My toddler is old enough for the children's motrin/tylenol. Before, we'd put some in her bottle and give it that way. Now that we stopped her bottle, she is hardly drinking milk out of any cups or sippy cups.
As soon as she sees the dropper she starts screaming and trying to run away.
She won't take it from the tiny cup the medicine comes with, either.
Any advice how to give the medicine?
Thanks for all the tips. I like the idea of putting it in applesauce or pudding, as one mom suggested, closing her nose shut.
I also found out about a Pediatric tylenol suppository, called Fever-All. It's located in any drug store.
I pretend its candy, even taste a little. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. When my daughter is being difficult I put it in the droppers that you pull to fill and then push to release, that way I can sneak it in and release quick rather than worry about it all dripping out of a dropper or spoon slowly, this way is less messy too.
Hi I'm a mom and a pediatric RN so I have a lot of experience with this one. Do Not put the medicine in juice milk or water, it's too much volume and if your child recognizes the difference in taste he won't take it.
*For motrin and tylenol use the infant drops (not the children's formula) it's more concentrated and has less volume than children's. Also find a flavor that is somewhat appealing. Cherry is usually the worst. Most kids like orange the best. It's the least medicine like taste. Also if you keep it cold it has less of a taste. You can try mixing with applesauce or yogurt but then you risk him not eating that ever again as well.
*Figure out your child's weight in kg. Take weight in lbs and divide by 2.2 (30lbs/2.2=13.6kg)
*For Tylenol he can have 10-15mg per kg. For a 30 lb child he can have 136-200mg
*For Motrin he can have 10 mg per kg. For a 30 lb child he can have 136mg
***For administering--Use a syringe (not the dropper in the package because you'll have to "reload". You can find syringes at a drugstore or ask the pharmacist. Once you've drawn up the correct dose of medicine (do this privately).I find the best way to give medicine to a fighting kid is to sit or lay them down near you and tell them your giving them medicine. If he fights laying him down is best. Use one arm to go around the top of his head it hold it still, squeeze his cheeks together and stick the syringe along the side of his mouth as far back as possible and push the syringe. Hold his mouth closed and tell him not to spit(you'll just have to do it again). Give a prize (sticker) when he swallows it.
I know it's lengthy but I hope it helps
I had the same issue with my son and daughter. Keep in mind that once they get older, giving them medicine by spoon or dropper becomes easier - now my son likes to help and hold the spoon/dropper by himself.
Up until that point, I mixed it in with a small amount of yogurt or pudding. He never knew it was in there.
I will continue doing that routine with my daughter until she is old enough to "help".
Hello -
I went thru the same nighmare. Have you tried to let her stuck it out of a plastic suringe. Also they do have chewables whic work wonders because they get to pick it up and eat it. They are like chewable vitaims.
Hope this is helpful.
J.
Have you tried the medicine spoon, the spoon with handle the medicine goes in? Or maybe the syringe kind? Something new and the novelty of that could work. If the medicine is not COMPLETELY necessary, like for a cold that they can ride out or a lower grade fever that extra rest and down time would help, may not even be worth the fight. Applesauce is another common thing that medicine is mixed into to disguise the taste.
They have the chewable kind now and most kids love them. Probably not a good thing that they love them because it tastes like candy! Try those.
You are in same situation as i was sometime before. I used to push on her cheeks and place all the medicine down then close her nose for few seconds. she had to keep her mouth open and medicine goes down.
Then I did a change after she knew how to handle spoon we used the spoon with medicine at back and changed the falvor to grape (she like grapes) and whola now if she sees the medicine she wants it. We keepo it hidden and the when medicine shows up when she needs it. Her face lightens up.
Try different things and there is a surely a way which works for you and your toddler...ALL TEH BEST!!
My doctor gave me a prescription for flavored medicine. My one year old loves it.
on most nights, we can get our 15 month old to suck tylenol/ motrin/claritin out of a syringe with little fight (obviously not all 3 at once!). antibiotics, however, are a totally different story. she spits, fights, gags, and pukes if we put that in a syringe. i have no idea why. if we mix it with 1-2 tablespoons of applesauce, yogurt, or pudding, however, she eats it all with no protest. go figure. she thinks she's getting a treat, and we don't have to wonder how much made it down the hatch.
I understand your pain, my daughter fought me for the longest time about medicine, she has to take Enulose every morning. There are 2 things that I have done. First we bought these cute little medicine nipple containers at Walmart....they are like 1.99 and look like a tiny bottle that you can put a few droppers of milk in and we just put the medicine in the nipple part and she sucks it out....or before we feed her, we put the medicine on a spoon and have it where she cant see it, then when we go to give her a bite of yogurt, etc we grab the other spoon, pretend like we dip it in the yogurt and give it to her, she knows after she has already swolled it. Hope this helps. J.
I must be from the "old school" of thought - because I had no problem sitting with my son on my lap, sticking the syringe type dropper into his mouth (farther back so he couldnt spit it out) and squirting it in. If he was really obnoxious, I rubbed his nose (his nostril openings), which made him swallow the medication. I'm the adult and if I decide he needs a medication, I'm not willing to play games or placate him to make him take it. I dont believe is disguising the taste or making it taste good - it's medicine and it shouldnt taste like candy (how are they supposed to tell the difference between candy and medicine if their medicine tastes like candy??) Now that he's older, he never fights me over medications - though he prefers them from the cup or the chewables.
Have you tried letting her give it to herself? It may be more of a control issue as toddlers love to do things themselves. We closely monitor our daughter when we have to give her medicine and let her hold the dropper. She can get it into her mouth and tilt it up so all I have to do is squeeze the dropper. She is usually pretty cooperative and is very proud of herself that she can do it herself. You may want to practice this with some water or juice before you actually do the medicine.
Oops didn't read the last part about not liking the little cup either! With the chewables you can actually crush them up and put them in a tbsp of applesause or yogurt...that might work!
I saw you figured it out on your own, but we have had to do the Feverall suppositories for a long time now when our 13 mo old daughter needs tylenol because she absolutely refuses the dropper. I hear they aren't as effective, but hey, they are better than none at all! Good luck! And if you have someone to distract her at the same time it is a good idea because when she wises up she might squeeze her buttocks to push it out, just hold it in long enough and you will be good to go!
I was going to give you some more advice but I just reread your message and it's irrelevant - nevermind! :)
If you get the large syringe (you can buy them near the pharmacy counter) they are a little like a bottle in that they can suck the medicine out. You could also try refrigerating the tylenol (my 3yo thinks all liquid medicine tastes "hot" but he doesn't mind it chilled at all.) My kids also preferred grape, so you could try other flavors. Chewables also come in lots of flavors. Good luck!
I see that you have received alot of advice and have already done the follow-up comment. I just wanted to add that when my two kids were sick as toddlers, they both went through a phase where they would absolutely not take any medicine period. It was such a battle. I did the whole applesauce trick too. Luckily the phase ended. It is really good to get them used to taking something orally because if you ever have to give antibotics, you don't want it to be a big deal. They do catch on to the whole applesauce trick. My kids are 21/2 and 5 and I have found that even though tylenol tastes better, the motrin lasts longer (6-8 hours) and it seems to bring a fever down guicker. Also, when my kids are sick with colds and they cannot sleep due to stuffy nose, cough etc. I give them the Triaminic Strips for Cough which is basically the same ingredient that is in benedryl(diphenhydramine). ( If you are nervous about giving them the full dose, you can cut the strip in half to see how it works.) It is easy because you just stick it in their mouth and it dissolves pretty quickly. It totally helps them sleep better when they feel yucky. I know that pharmacists do not recommend any cold medicines for kids anymore, but it does not have any decongestant in it.( you have to make sure you look for the ones that say "for cough"). My pediatrican's office always OKed this because it is basically like giving them Benadryl but in a strip. Good luck...it is so hard when you kids are sick and you want to make them better.
