While we were kids even we hated swallowing our meds. Now the tables have turned on us. It’s time for us to feed our kids similar medications. Having to give anti-biotic tends to be worse than others due to the bad and bitter taste left in the mouth.
Sometimes when kids make up their mind not to swallow a particular medicine then nothing can make to do otherwise. This can pose to be a problem when the child is really sick and needs immediate drugs.
Here are 10 ways to make them have the medicines:
- Ask the doctor to help
The doctor is the person who prescribes these medicines. So when you know that you child is a fusspot in taking her medication, don’t forget to mention it to the doctor so that he can suggest medications that need to be given only once or twice a day and also with better flavors.
- Improve the flavor
Some medicines already come flavored, while other need flavoring. Ask your pharmacy to give you a product to help you flavor the yucky medicines.
- Be positive
You need to keep a positive attitude when giving your kids their medicines. If you motivate them or even bribe them you can make them drink up sooner. But if you show them how frustrated you are the more they will rebel on taking them.
- Allow kids to feel that they are in control
Let the choice of flavor be given to the child. For smaller kids you can give then a vial of fake medicine and ask them to feed their dolls or teddy’s the medicine at the same time they are having theirs.
- Use food
For kids who completely refuse to take medicines this method can be adopted. Simply sneak the medicines into food and drink in such a way that the kid can’t suspect foul play.
- Reward or bribe
This method is a sure winner. Promise the child a gift or treat if he or she has had a medicine.
- Substitute syrups with pills
Pills don’t taste as bad as the syrup. Train your kids to swallow small bits first and then gradually you can make them swallow the pill as a whole.
- Skip the tongue
When giving medicine, try putting the medicine at the end of the tongue so that they don’t get much taste of the medicine. Make sure the head is slightly upright so that your child does not choke.
- Give the job to someone else
If your kids not taking the medicine from you then try getting them to drink it from someone else who they rather not disobey.
- Fool the tongue
Coat the spoon with any sweet substance like chocolate or strawberry syrup so that the tongue gets coated with this substance before it actually consumes the medicine.
Follow these tips to get your child to have his or her medicines.
Written by: Rasha Ashraf
