How can I get my child to take his medicine? He has a cold and is almost three. But won't take his medicine.

Answer 1

Tylenol and Benadryl come in Childrens and they both have chewable tablets...always consult with pediatrician for correct dosage. I have a 2 and 3 yr old that take them.

Answer 2

Unless it's truly necessary (antibiotics, asthma medication, etc) I would never force a medicaion on a child. Tell your little one that the medicine might taste a little bit bad but it will make him feel better. Explain HOW it will make him feel better (it will clear the stuffy nose, ease the cough, reduce pain, etc). Then, leave it up to the child.

There are many non medicinal ways to ease cold symptoms too. A cup of mild chamomile tea w/ honey and lemon eases a sore throat. Being in a hot, steamy bathroom or shower eases congestion. Vaporizers (maybe w/ vicks liquid) can also help ease congestion and stuffiness.

I'd save the "stronger" methods of insisting for medications which are absolutely necessary. Choose your battles, if you know what I mean.

Answer 3

I agree with Amos. Only if the medicine was prescribed by your pediatrician should you give it to your child. If you check with your doctor you will find that over the counter cold medicines are worthless and in some cases can be really dangerous for small children. That said, if the medicine is prescription, then the eye dropper is usually the easiest method along with a bit of loving persistence and maybe bit of food he likes.
Good Luck. It's always hard to see a little one with a miserable cold.

Answer 4

My daughter turns three tomorrow and she is often reluctant with medicine as well. What I do is take a dropper and lay her across my lap i place the dropper on the inside of her cheek as far back as I can go and squirt quickly. Then I will sit her up to make sure there is no danger of choking, if you can get the dropper far enough back it usually goes right down the throat without her being able to spit it back out. It doesn't always work but for the most part it does.

Good Luck

Answer 5

I do tylenol throughout the day and night. cough medicine just before nap and bedtime because they need to cough some of that gunk up so you don't want to supress it too much and allergy medicine only if they are really stuffy early in the morning. It usually makes kids hyper. I love vicks baby vapor rub and vapor baths. Lots and lots of saline drops in his nose always seemed to help loosen the crud up. And finally, lots and lots of fluids, whatever he will drink. A lot of medicines, like Robitussin (not the DM but plain Robitussin) have been shown to be no more effective than drinking tons of fluids. You can certainly alternate ibuprofen with the tylenol too. It would help more with the sore throat pain.

Answer 6

This worked for me, if you have the patience to do it. You only have to do it one time and they will get the idea. When my son was that age he refused to take the medicine, except it was an antibiotic he had to have. I picked him up, cradled him gently like a baby, and told him he could get down and go play when he took the medicine. He soon got really bored and wanted down. I told him as soon as he took the medicine I would be happy to let him down and go play. He cried, kicked, screamed, etc. I stayed very calm and reassured him that as soon as he took the medicine, he could get down. After about 10 minutes, he stopped crying and said, " Just give me the medicine." It was sort of funny. Now he takes medicine just fine every time.

Answer 7

My 3yr old is the same way! Not fun! Depending on the flavor of the medicine, if it's fruit/strawberry we put it in milk and call it pink milk. We've also mixed it with chocolate milk. Chocolate pudding is great at hidding the medicine as well. We've put it in juice and apple sauce too!
Have you tried the thin strips yet? Trinaminic makes some for cough and congestion. It's starting to work for us. Easier to put into juices too!
Good luck!

Answer 8

Have you tried putting the med. into a syringe and letting him dispense it into his mouth himself? You could also get the Triaminic Strips that dissolve in his mouth, there are also the dissolve tablets that you can add water to in a cup and let him drink it. One more option is they make suckers that are actually cold medicine. Hope some of these ideas work for you.

Answer 9

I had the same problem with my kids and more recently my grand-babies (toddlers)....This is how it has worked best for me. If the meds are liquid, measure them correctly in a dropper. Let the little one believe that he/she is big enough to take the meds by themself....watch closely and allow them to squeeze the dropper into their own mouth. This seems to make them feel like a big boy/girl!!! If it's a tablet, do basically the same thing, letting them think that they are such big kids that they can "help" mommy give it to themselves. Good luck and I hope you little one gets to feeling better!!! **smiles**

Answer 10

Cold medicines, unless theyre prescribed for a severe infection, do nothing but make colds last longer as they suppress the body from expelling the infected mucus, and allowing it to settle in the sinuses and lungs and become infected by bacteria in the body.

I dont blame him for not taking them.

If its something he must take, have your local pharmacy add some flavoring to it.