How can I teach my 9 year old to swallow a pill?

Question

She's being a real pain about it. So far we've only had success putting it in a peanut butter sandwich.

Answer 1

Have her place it as far back as she can on her tounge with out gagging then hand her a glass of juice and tell her to drink it as if the pill wasnt in her mouth. If she is still having troubles break it up and mix it with honey and have her drink it down like she would cough syrup. Putting it in her sandwich is going to make her chew on the pieces of the pill which could end up tasting really nasty. Tell her to pretend that she is in class chewing gum and she thinks the teacher just busted her so she swallows it so if the teacher asks her if she was chewing gum she can say no and show the teacher her mouth that she doesnt have anything. Tell her to pretend the pill is that piece of gum. I had a problem with my son about that age swallowing pills until I told him that if he couldnt swallow it and it was important that he get the medicine inside him that we would have to do it rectally. He quickly learned to swallow. It was hard to keep a straight face when I had told him that because of the look on his face thinking about having the pill go in the other end.

Answer 2

My daughter was 7 when her doctor ordered her meds in pill form. She had never had to swallow a pill before so I had to teach her very quickly. The easiest way I found was to have her drink the liquid first but not swallow it and then place the pill in her mouth. Then I told her to swallow. She never tasted the pill and she never even felt it in her mouth. It was just like drinking water or gatorade or whatever the liquid was. She has been doing this ever since and its seems to work for us. She's 8 now and doesnt have a problem. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

You know I had the same exact problem for the longest time. For me, the problem was my tonsils were actually large enough to make it painful for me to swallow the pills. I remember my mom trying everything to get me to swallow them, but I just couldn't. Once I had my tonsils removed, I had no problem swallowing pills. As a matter of a fact, I have to take a pill every morning, so its a good thing I am now able to swallow pills. Good luck (and I wish I really could offer you some better advice, swallowing pills is a tough thing to learn.)

Answer 4

I have hadsurgery that keeps me from swallowing pills. I use yogurt and applesauce to swallow them. It's the easiest way. Peanut butter is too thick and stick, hard to swallow without a pill. So, try yogurt without fruit and applesauce, i buy the little bowls and it keeps longer. Good luck. This will be much better for her really.

Answer 5

My parents used to smash up the pill and put it in a spoonful of jelly (peanut butter would work also).

Answer 6

looking over a shoulder as she swallows will help push it toward the back of the throat. of course this will only work if she wants to learn. make sure that you do not lavish her with attention (bad or good) when she will not swallow-just tell her to spit it out, hide it like you have previously (a piece of bananna works good too), and keep trying each time she is due for one.

Answer 7

Tell her to chug the drink down really fast and put it as far back as she can. Let her choose the drink she likes. Soda or sugary juice sometimes helps. Reward her, candy, extra playtime, a small toy or something to work towards. Praise her and stay calm. Ask her if she has any ideas to make it go down. Someday she will get it. Good luck! :)

Answer 8

im a nurse. go get those mini m and m's and practice swallowing them. if he can do it, he can swallow a pill. try milk, usually it works better than water. then if the pills are too big, you can cut them in half.