how to get a very stuborn 3 year old to take her medicine???

Question

she really needs to take it, its an antibiotic. ive tryed mixing it in her juice, she just spits it out no matter how i try and give it to her. any suggestions?

Answer 1

My son is stubborn about meds too. Just the other night he needed to take some Tylenol and was refusing it. My friend is a nurse and she says, "If you don't want it then I'll drink it" as soon as she picked up he said he wanted it and drank it down. Just a matter of making him want it, instead of thinking it was something that he had to have against his will.

Answer 2

that's tough. My daughter was 3 when she had to take an antibiotic that tasted terrible. The way we got her to take it was to put it in a small cup, like the kind that you have at a bathroom sink, and then fill another cup just like it with her favorite juice. Tell her you know it tastes bad, but to drink it fast and drink the juice right after, and it won't taste bad at all.

The worst thing to do, but we've had to before, is to hold her head back and make her swallow it. It breaks my heart to do that, but if she absolutely isn't taking her medicine no matter what, then it might be necessary.

Answer 3

1. Make a game of it. Start by tickling her then switch to a play airplane (the spoon) that comes in for a landing (her mouth) then tickle and praise her.
2. Find a food group she likes and put the med in or on it. Like ice cream. Mix it in and give it to her.
3. Draw it into a syringe, hold her nose, shoot it in her mouth and close it till she swallows.
4. If she refuses to open her mouth, pinch her nose to cut off the air supply. Then when she gasp for air by opening her mouth shoot in the meds to the back of her throat.
The last 2-3 are more traumatic but if nothing else works you just got to take charge. I was a single parent to 6 kids and never had a problem.
Good luck.

Answer 4

I can't relate - my girls were always good about taking medicine, and my grandbaby is too. Is it flavored? Usually the pharmacy can put something like bubblegum or fruit flavoring in it to help with the taste.

Probably not a good idea to make her afraid to have injections from the doctor....but might help to mention that as an alternative solution if she won't swallow the medicine willingly.

Answer 5

Tricking her simply won't work, at least not for very long. She's old enough to understand reason. Sit her down, explain it to her and don't give her a choice. It might help to offer a little incentive if she takes it--a cookie, playing outside, etc.
One other option, and I really don't like it, but I've used it--wait til she is almost asleep and put liquid med in a syringe and slowly squeeze it in her mouth.

Answer 6

Our nephew still gets his meds from a syringe. Its their last resort and its tricky (and a little forceful), but you need to hold they're cheeks together to keep it down. Otherwise, for our toddlers we sometimes resort to bribes.

Cant the pharmacist flavor it too, the amoxicillan types arent really that bad tasting.

Answer 7

Try explaining to her that she needs this medicine to get better and taking it with juice is better than getting shots.

Answer 8

Choc late Milk with LOTS of chocolate. IT WORKS. My 3 year old was the same way. The key is LOTS of chocolate to disguise the pink stuff. Yeah I know.. to much sugar. But its what I had to do in order for him to take it

Answer 9

don`t mix it with juice ...ask the Dr if there is a different antibiotic that taste better that you can give her .
like amoxicilien

Answer 10

Give her those medicines that gives her a nice flavor. Say that you will give her candy or a toy if she takes her medicine.