how do i get my 3 year old to take his medicine?

Answer 1

Recently I couldn't get my 2 and a half year old to take her penicillin which she had to take for tonsillitis, I tried everything, and had to resort to forcing it down the back of her throat which resulted in her vomiting it back up. A Friend who is a nurse, suggested putting it in with a jammy cake or a little ice-cream, but I couldn't get her to eat anything because her throat was so sore. I took her back to the nurse, which then prescribed her with banana flavoured antibiotics, oh my god, she even gets her own way there. Hope you get on okay.

Answer 2

During the preschool years, children get sick frequently and need lots of medicine. While parenting our eight children, Martha and I have learned a few tricks to getting the most medicine down with the least amount of hassles. They are:

Package it. Medicines come in all kinds of flavors and types of packaging. Some children prefer cherry-flavored liquid, others prefer grape-flavored chewables, and sometimes a child will find it easier to take plain medicine that comes in capsules. Try them all to find one that works, and if your child refuses every type, try a different trick.

Disguise it. The saying, "a spoon-full of sugar helps the medicine go down," is certainly true. Crush the tablet or open up the capsules, and put the medicine in your child's favorite food. When feeding him, use what we've dubbed the "upper lip sweep": Lift the spoon against his upper lip, letting the lip scrape all the medicine-filled food off the spoon. For older children, try hiding the crushed pills in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Numb it. If your child has trouble swallowing pills, allow him to suck on a Popsicle or a cold smoothie just before giving him the medicine. Numbing the taste buds gives you a fighting chance of getting the medicine past the sensitive tongue.

Paste it. Try what we call "magic paste." If your child is a spitter or a sprayer, ask the doctor to prescribe medication in chewable or tablet form, then crush the tablet between two spoons and add a drop of water to make a thick paste. Apply a finger-tip full of the paste to the inside of your child's cheek several times until he swallows all the medicine.

Squirt it. Our favorite Sears Family trick is one we call the "cheek pocket technique." Put your child on your lap and encircle his cheek with your hand. Using your middle or index finger, pull out the corner of his mouth and make a pocket in his cheek. With your other hand, squirt the medicine into this pocket, a little at a time, using a calibrated medicine dropper. This technique will keep your child's mouth open and head still, and the traction on his cheek will prevent him from spitting the medicine out. Squirting the medicine will also allow it to bypass the sensitive taste buds of the tongue.

Chase it. After your child swallows the medicine, give him a glass of his favorite — but nutritious — beverage. This will wash the remaining medicine out of his mouth into his throat.

Reward it. Use the "when-then" technique: "When you take your medicine, then we'll go outside and play."

Model it. If your friends have children of a similar age who are good medicine takers, invite them over to play at a time when their medicine is due. When your child sees how easily their peers take medicine, he will be more likely to copy them.

Record it. Remember and record which medication, which flavors, and which techniques work best for your child. The next time your doctor prescribes a medicine you can volunteer your past experience.

As your child grow and learns, he will be more willing and able to take medication when he needs it.

Answer 3

At 3 years old, he is older enough to talk to about his medicine. Tell him it is very important that he takes it so he can feel better.
Your kids are smarter that you think.
Try talking to him like an adult and see how you go.

Answer 4

Havnt read all other answers so hope i not doubling up. Had the same problem with my son who is now 13. I ended up waiting until he had gone to sleep and putting medicine in a medicine syringe and very slowly with his head held at a slight angle i used to administer it. When they are asleep they just taste and swallow and as long as you do it fairly slowly then no problem. Worked for me anyway.

Answer 5

Best method is from a medicine syringe.... draw up the liquid, hold him down, stick it in his mouth and push the syringe top down. This will get it into his mouth. If he wants to, let him push down the syringe himself so he can make a game out of it.

Have a drink handy so he can take the taste away straight away.

This is the only thing that worked for my son.

Answer 6

use child syringe for medicine,let him play with it with water do it yourself ,then when you to give the medicine tell him what your giving and why,explain briefly it makes him better, don;t make a big thing of it.don,t give rewards .if he does,nt take straight away try later but don,t force , three year olds are pretty intelligent ,so treat him as if its a grown up thing get him to do himself, bit messy but praise him as (such a big boy) put out of reach he might like it too much

Answer 7

i did try every thing with my son i even took him to the doctors and told them i had tried to hold him and force it down but was too stressful for him and for me so i put it in a strong drink of orange juice the problem was he would not always drink all the orange so i went to my friends house and who ever was round joined in with a game of who could win the orange race we all had a glass of orange adults as well my son had a smaller glass we put the medicine in without him knowing as he thought it was at home and the count of 3 we started we all would watch my son as we pretended to race to this day my son thinks he is the fastest orange drinker around we still do it every now and again (when he gets medicine) and he is nearly 5 now julie

Answer 8

It depends what it is. Most childrens medication, especially if its designed for a parent to give, is carried in a fruity liquid base. So check with the gp and see if you can mix it with flavoured yoghurt or fruit juice and don't tell him. At 3 he's not able to be rational about it, if he thinks it tastes nasty he won't eat it.

Answer 9

as the major amount of child's medicine is liquid i used to put it in some juice. failing that ask the doctor to give you suppositories, its quick and easy, i used them till my daughter was about 3, for fever and everything. They work a dream....

Answer 10

Try talking with him and explaining why he should take the medicine. You will be surprised at how much he can understand.