Giving Medicine to a Baby Who Won't Swallow

I still call back the awful taste of a thick, chalky, white medication that my pediatrician would routinely prescribe when I had strep pharynx equally a child. Just looking at the bottle of the banana-favored medication fabricated me desire to run and hide. Fortunately for my parents (and my health), I begrudgingly took my antibiotics after several minutes of pleading. As a nurse practitioner at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, I am familiar with the stress that parents (and kids) endure when it's fourth dimension to give medication, particularly with an unwilling kid. Over the years I have learned some tricks that will help get that medication "down the hatch" both safely and effectively.

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Nine Tips for Helping a Picky Child Take Their Medicine

1. Give choices. When kids feel sick, they lose their sense of control, so it'southward helpful to give them choices. While taking medication is not a choice, you tin requite them simple options:

• How they take it (from a syringe or a cup)
• When they take it (earlier or afterward they become dressed)
• Where they take it (at the kitchen table or sitting on the burrow while watching TV)

Your child may prefer to take the medicine all by themselves, or may desire you aid. Regardless of their selection, e'er brand sure your child is supervised.

two. Avoid choking. Be mindful of how much your kid can consume at once to avert choking. Sometimes, a dose should be divided into smaller parts.

For infants and smaller children, always squirt medication into the lower cheek rather than the back of the throat to prevent choking. Let your baby eat before squirting in more. Medication should always be given in an upright or seated position to forestall choking.

three. Explain why medicine helps. If your child is erstwhile enough to understand, explain why he or she needs to take the medication. I recently babysat for my 4-yr-sometime nephew, who was on a course of antibiotics for an ear infection. When I took out the canteen of pinkish medication, he told me, "No, that'south yucky." I asked him if he knew why he needed to take the medicine and he shrugged his shoulders. Nosotros talked about the medicine helping his ears to experience amend so he could go back to preschool and play with his friends, which was merely the ticket to get him on board with taking the yucky pink medicine.

4. Be positive. Approach the situation with a positive attitude. Don't forget to praise children when they take their medication without a struggle. It's important that your child realizes that taking medication is not a penalty. Never threaten to give children a "shot" if they don't take their medication.

5. Reward your kid. School-anile children tin can be motivated by incentives. Make your child a star chart so that each fourth dimension they take their medication they become a sticker. You lot can decide how many stickers they need to earn to go a prize of their option. You can besides make a "treasure breast" with fun piddling toys and stickers and then they can choice one thing after taking their medication each day.

half dozen. Add together flavoring. Before picking up your child's prescription from the chemist's shop, check to see if the pharmacist is able to add flavoring to the medication, like carmine, grape or watermelon. If possible, let your child choice the flavor. This as well helps with the "control" issue.

seven. Choose liquid, sheathing or chewable options. Talk to your child'south doctor or chemist near the formulations available for a particular medication. Sometimes medications come up in chewable tablets, capsules that can be opened and sprinkled over food or pills that can be cutting into pocket-sized pieces and easily swallowed.

8. Make taking medication fun and creative. Get creative! You will need to measure up the correct dose in a syringe or clear plastic medicine loving cup, but it doesn't mean that children need to take it from that device. Perhaps they will prefer to take it from a tea set cup, a absurd activeness hero spoon or their favorite pocket-sized loving cup. Y'all may also want to role-play and have your kid practice giving the medicine to a favorite stuffed animal or dolly.

9. Mix your child'due south meds with regular nutrient (if possible). Information technology's helpful to disguise a medication'due south gustation by mixing it with chocolate syrup, pancake syrup, pudding, absurdity or yogurt. Instead of mixing, you can too put a small quantity of the medication on a spoon and then cover it with yogurt, chocolate sauce or a dollop of ice cream, so the first thing your child tastes is what'south on top—a yummy snack!

Some medications cannot be given during meals or with particular foods, then it's important to enquire your chemist or child'due south md if in that location are any restrictions with particular medications. Other mixing suggestions include:

• Follow niggling bits of medicine with a "chaser." For older kids, utilize something sweet like juice and for infants, alternating with a minute or so on the breast or a few sips of their canteen. Simply attempt this if your child's doctor says information technology's okay.
• Alternate betwixt medicine and something your child likes to eat or drink. For example, give your kid a small book of the medication and follow it with a ripe strawberry, chocolate morsel, spoonful of fruity yogurt or a sip of juice, and and then repeat until the entire dose is finished.

Practise non mix your child's medication with a full bottle or large cup of liquid. You want to brand certain that children take the entire dose of medication, and if it's mixed in a big quantity of liquid, they volition need to drink the entire affair, which may non exist realistic.

Your kid spit out their medicine. Now what?

Nosotros've all been at that place. You've squirted some medication in your toddler'southward mouth and her or she immediately spits information technology out or vomits a few minutes afterward. If this happens, telephone call your child's doc before giving any more or repeating a dose. Some medications can exist repeated without whatever outcome, merely others can be harmful if your kid gets a little actress.

When it'south time to give a dose of medication, remember these tips to brand the experience easier and less stressful for you and your child.

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Source: https://www.chla.org/blog/rn-remedies/nine-stress-free-tips-giving-your-child-medicine

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