giving 2 year old medicine?

Question

My son needs an antibiotic for an ear infection, it is in liquid form and we were given needleless syringe thing to measure out 7ml. It is impossible to get himm to take it. The second my husband or I hold him he starts to cry and thrash around, once we put the medicine in his mouth he spits it out (oh and by the way, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH 7ML IS?, I mean my god that's alot to try and get in him.) I'm not sure if you can mix the antibiotic with anythnig but it smells bad so I'm sure it tastes awful...please, any advice is welcome, we need help!

I know how much 7ml is, I can measure it using the syringe. It was a hypothetical question...meaning it's alot to give a 2 year old who screams and won't sit still. And I've tried the forceful approach, but he's screaming so much it's getting in his lungs

Answer 1

Been there, done that!

7 ml is 1.4 tsp.

Lay him down flat on his back and squirt it into the back of his cheek. They can't spit it out that way. Most can be mixed with something too. Call the ped or pharmacist to check first. Or with one of our kids we just use bribery, lol. Offer a small peice of candy, whatever that they can have as soon as they take their med. Good luck, I feel for you!

Answer 2

I totally feel for you. I once had to get a 2 year old to take iron in a liquid suspension, and she only had to take 3 ml and I'm sure most of it ended up on my shirt every time.

I think it would be ok to mix it in his milk or something but I don't think it would make that awful taste go away. Maybe you could try it with a special treat like chocolate milk. You might be able to split up the dosage, too, like 3.5 ml every 4 hours instead of 7 every 8 hours. Ask the doctor.

Try a different medium. Lots of pharmacies will flavor it differently for you. I know Shopko has lots of flavors. Maybe you could get some pills that could be crushed and put in his applesauce, or sometimes you can get drops that go directly in the ears.

And I know he's still little, but teach him to take pills asap because then you won't have to worry about this liquid medicine garbage. Taking a glass of water with a pill that's gone in a split second is much better than a teaspoon of gross medicine. When I was little, as soon as I figured that out, I was always sure to tell the doctor that I wanted pills and not liquid. I never took a liquid, other than cough syrup, after 4 years old.

Good luck. I wish I could be there to help.

Answer 3

Try having something he really likes ready to get rid of the taste. 7ml is alot for a little mouth try it in two doses about five or ten minutes apart. He might be spitting because it's too much at once. If you mix it don't let him start thinking that tastes bad all the time or it'll be something else he won't take. Good luck

Answer 4

One suggestion someone gave me is to put medicine on a spoon (well, maybe not for 7ml) with chocolate syrup. I have this problem with my 2 yr. old and her cough/cold medicine when she needs it. That also comes with a little syringe, not the easiest form of dispensing medicine, mind you, and my daughter did not like it at all. The spoon was something new to take it from, and the chocolate syrup made it more interesting. I only tried it once, so I don't know how long this method would work for, but maybe you can take this idea and adapt it a bit.

(hey, maybe mix it with chocolate pudding?!)

Answer 5

I've been through this with two boys, one takes his medicine with a fight, the other will not stop fighting, kicking, screaming, spitting, anything but take the medicine. The worst was when my eldest got phnemonia and he had to take large dose antibiotics for ten days. I think my wife and I both hurt our backs. Anywho, there is no easy solution. We tried mixing it with milk, and other things but it never works. The only way we would get him to take it was by brute force. If you push the syringe in his mouth all the way towards the back and then press out the medicine, the gag reflex will take over and he will be forced to swallow.

Good luck!

Answer 6

My boy is two yrs old also, but he is to the point now where he takes medicine pretty well. There was times though when he would fight me and I would have to literally lay on top of him and hold his hands down. Then I would put the syringe in the back part of his throat put in a small amounts of the medicine at a time and blow in his face. I know this sounds harsh but it worked.

Answer 7

I dont see where mixing it would hurt anything! You may want to check with the Dr. to be sure! I am a Med Tech and gennerally if we can't get a medicine in someone or they can't swallow it we mix it in applesauce or chocalate pudding but thats with crushed pills a liquid anti biotic may be different! So I would ask the Dr. to be on the safe side but if you can mix it chocalate pudding is a good choice because it masks the taste very well!

Answer 8

You just need to pinch his lips with your fingers so he can't open his mouth to spit it back out. I know it sucks trying to get a kid that age to take medicine, but that's just the way it is. Pinch his lips and stick the syringe in and put the medicine in. Hold his lips until he swallows. After that make sure to give him a hug and say something like "I know it's yucky but it'll make you feel better." Anyway, hope that helps. That's what we had to do and what I had done to me even when I had to take medicine at that age. Good luck and I hope I helped.

Answer 9

Does your son take a passifier? My son did and we used one of those medicine dispensers with a passifier on the end. My son hates medicine too! We usually meaure it out with the syringe and put it in the dispenser. If he still won't take it talk to your pediatrician, they can usually perscribe something that tastes a little better and that might help as well. Good Luck!

Answer 10

I went through a year of my daughter having ear infection after ear infection. She hated the medication and was just a toddler. I use to have to put her on the floor, set on her lightly to restrain her and put my knees over her arms and told her head. 7 ml is about 1/2 tsp. So draw it up in the syring and restrain the child and make her take it. The medicine is nasty but you have to do it for your child's best interest. You are lucky to have a husband at home. Mine was in viet nam while all this went on.