Ways to Encourage Child to Swallow Pill

I taught my kids how to swallow pills using mini M&M's. I did it before they ever had to take any medicines. My sister sent her kids over because she just could believe it could be done. She has an autistic child with a bad gag reflex. She was still on baby meds. at 8 and I taught her how. I watch kids and I can get them to do lot of thing their parents don't think they can do. I am nothing special, it's just that I expect them to do it. Find an aunt, grandma, friend, to help.

I did not learn to take pills until I was in my 20's. But what I started doing after I was tired of crushing and mixing was to take a shot glass of juice and mix the whole pill in it so it was floating and quickly drink it like a shot. It is a good amount of liquid not too much not too little to notice a small pill. After I was confident with that, I was able to transition to just popping the pill in my mouth and drinking with a small sip of water. If I have too much water in my mouth, the pill just floats around and does not get swallowed.

Try giving it whole in a spoon of pudding or applesauce. It's suggested that you don't break up time release because they could actually get too much medication at one time and/or not have it last as long as it should.

Maybe she is having difficulty swallowing a pill.
Does she like to drink pop (soda)? I discovered that it is much easier to swallow a pill, any size, when you put it on your tongue and then take a swig out of a soda bottle (could also be a water bottle. It seems that drinking out of the bottle like that actually shapes your mouth to swallow pills much, much easier. This has been tried on older people that can't swallow pills and it worked every time. Maybe that would help you also. Could also use the drink of soda as a treat to take the pill.
Good luck.

Hi K.!
I have been around this block with my own child, but at a much younger age. He is now 13 but has been on ADHD medication since he was about 6. In the beginning we had difficulty getting him to swallow pills also. What the doctors recommended and what we tried was to place the pill in a bite of applesauce on a spoon. If your child doesn't like applesauce you could try yogurt or pudding... something soft enough that she can just swallow it and not have to chew. As she gets older work towards her comprehending that the size of the pill is way smaller than most bites of food that she swallow. :)

Hope this helps!
Good luck!

Does your daughter drink pop? Our psychiatrist gave the suggestion of swallowing a pill with soda...with the bubbles in the soda...you don't even feel the pill go down.
Also, I have been told that taking a big bite of a banana and chewing it up real good until you are ready to swallow...then put the pill in and swallow...it will just go down with the food.
Good luck with this, I hope you find a solution.

S.

My daugher's taken medicine practically since the day she was born. Since she was two we have had struggles getting her to take her medicine. One med we open up and mix into 1-2 tsp of Trix yogurt. Two others are powders that can be mixed into water, juice, or other liquid. The one thing she absolutely hates to take--for some reason--is aspirin or Ibuprofen for a headache or cold. She's allergic to mosquito bites and was using the Claritin RediTabs, which she grew to dislike. So one day, I showed her the little white Claritin pills and asked if she thought she could get something small like that down if she swallowed it with water. She did, and has been happy as a clam ever since (she's 8). Next it was Ex-lax, then another pill, and now she takes a daily probiotic/acidouphilus capsule and hasn't complained once about taking it or having to take any medicine. I'm crossing my fingers that this continues and soon she'll be swallowing pills of all shapes and sizes and we won't have any more medicine wars.

So I'd say, my advice is to start with something really, really small--even smaller than a tic-tac, like the size of a Claritin--so that it can't get stuck. Once she realizes she can get it down and it "wasn't any big deal" and it didn't get stuck, she'll get her courage up and will try bigger and bigger sizes and then Presto! she's taking pills like a pro.

That's my next agenda; to get my daughter to take the capsule I'm currently putting into yogurt so we can cut that part out of the medicine equation.

I remember the very first pill I ever had to actually swallow (my Mom would crush aspirin pills and other meds and put it in grape jelly). I was 12 and had come down with walking pneumonia. My Dad didn't have hospital insurance, so after receiving one of those big penicillin shots in the tush I was at home on complete bedrest. And I had to take one of those horse pills. Three times a day. You know, the kind the parent can barely swallow, and they've been swallowing pills forever? There was no way around taking the med, and it was a bugger for me to learn how to swallow that big su----. So I definitely encourage all children to learn to swallow pills as early as possible.

Good luck.

maybe offer her a favorite treat after everyone she takes like she should...

I work in a nursing home and one of the most common ways the nurses get the residents to take their pills is to put it in some applesauce. With a pill that small, she'll swallow the applesauce and not even notice it is in there. It helps the pill go down so much easier.

Hi K.,

I was not able to swallow a pill until I was an adult, like 17 or 18! I just couldn't do it, the pill would always come back up. Even now, I still have problems. What does work for me most of the time is to put the pill on my tongue, and then take a huge, FAST gulp of water, so it's like a gush down my throat.

If she still has trouble, talk to the pharmacist about other forms the medicine comes in. You won't be the first person to have to do so! Maybe you can get it in a non-time release form or something, so you can safely cut it.

Try the oralflo cup. www.oralflo.com. We bought one for our son (8 years old, takes Strattera daily) at the recommendation of our doctor. It works great. Good luck.

You have probably already tried this but it works for my 6 and 5 year olds. I put their pills in a spoonful of yogurt or pudding. They do really well just swallowing it down. As for myself I have to float them down. I put something to drink in my mouth, hold it while I put the pill in and then swallow. I realize that most 30 year olds can just put it in their mouth and swallow but I have had to take meds like this since I was 10. Hope things get better. M.

I''m an adult and I still have trouble swallowing pills. My husband just pops anything in, swallows it and THEN takes a swig of water. No way can I do that. I have to take a swig of water or juice, hold it in my mouth, then add the pill, work it near the back of my mouth and finally swallow. Have your daughter practice this method with tic tacs so that while she is still figuring it out she doesn't have to worry about a bad taste if she is slow in swallowing.

When I was a child, my mom gave us any type of meds in a spoonful of ice cream. You could also use the applesauce idea or pudding. I think that the thicker foods are easier to "camouflage" the pill.

My son also doesn't like to take pill form of meds. He takes his allergy meds in a liquid form because he doesn't like the taste of chewables and can't swallow pills.

Good luck. You seem to be getting good advice so far. I really like the mini m&m idea... I may try that one myself :)

~SR

P.S. Keep your head up. Hopefully this won't be for all his life (hiding it). I don't recall when I no longer needed to hide my meds. I now can take more than one pill with one swallow of water. I didn't think I would be able to do that someday :)

I am a big advocate for trying natural solutions first and avoiding medicine at all cost, especially with children. There are various diets (and I don't mean for weight loss) that can be tried. Your best bet would be to see a naturopathic doctor who knows exactly what should be done. She wouldn't have to take a pill at all then and she wouldn't be ingesting chemicals into her body. There are better ways to handle "ADHD" then drugs. In the long run it will be better for your daughter and you as parents.
If you are not interested in natural ways to help her then taking the pill with applesauce or pudding is very effective. The medicine will definitely be more effective also since it will continuously work instead of being immediate when it is crushed and that's it.

The easiest way to help a child swallow a pill is have them put it in their mouth and then use a straw to drink some liquid. She might find that kinda fun. There are also special cups, etc you can buy to help kids swallow pills. If the pill is real small - put it in the applesauce and she will eat it without knowing.

L.
http://www.livegreeneveryday.com

Get a pill crusher. They have them at Snyders & Walgreens. For some reason, not Target...
Super easy to use. Once it's crushed you can add it to a spoonful of honey, or whatever your daughter likes. At 10, she can take care of that herself. Esp. if she doesn't like it whole. Some people just gag real easily - I know adults who do! Good luck.

i have no real solution here... i remember being a kid and though i could NEVER swallow a pill, i can now.... sooo..

what i might suggest is being more concerned with your daughter and her needs than making her swallow a pill. right now, the pill isnt going to work unless you just keep doing it the way you are doing it. theres really no way to "make" her swallow it. if shes anything like me... then its physically impossible to actually swallow the pill. i dont know what it takes to get over that, i just remember after years of ignoring headaches and stuff because i couldnt swallow a pill, i really needed to and i could. i was in college.

maybe there are other alternatives to giving your daughter a pill for the adhd... a diet change? an environment change? slow down life? ive heard that cartoons that are fast paced can cause adhd problems because things move so fast that kids start getting used to it and then regular slow paced life isnt fast enough to keep them occupied.. ? its a theory i guess.
also, is your daughter being challenged enough in school?? supposedly they wanted my mom to test me for add and stuff in school but i was completely and totally bored because i was so far ahead of my classmates... so.. maybe see if your daughter is excelling so much that shes just plain bored... or on the other end, is she being challenged too much that shes not able to do the work? i dont know.
maybe there is a liquid medication option? a lot of doctors have the attitude of, no the child should just learn to swallow the pill, instead of giving other options. press your doctor for other options...?

Hi K.,
I tried the straw idea with my son when he had take a pill rather than the chewable form of an asthma med for a few days. It also was no bigger than a tic tac but he had trouble. He kept taking in too much water with the straw. The applesauce (or pudding) worked better since he was just 'eating'.
Good luck1

If your med is an extended release cap, you should not be breaking it open. You actually could overdose your daughter that way. Not to mention irritate her throat-making your situation worse. When I was little, my mom put my pills in a spoonful of jelly. It was slippery, and tasted pretty good. I don't see any reason for that to compromise the medication, so that might be a good method for you to try too. As I got older, I always slipped the pill into my mouth after I took a drink of water. Good Luck!

My mom used this little trick when we were little...she'd put the pill in a bite of pudding, yogurt, etc. It worked well. I'd also try a sticker chart...five days of taking the pill w/out a struggle could mean she earns something.

Our son takes pill meds for epilepsy control and we got tired of breaking them open and mixing them with applesauce too. For a while we kept the two halves of the pill capsule and practiced that way. What worked for our son was the idea of sending the pill down the waterfall when he drank the water. (Have lots of extra water on hand!) When he finally did get the hang of it we also used a positive reward of a small toy that he wanted. Sometimes those little rewards make all of the difference! Good luck!

Hi,
I don't know if this is something you want to try, but I am a consultant for a nutraceutical company and we have a 3 part system of supplements that show promise for ADHD children, as well as Autism. One is a multivitamin, one is digestive enzymes, and the other is an anti-oxidant (opc with pycnogenol). You can research the products and ingredients and discuss with your doctor. Maybe add it into the regimin and wean off "traditional" medicine if you can. The great thing is that all the supplements come in powder form, mix with water and drink it down. Only about 1 oz each so it's not alot.
my website is: marketamerica.com/livewellvet if you are interested in checking it out.

Thanks.....

Do it with CHOCOLATE MILK. It's thicker so the pill goes down without feeling it.
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Otherwise SODA POP worked when I first started swallowing pills. The pill floates then so it just goes right down.
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I ALWAYS put a sip of liquid in my mouth first, then the pill, then another sip. This way you WON"T TASTE THE PILL!

Anyway to find out if it comes already in a powder or liquid form? Is the struggle because the taste is bitter after being crushed? Maybe the pharmacist has an idea.

Hi K.,
Have her "practice" swallowing pills using M&M's. Works like a charm and yummy too!

K. - I have to chuckle at your question. Not because it's funny but because my now 19 year old daughter had the same issue of swallowing pills. At 19, she is still very specific about how she takes pills (vitamins only). We started with having her take a bite of food, chew it really good and before she swallowed, add the pill so it would go down with the rest of the already chewed food. At 19, she still does the same thing. LOL Yes, she takes just one vitamin at a time and adds it to food or drink that's already in her mouth.

Different kids, different attitudes. My son, who is almost 16 can take a whole handful of vitamins at once with a small swallow of water.

Good luck,

D.

My son who is 9, just told me here about a month ago that it hurts to swallow his pills. He's on Strattera and there is no reason for it to hurt. He's just being stubborn I thought. So we make sure he drinks something before his pill and after it to wash it down. I think kids have a fear that it will get stuck. If you think that might be the problem, ask your pharmacist or doctor to explain that it will not get stuck. Hope this helps.

I have a daycare child (3yr) that has to take daily asthma med. I was doing the crushing thing as was his mom, but it was horrible tasting so, we just decided to do the swallowing! I did it, so it was probably easier for him to get it, like the other post said. He put it in his mouth and I gave him a big cup of water. The first time he just kept trying and it wasn't going down, starting to dissolve. So I had him take a big gulp and I tilted his head back a bit and plugged his nose(a suggestion I had heard) so he HAD to swallow! It went down, just not real smooth! The next time I plugged his nose but it went down smooth without the almost choking/ gagging. After that he swallows them just fine, even putting them in his own mouth and doing the water himself. Kids swallow food in bigger quantities than a little pill so it can be done! Find a neighbor or someone she would be more embarrassed to fight with and just give it a try!