How do I get a one year old to take liquid medicine?

Question

My god-daughter will not swallow her medicine. She can spit it out no matter how you put it in. HELP! We need ideas..she has an ear infection and desperately needs her medicine

Answer 1

I know this sounds really harsh. But force her.
Hold her cheeks in a slight (but not hurtful) pinch that makes her face look like a fish face and squirt it into the very back of her molars. Don't let go until she swallows. If you are tilting her head back, she will automatically swallow when it hits her throat.
This sounds so harsh, but ear infections really hurt!

Answer 2

Okay, remember - you guys are the adults here, and if you allow a 1 year old this kind of control, you're going to have a BIG problem later.

Give her an ice cube or ice pop immediately before you give the medicine. It will numb her mouth so she can't taste it. Get a dosing syringe from the pharmacy. Shoot the medicine into the side of her cheek so that she'll swallow it. (In desperate times, hold her mouth closed if you need to.) Follow it immediately with a favorite drink or a lolly to kill the taste.

DO NOT mix it with anything to drink or in a bottle or anything like that. If she doesn't finish the drink, she doesn't get the whole dose, which defeats the whole purpose of the medication. Also, if you dilute it, some drugs don't work as well, which again negates the whole point.

Answer 3

Okay, no matter what you have already read, I have taken a training class on giving meds to infants and children. The correct way is to use a medicine syringe, place it between the cheek and tongue and squirt it slowly into her mouth. Tilt the childs chin back. Remember, slowly is the key. Squirt, massage her cheek, continue until gone. Do not squirt it fast as this can choke her. If she gets any of the medication DO NOT READMINISTER until it is time for the next dose. DO NOT MIX WITH ANYTHING!!! This dilutes the antibiotic making it less effective. There are also no guarentee that the child will even eat or drink what you've mixed it with! If all else fails you may need to have the pediatrician change the antibiotic to a better tasting one. Do not have a battle of wits with the child, she will only come to mistrust you and not coperate. You could also try a medicine pacifier if the child has used a binky in the past. You can purchase medicine syringes and pacifiers at any drug store. Some will even give you one free if you've purchased the antibiotic there.

Answer 4

I cradle her and then gently squeeze her cheeks so her mouth opens.Squeeze a tiny drop of medicine in and if she doesn't want to swallow BARELY blow in her face.Just the tiniest bit.I know this isn't part of the question but just a tip.If she spits the medicine up before 10 minutes is up then you need to give her another dose.This is what my doctor told me.I had the same problem with my little ones.I have a 5 year old,4 year old,3 year old and 7 month old.Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Reading the other replies I first want to say is that not all medication can be mixed into foods or drinks. It can effect the absorption of the medication and you then have to concern yourself with making the child drink or eat all of the food to obtain appropriate amount of medication. Check with your pediatrician or pharmacist before doing this. This is indeed the easiest way if the meds are okay to be diluted. Otherwise the syringe method is good if you have more than one person. Another method would be to deposit the medicine into a bottle top with a nipple and let the baby suck the medicine from the nipple (this is easier method for one person). If the medication isn't flavored you might consider having it refilled at a pharmacy that either carries flavored medication or will flavor it themselves.

Answer 6

My wife had the same problem and without me she could not administer med to my kids.

My way was:

Have the medicine measured into a stable sufficiently deep spoon or kids med administering device or have ink-filler like device exclusively for the purpose.

Now these devices are available in exclusive baby ships.

Create a new play each time and when its attn is diverted to play quickly push the med into its mouth

Have the kids favorite eatables in one hand to make it open the mouth substitute the med for its favorite.

Parents are the best judge than others to find out which method will work and remember same method will not work all the time.

But avoid offering bribes. It becomes a habit and the child develops stubborn attitude demanding one or the other.

Answer 7

This can be dificult depending on how much medicine she needs to take. Smaller doses are obviously easier. Some may say to put it in a drink, but the real problem with that is that she may not drink it all. If you use a syringe (sp?) and push the medicine deep into her mouth you then must force her mouth closed and blow in her face (this will cause a swallowing reflex). It is not any fun, but if she won't take it any other way this will work.

Answer 8

-lay her down flat on her back give her the meds then hold her nose or blow in her face make sure you hold her head so she wont turn her head and spit it out.
-put the meds in a very small amount of juice or water.
-Does she like any liquid meds? Some pharmacies flavor liquid meds for you.
- not sure how many teeth she has but i put a gummy bear (gerber graduates, they are very easy to chew) at the bottom of the medicine cup and my son would drink all the medicine to get to the gummy bear.
Good luck!

Answer 9

For a small fee Walgreens will flavor the medicine, I am sure most if not all other pharmacies will do the same. I would then use a syringe and have her hold her nose as she swallows so she does not taste it as much.

Answer 10

You must find something that she really, really loves to eat, and is suitable for putting the medicine inside of.
e.g. Make a hole inside her favourite sweet and put the medicine inside it.

If you can't find this type of solution to the problem, you must talk to you G.P. about it and possibly move to an injection to administer the required medication.

The first way is always a bit nicer, but unfortunately doesn't
always work.