https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:11:40 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2039973 Mon, 26 Jan 2015 00:48:14 +0000 irene 2039973@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am late to this, but I usually just pull out Youtube on my phone and let him pick from a preselected list of 2-minute choo-choo train videos. He can only watch 1 video. Then I'd ask him to lay on the couch and give the meds via a syringe as he's watching. Give him water afterwards. If it doesn't taste horrible, it usually works. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2011708 Tue, 06 Jan 2015 11:32:52 +0000 MamaChin 2011708@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is never fooled by hiding it in food, strawberry jelly, yogurt, ice cream, none of it. My method is horrible and he screams the whole time but it's done in a minute. I sit on him so his arms don't move, squeeze his cheeks together and slowly shoot the medicine from a syringe into the inside of his cheek as far back as you can get it. He physically has to swallow that way. :crying: I do it at least an hour after he eats, also make sure you hear/feel a swallow of just saliva after the meds are gone before you let her up to make sure she doesn't gag it back up. He gets a Hershey kiss after. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2011452 Tue, 06 Jan 2015 09:28:32 +0000 Mrs. Jump Rope 2011452@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SugarplumsMom: poor kid! Is it omnicef? It tastes so gross!</p> <p>I would give Chloe a drink, usually a smoothie, to hold and have sips of. I never have her the full dose at once. More like - have a dip of medicine QUICK DRINK SOME SMOOTHIE! okay have more medicine... QUICK MORE SMOOTHIE! and it would take like 3 minutes, but she'd get it all down. </p> <p>I felt bad. It really did taste gross. I wouldn't want to take it either :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2011449 Tue, 06 Jan 2015 09:24:14 +0000 Ash 2011449@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: agree! I'm a peds nurse and this is my method! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2011384 Tue, 06 Jan 2015 08:41:22 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2011384@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Brilliant! We'll try it today. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2010325 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 14:34:03 +0000 SleepyMonkey 2010325@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One of us would hold her laying in our arms, holding both of her hands so she couldnt flail. We would shoot it in the back of her mouth and quickly squeeze her cheeks so she couldn't spit and would swallow. It was sad but it worked. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2010284 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 14:17:15 +0000 aegie 2010284@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>chocolate syrup. dark enough to hide it and thick enough that your kid can't taste it. ALWAYS works for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2010210 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 13:44:19 +0000 yoursilverlining 2010210@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SugarplumsMom: brute force method never worked with my LO for meds; no matter what I did she would always find a way not to swallow and spit it back out. Ugh! But the laced yogurt or laced pouch trick worked well for us! Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2010111 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 13:10:07 +0000 lamariniere 2010111@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would use a syringe dispenser to force it in, or food bribery. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2010054 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:46:41 +0000 Dandelion 2010054@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Go out and buy a dozen cupcakes with frosting with her favorite color and her favorite character all over them. Tell her she can have one each day when she takes her meds.</p> <p>I've never had to do that, but if you have to get extreme... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2010024 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:31:57 +0000 looch 2010024@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, I had to get the pharmacy to give me a larger dose of the abx after we had a few spitting out episodes, so if you don't have enough and she's refusing it, you might need to call your ped again.</p> <p>At that age, we would still force, using a syringe to shoot the medicine into the corner of his mouth and blow in his face really hard to cause him to swallow. My mom taught me this method, it works. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2010021 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:29:09 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2010021@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've started with the grown-up approach. She had a tiny bit and decided she didn't like it. We waited 30 mins before pretending to try it ourselves: that didn't work at all. Next we tried to bribe her with ice cream and chocolate (!) she flat out refused. Then the brute force method that failed. </p> <p>Now I have yogurt laced with sugar and meds ... I even tried breaking off pieces of chocolate in it, but that upset her. </p> <p>I'm going to wait it out. I think the yogurt will eventually work. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2009975 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:04:46 +0000 Mrs. Twine 2009975@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This had some helpful suggestions: <a href="http://www.parents.com/health/medicine/antibiotics/getting-kids-to-take-medicine/" rel="nofollow">http://www.parents.com/health/medicine/antibiotics/getting-kids-to-take-medicine/</a></p> <p>Ellie is sensitive to red dye, but we have had some success using plant-based food coloring to change the look of the medicine and give the girls some control. Sometimes if you can just convince them that they are choosing to it goes much more smoothly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2009974 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:03:35 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2009974@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just tried the brute force method I read about: holding her on my lap, her head on the crook of my arm, her feet under my leg with one arm on my back, the other arm I'm holding up to her chest.</p> <p>She showered it out. FAIL. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2009972 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:00:58 +0000 yoursilverlining 2009972@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Try mixing it into flavored yogurt, or put the medicine into a pouch (easy to do with the eye dropper type of dispenser)and shake it to combine. Usually that works for us.</p> <p>Also, bribery works on my 2.5 year old! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2009970 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 12:00:18 +0000 LuLu Mom 2009970@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not ideal but can you say "if you take this medicine then for being such a big girl you can have a cookie/snack/ect." something she really likes? Bribery usually works for things LO doesn't want to do. Luckily medicine isn't one of them, she reminds us she needs her tummy medicine (but she's been taking it every day for pretty much her entire life so she knows.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2009969 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 11:58:53 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2009969@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: It's flavored, but she still refuses. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2009968 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 11:58:00 +0000 blackbird 2009968@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Is it flavored? Walgreens and CVS will flavor them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2009964 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 11:54:32 +0000 cascademom 2009964@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When LO had an ear infection, I would strap him in his car seat to administer it. For the night time meds, I would have help from DH. It was a tough 10 days of meds. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-to-get-a-toddler-to-take-medication#post-2009961 Mon, 05 Jan 2015 11:50:08 +0000 SugarplumsMom 2009961@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LO has a UTI :bummed: How do I get her to take her liquid meds? She's 2.5 and very stubborn! </p>