The struggle to get a child to take their medicine is real!
I always hate when one of my kids are prescribed oral medication because I know that some days, it will just be a fight. Thankfully, between parenting and working as a nurse and nurse practitioner, I have learned several tricks over the years. And I want to share with you how to get children to take their medicine.
I think what is most important is to understand why children don’t like to take medication. These can include, but are not limited to flavor, consistency, loss of control, and a bad experience in the past.
Once you understand your child’s trigger, you can start to plan your strategy to make things a little easier when giving the medication.
You should know that what works for you to get your child to take their medicine may not work for another. Kids have their own personalities, attitudes, quirks, and triggers as mentioned above.
And medicine is not black and white. There is a lot of gray when it comes to diagnosing and treating each person. I wish it were simple, but a lot of it is trial and error.
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Whether you are giving medications for a fever or pain (Motrin/Tylenol dosing sheet available here), antibiotics, or cough/cold medicine. I hope these tips will be helpful.
- Ask the pharmacy to flavor the medication.
This is actually a thing! Pharmacists can add flavorings to certain medications to make them taste better and therefore easier for child to take. Many times, the flavoring is added prior to pick-up but you can still ask when you arrive to pick up your child’s prescription.
2. Flavor the medicine yourself
Mix the dose of liquid medicine with a small amount of Kool Aid mix powder before giving to your child. This improves the flavor drastically!
3. Add medicine to a small amount of yogurt, applesauce, or juice.
This works well to mask the flavor of the medicine, but it is very important that it is added to a small amount. If you add a syringe full of antibiotic to a sippy cup full of juice, it means the child has to drink the entire cup of juice to get the full dose. If they don’t drink it all, then you don’t know how much of the medicine they actually received.
In my house we use Welches Grape Juice, and it works wonders to mask even the nastiest tasting stuff. Also, having them hold their nose (if they are old enough to understand) while taking the medicine will decrease their taste.
4. Use a syringe to give the medicine.
The syringe is the best for accurate measurement and ease of administration. If your child has a problem taking liquid medications due to taste or consistency, I don’t recommend using a medicine cup or dosing spoon. Use a dropper or syringe and slowly squirt the medicine towards the cheek, at the side of the mouth.
If you squirt towards the back of the throat, you are increasing the risk of choking, aspiration (liquid going into the lungs), and a face full of medicine when they are coughing and gagging on it. Use a syringe that you can control how fast or slow they get their medication.
A syringe like this Ezy Dose Oral Syringe (#ad), is great but the pharmacy should supply you with a FREE syringe that will work, as well.
For babies and toddlers that still use pacifiers, you can try the Pacifier Baby Medicine Dispenser (#ad). I wish I had thought to design this. Genius!
5. Give a small amount at a time.
Too much volume at once means your child will either get strangled on the medication or it will leak out of the mouth unintentionally. I know it’s easy to get in a hurry when giving the medication, especially if it has been a struggle, but try to slow down and stay calm.
6. Administer when the child is distracted.
In the past, when my kids have been watching a favorite tv show, playing their favorite game, or engrossed in a fun activity they are less likely to put up a big fight because they want to go back to playing.
7. Give a reward.
Listen, I am not above bribery. Many children work well with positive reinforcement and incentives for certain tasks. In my house, if you take your medicine, you get a small treat. It works for us. My daughter has even reminded me to make sure I give her daddy a chocolatey treat after he takes his medicine.
8. Involve their favorite stuffed animal.
We have done this several times and my two-year-old loves it. I pretend to give a dose of medicine to her favorite stuffed animal after taking its temperature and fixing it a napping spot on the couch. Playing pretend with her distracts her, calms her down, and involves her in the process.
9. Crush pills.
If your child has a problem swallowing pills, a simple solution would be to crush the pills and put it in a spoonful of yogurt or applesauce. BEFORE crushing, please ask the pharmacist if the pill can be crushed. There are pills/tablets that cannot be crush, such as enteric coated and extended release. ALWAYS check first!
10. Use Medcoat for tablets
There are certain uncoated tablets that are disgusting to try to swallow, even though they are pill form. I’ve read that MedCoat increases the ease of swallowing the pill and comes in several different flavors!
11. Wash medicine down with a drink to mask the flavor.
My children prefer orange or grape juice to drink after they take their medicine. It helps to rid them of the medicinal flavor more quickly. They will not take their medicine with water and, honestly, I can’t blame them.
Personally, I have found that taking uncoated tablets with a small drink of milk is effective.
12. Have someone else give it.
I know not everyone has this luxury, but if you do, give it a try. One thing that has always amazed me is that my oldest daughter will fight me tooth and nail some days to take her medicine. But if her daddy or her aunt offer to give it, then she takes it just fine.
It absolutely drives me crazy since I’m the one with her 99% of the time but I’m also thankful for an easy solution.
13. Let them take it themselves.
If they are old enough, also consider letting the child take the medicine themselves. This gives them a feeling of control, which some children need and respond well to.
14. Stay calm.
They will feed off your frustration. If you get frustrated and angry, so will they. Don’t get worked up and don’t try to FORCE it. Mentally prepare yourself before it is time to give it.
Also, establishing a clear schedule with your child and reminding them 30 minutes or so before time to give the medicine will help.
I hope these tips will help you as you care for your children. I have four of my own and I have to approach each one differently. One needs juice to wash it down with, one prefers rewards, one takes it NO problem, and the other would rather go get a shot than to drink anything I give her.
It is what it is.
I’m thankful I understand what triggers each of them and can plan accordingly.
Medication Tips
5ml = 1 tsp
10ml = 2 tsp
15 ml= 3 tsp or 1 TBSP
Babies/toddlers/school age children’s dosages are weight-based. For over the counter (OTC) medications, if you do not know your child’s weight, dose based on age. You can also call your child’s doctor’s office.
ALWAYS using a dosing tool such as a syringe, medicine cup, or dosing spoon to measure liquid medications- FREE at pharmacies. NEVER use a kitchen spoon.
ALWAYS check the concentration (strength) of infant and children’s medications. The infant medicine could be stronger than the children’s (meaning less volume but more medicine).
Babies 3 months and under should ALWAYS been seen by a doctor for fever, rather than be treated with OTC medications.
For more tips on caring for your sick child, check out 8 Things to Keep on Hand to Make Mom’s Life Easier with a Sick Kid. I really do stay fully stocked during cold and flu season!