your child might like. They had lots of different ones but I think you have to request it. Might want to give that a try. A have a fisty red head 20 month old boy so I can relate. I usually have to hog-tie him down or putting medicine in this milk cup has worked too. For some reason he doesn't mind it with milk. Good luck:)

I'm sorry that I have no suggestions for you. But if it helps, my son was exactly the same way when he was little. Now he is 7 and will swallow a pill, but that's about it.

Other than explaining to him over nad over and over that it will make him better, I'm not sure there is anything you can do.

Oh, yeah, we did buy suppositories, and he actually preferred that to taking oral medication.

No kind of bribery worked at all for us.

My son had whooping cough at age 6 months. Our doctor had us put an herbal cough tincture into some olive oil and rub it into his chest. New skin is very porous and absorbs well. I don't know that this would work with allopathic medicine, but you could get some of the herbal cough medicine and try it, as a supplement to the prednesone. At the time, my son was also coughing so hard he vomited.
Instead of starting right in on his chest, after the bath, or at another time when he is relaxed, like just before bed, do some bicycles with his legs, then start with olive oil (about a dime size) and do a few strokes on his legs with a fairly firm touch so you don't tickle. Have the oil/herbs mixture (one dropperful in a tbsp of olive oil) and rub with both hands in large circles on his chest, like you are smoothing the pages of a book. It's akin to the idea of vick's vapo rub or something like that. it worked for my little guy. best of luck

I know this may be a little expensive, I don't know what your co-pay is, but you may wanna just get the medicine without the flavor additive. Sometimes that just makes if worse. You may also wanna try giving it to him in oatmeal. I used to fight my duaghter on those baby vitamins..she would throw it up, but I found that the mable flavored oatmeal covered it up pretty good! I would just create a hole in the oatmeal. Poured the liquid in the center and with each bite I would add a little to the spoon. Yes!! It takes FOR EVER but the outcome is better. GOOD LUCK!

I personally wouldn't worry about medicine. My son has a very weak gag reflex, so every time he gets a cold he'll cough until he pukes. He always recovers on his own. :)

it sounds like you have a mini of my 5 year old. It gets better, he will take things now - pill form only. That is the best suggestion I can offer, see if you can get it in pill form, if he won't chew it up and take a drink afterward you can crush pills up in pudding.

WOW, I was in the exact same predicament with my 2 yr old.
whenever he develops a cold, he starts coughing and if it persists (if I don't have any prednisone) pretty soon we're in the emergency room because he can't breath!
The last time this happened I had run out of prednisone so we went in for more, instead of prednisone they gave me
prednisolone sodium phosphate

you have to give him a bit bigger dose, but IT HAS NO FLAVOR
I was dreading giving it to him, getting ready for the usual struggle, when I tasted it and it had no taste, he took it just fine and it worked the same as the prednisone :)

Good Luck

Have you tried chocolate? My 2 year old LOVES chocolate - maybe put it in some cocoa or chocolate milk? I have to give my son sweets - BUT if he will take the medicine - it is better than not!

J.,

I had a daughter that didn't like taking medication and so I used a shot without the needle and laid her back and shot it down her throat really fast. You can ask for one at the pharmacy when you pick up the medication. By holding her back and shooting the liguid in her mouth it went down. It was the only way we could do it and it worked. Tough love I guess, LOL.

Best Wishes,
G.

Try buying something that is strongly flavored but something that you don't normally treat him with or feed him like the kids go-gurt or koolaid. Mix the medicine with a small amount when he is not looking of course! And if he takes it all, reward him with a healthy treat that is also something he normally doesn't get, or else something that he really likes. I know its bribery, but if it works, and its for his good, I think its "acceptable".

My son gets croup really bad, and we have to give him Prednisone...it is nasty tasting stuff. We have found it works to bribe him - actually have the candy (or whatever) in your hand and say "you can have this after you take your medicine." Just be mattter of fact though. If he knows it upsets you, it's just too exciting to give in! Also, Prednisone comes in tablet form that you can crush up into a spoon full of sugar and a drop of water.

I don't know if this will work for you, but my little 2 year old guy has been fooled lately by reverse psychology....we tell him he can't do whatever it is he doesn't want to do, and he won't stop until he CAN do it.

Perhaps, in your situation, your child will just say, "good"...but you never know.

I wish I had something better to suggest. I am thinking all the best good luck wishes to you, and betting on the other moms to come up with brilliant ideas, because they always do!!

This just worked for me the other night, hopefully it'll work for you too! I put the yucky-tasting medicine in a cup then mixed in about 2 heaping tablespoons of Carnation Instant Breakfast (dark chocolate flavor) and about a 1/3 of a cup of milk. My little girl could barely task the medicine, I also told her I'd give her 2 M&M's when she was done (they are her favorite!) Worked like a charm, good luck!