I Can’t Get My 4 Year Old To Swallow His Medicine. Do Other Parents Have Any Tips?
filed in Tips on Dec.18, 2009
I can’t get my 4 year old to swallow his medicine. Do other parents have any tips?
I can get it down but he vomits it back up. It is for his Asthma (Redipred). The doctor told me some kids just have a really good vomit reflex and to just keep giving it to him again every time he spits it up. He gets so upset and stressed I am starting to wonder if I may be doing more harm than good. All that screaming and heavey breathing sometimes triggers an attack. Any help you can give would be great?
I posted this before but didnt get many answers. Please dont report I am just trying a different catagory in the hope of more answers!!!!!!
December 18th, 2009 on 10:55 pm
If your son takes a liquid medication perhaps trying to have it flavored at the pharmacy. I think it costs about $4 or something on that order. Your son could choose from quite a few flavors. They say it doesn’t take the complete yuckies away but does take that edge off. You could also try giving just a small amount until he swallows. Try giving the medication in a syringe insted of a spoon or cup. You could also try mixing it in some of his favorite drink. . . only a small amount until he gets it down.
If this medication is a pill, you could crush it and put it in something smooth or pureed form. My daughter took hers in icecream. . . Just a small amount of course, but her incentive was to get just a little more ice cream after she finished the medication. Pudding was also a good one. Remember to try to stay positive and calm, this will help him remain calmer too. Tell him what a big boy he is after he gets some medicine down and how happy and proud you are of him.
Also, maybe he could get a popsicle or something thats a small treat for him after doing a great job.
Or you could even try a sticker chart. . . he could get a sticker everytime he takes his medicine and at the end of the week with 5 to 7 sticker he could get a prize. . . something small like a pack of gum or candy might encourage him. I would however try to ease off this after he starts to take the med well. . . You don’t always want to encourage these behaviors with meds, or to think medicines are good if you know what I mean.
Good luck!
December 18th, 2009 on 10:58 pm
-slip it inside a banana and give it to him as snack.
-change the medicine to OZEN syrup.
-that suggestion on the first answer is good
December 18th, 2009 on 11:55 pm
Try crushing up the pill and mixing it into his milk or applesauce.
December 19th, 2009 on 12:16 am
Take it from a person who can’t swallow pills and crushes them up, NEVER PUT IT IN MILK! For some reason, milk enhances the flavour of almost any medicine.
If you want a great way to do it, put it in some V-8 or other carrot based juice. It pretty much eliminates the flavour if you mix it with quite a bit of the juice.