How do I get my 7 year old to swallow a pill?

Question

Please anyone how do I get my 7 year old to swallow a pill that his Dr. has prescribed him to take. I have tried over and over to get him to take it. He swallows water and whatever else we've tried to get him to take the pill with and he seems to always keep the pill in his mouth. He is supposed to take this once a day every morning. Please I need help? We even tried teaching him with tic tacs nothing is working. Help, my 7 year old is driving me crazy.

The pill can not be chewed or crushed it is a time release pill. Help!

Answer 1

Cut a small piece from a banana put the pill in there, ask him to swallow the little piece. Good luck.
Or crush it put it in a spoon add some sugar add some water and done. It works with my kids.

Answer 2

I think you should keep practicing with the tic-tacs, that is how I got my 7-year old to learn. She had some trouble at first, too. I let my little girl put the pill in her mouth after the water, it seems to make it easier for her. Also, try to get him to pretend that the pill isn't there, tell him to swish a minute and then swallow, he won't be able to feel the pill in his mouth that way. Good luck and don't give up!

Answer 3

Don't crumble the pill unless the doctor or pharmacist says that is okay. Some medicines shouldn't be crushed. Try putting it in a dab of peanut butter, or in some jelly, or in a piece of orange or banana: you get the idea, something smallish, smooth and easy to swallow that has a good taste.

Don't freak out over this. Some grown-ups can't swallow pills. Their throats just close up. I don't know why. I suppose it is psychological, but a lot of wacky little things are.

Answer 4

Let him know that it's no different than swallowing a piece of macaroni or a bite of bread. Have him put the pill at the back of his tongue and then tip his head back to swallow the water...the water could come from a straw, which might help the process.

It's all mind over matter. If it's to treat a serious illness, you may have to resort to shots or liquid form until he's able to get past the gag complex.

Try to remain calm. The more anxious you get, the more anxious he'll get...and it'll close his throat up from the tension.

Answer 5

You can ask the MD or pharmacist if you can grind up the pill (and then put it in a little food like apple sauce, ice cream etc); you can ask if you can get the same drug in a liquid form. Other than brute force, it would be very hard to get a 7 year old to do something he doesn't want to do....may be make a game out of it with a small reward at the end? Too bad ya can't just hide it in a hot dog!

Answer 6

I tried many different tactics when my daughter had to take medication that only came in pill form, including all the bribes, threats, etc. and none of them worked.

What finally did work was this:
I gave her a bottle of water w/a "squirty top" that was only about 1/4 full. Then I had her stick out her tongue and I placed the pill waaaaay on the back, (just not far enough back that it made her gag) then told her to squirt the water in her mouth instead of sucking it out. She had to tilt her head back because of the bottle not having much in it. It just kind of washed right down her throat.

Then we all made sure to praise and clap and made a big fuss. After the first time there was nothing to it. We just had to get over that hump!

Answer 7

It's all psychological my dear. Tell him if he gets it down he can have ice cream/new video game/ a purple unicorn/ whatever he wants. If you make the prize good enough that kid will eat that pill. You know he has swallowed things much bigger than that before. He just has a mental block right now and needs a little coxing. He probably isn't doing it on purpose, but i bet this will work. PS don't crush it unless the doc says it is ok. could cause tummy problems.

Answer 8

To this day I have trouble swallowing pills. But you need to have him throw his head back until the pill is in the back of his throuat and then have him swallow. Have him get just enough water or liquid in his mouth to still be able to feel the pill. Do not let him keep his head back while he tries to swallow as this will close his throat and make it harder. Also if it is a capsule have him throw his head down instead because it will float instead of sink in his mouth.

Answer 9

How big is this pill?

What happens with the tictacs? Did he swallow them & won't swallow the pill? Or did he not swallow the tictac?

Here's a slightly different suggestion:

I think tictacs are too big to begin for a child who's scared of the process. With my son, we practiced with Skittles. Because they are softer than tictacs we were able to cut them up into wee bits. We started with 1/8th of a Skittle (that's really, really small) which he was able to swallow with a big gulp of water, then moved on to 1/4 skittle, then 1/2, then the whole thing. The hard part is getting them used to the idea of swallowing something solid along with the gulp of liquid, which is why it's useful to start with something really, really tiny. Once they get the idea, it's usually no big deal to move up to bigger pieces.

Answer 10

Please do not crush or crumble th pill, this can cause a higher more immediate absorbtion rate than is safe. Pills are designed to disolve in the best time frame for the medication they carry. Also if a pill does not have a score line down the middle it is not meant to be halved either. I can only say try taking the pill with jelly or ice cream.