how can i give my 3 yr old medicine?

Question

my son....no matter what will not take any meds....if i try and give it to him....he will throw up....if i manage to get a little bit in him....he throws up

right now he has a sinus infection....and i got some antibiotics...liquid kind....and i cannot what-so-ever get him to take it....he just throws up

i have tried to mix it in drinks....jello...tried to get him to chase it with his fav drink....nothing will work....he needs this stuff and i am just getting more stressed out just trying to convince him that he needs it....

i feel like i have tried everything....but someone out there must have a secret...please share that secret with me....

the meds are an antibiotic that cures in 5 doses....and this stuff tastes real real bad...i had to try it

Answer 1

LOL Honey, if I were near you, I would give you a hug.

I thought my kid was the only one who threw up ALL medicine.

We've had to be flexible with getting him to take his (he has allergies and asthma, so even if he's not feeling sick, he has to take stuff for preventative reasons).

We'll switch back and forth between mixing it in a drink (grape soda and grape medicine mix really well, and since he NEVER gets soda, we do it as a "special treat"), bribing (DON'T JUDGE ME), forcing it (you do what you gotta do), etc. We'll offer to let him choose between dropper or cup, or if he wants to do it himself or have help. Whenever possible, we let him choose the flavor (he hates the grape, cherry, berry, and bubble gum flavors, but LOVES the orange flavor). Also, see if there is any other form he can take (liquid is given for several reasons, but if he CAN have it in a chewable or pill form, maybe you could have other options of how to get him to take it). With regular OTC stuff, they now have those little paper strips and quick-dissolve tabs, and my son prefers those to the liquid.

Check with your doctor or pharmacist about getting a particular flavor, and let him choose it. They have that FLAVORx stuff now, and it actually works with my son.

There are still days when we have to hold him up against the wall and force that dropper in his mouth, but he's getting better about taking it now. Having a decent flavor, and having some choices, has helped.

And seriously, try bribery. I know it sounds bad, but in my opinion, it's a better option than letting your kid not get the meds he needs. If you make it simple, I don't think you're doing anything wrong. We also word it as "You can do this AFTER you take your medicine", not "You can do this IF you take your medicine". Using "if" gives him a choice. He doesn't get that choice.

I'm lucky to have a husband, too, who will jump in there and do it when I just can't anymore, and he has an easier time getting my son to take his meds. One time he wrestled him to the ground, pinned him down, and forced the dropper in his mouth. Ever since then, he reminds my son that he'll do that again if he has to. It may take a long time (my son will hold the medicine for up to about ten minutes if we let him before actually just taking it), but it IS getting better.

I hope things get better for you. Just know you're not alone.

Answer 2

I actually remember as a kid when they announced to stop giving children aspirin. My mom went through our medicine cabinet and threw away some aspirin meds she had for us. Like the others said, there is a risk the child can get Reye's Syndrome if they take aspirin. It's a pretty widely known, common sense type thing that you don't ever give a small child aspirin. Your husband should have been clued in by the warning on the bottlte! You ALWAYS follow what it says on the bottle. There are very few meds, aside from Motrin and Tylenol, that you can give a child under the age of 6. Always have some Infant's and Children's Tylenol on hand and regularly check the expiration dates.

Answer 3

I can't handle liquid medications, the taste makes me vomit. I have had this problem since I was a small child, I don't know when I started to swallow pills but it was crazy young.

Most antibiotics pills are actually a powder, so if you go and get the prescription (again) in pills the powder can be put in almost anything.

The other thing I would check first is take the liquid and rub a bit on his arm. Wait an hour. If he gets a rash he is allergic to something in it, either the antibiotic or the liquid suspension. If a rash forms definitely take him to the doctor to get a different prescription.

The only other secret I know is to use a bottle nipple to give the liquid this way it misses most of the tongue. But for me even the aftertaste of the liquid in my stomach if I burp can make me gag. Consider what I said about getting pills. Or even see if your doctor has some sample pills and take some jam or something to the office that way you know if the pills will work before you buy a whole lot.

Answer 4

My son used to do the same thing (he's 2). One night I put his medicine in a syringe...dreading what was to come, when I decided to ask him if he wanted to help daddy and handed it to him. He held it for a while and eventually put it up to his mouth. I think shot a little bit in and told him he was a good boy and gave him shot after shot until it was gone telling him all the while he was a good helper, etc.

This has worked with antibiotics (which I agree tastes horrible), cold medicine and some anti-itch we give him for itchy skin. Occasionally he balks, but usually is eager to help. He's even tried to push the "plunger" himself.

I hope this helps. It works for us.

Answer 5

applesauce is usually how i got my kids to take anything. you can also try calling the pharmacy for suggestions.
I would Not tell him its candy in this day and age, too many kids have been harmed by this type of white lie, they get into a medicine and take too much.
applesauce has a way of neutralizing a medicine taste. good luck

Answer 6

I know you're at your wits end. Relax and don't talk about it with him. When it comes time to eat or drink, go off by yourself and add it to whatever. Do not mention the medicine at all. He can feel your tension and thats half the problem. You need to be the smarter one here. Make it so he's unable to read what you're up to. Mom's need to be smart at the tactics game. Go about your daily routine and when you're both relaxed and he's unsuspecting, that's when you spring into action. You can do this!

Answer 7

My son is now 10 and he still refuses to take liquid medication so we opt for chewable if we can. If not, we tried swallowing the pills, I coated them w/ pudding and let it slide down his throat. If I have to make him take liquid, I put it in the side of his cheek and to the back of his mouth and squirt it in slowly so it only hits the back of his mouth. Also, I was wondering as well if he is using the throwing up to get out of it, b/c my son started using vomiting at about 4 yrs old to get out of alot of things!!! Not taking meds or eating his veggies!! lol

Answer 8

Try this - give him an ice cube to suck on to numb his tongue before you give the medicine. Tell him to hold his nose, (can't smell it, can't taste it!) while you take a dosing syringe (get it from the pharmacy) and shoot it into the side of his cheek and he swallows it right away. Then give him an ice pop or something else right away to chase it.

Answer 9

Is he throwing up from the taste or is his protest making him throw up? My daughter would throw the biggest fit to take medicine until she would get so upset she threw up.
I gave it to her in her sleep. I know that sounds awful, but it worked. While they are sleeping, get the medicine in the syringe and just do drops in their mouth. Just a drop and let him swallow. Do another small squirt, let him swallow. By no means enough to choke him, just tiny squirts. It may take a while, and if he starts to wake up you may have to leave until he is back asleep. It worked for me.

Answer 10

Can u bribe him. He gets a toy if he takes the medicine, or a candy. I hate to bribe him but it sounds like you've tried just about everything good luck