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Grandparenting

Getting medicine down a toddler

(9 Posts)
coastwallker Wed 24-Sep-14 09:21:38

My 16 month old grandson has chicken pox and more spots than I have ever seen on one child. The spots under his nappy have become infected and he now has antibiotics to be taken four times a day. But however we try to get the medicine down him he just spits it out. Daughter and I have tried everything we can think of. Does anyone have any tried and tested methods please.

whenim64 Wed 24-Sep-14 09:43:05

Doesn't using a little medicine syringe work, coastwalker? My daughter found it easiest to get medicine down by holding a baby bottle near her toddler's mouth and as she opened it, deftly popped the syringe in and replaced it with the bottle within a split second.

coastwallker Wed 24-Sep-14 12:29:04

We are using a syringe - brilliant invention - but he just holds the medicine in his mouth then spits it out. We can't really do the bottle as he has to wait an hour before milk or food after the antibiotics. We managed to get most of it down this morning by dipping the end of the syringe in sugar! That wa suggested by one of my daughter's online freinds online. Neither of us like the idea but it is only for a few days.

Icyalittle Wed 24-Sep-14 13:09:32

And the antibiotic will do him far more good than the sugar will do him harm... Whatever works, in my opinion.

Anne58 Wed 24-Sep-14 13:10:27

Would honey be an alternative?

ninathenana Wed 24-Sep-14 16:55:20

DD used to have to give DGS three+ syringes of drugs daily until he was about 18mths-2yrs.
She found the best way to make him swallow and not spit was to lift his chin squirt and keep his chin raised. She would do this with him strapped in his high chair.

Nelliemoser Wed 24-Sep-14 17:13:36

DD had to resort to wrapping DGS tightly in a towel with just his head out and using a syringe. Straight jacket stuff. Trying to hide it in Yogurt did not work and that was for paracetamol when his temperature was high.

whenim64 Wed 24-Sep-14 18:21:44

Is the medicine going far enough to the back of his mouth, coastwalker? If it's squirted towards the back, he should swallow as a reflex but there is an art to it. Years of practising on dogs and cats helps. I wonder why he has to wait before having food? Is it a strict rule or can it be ignored in favour of getting the medicine down?

coastwallker Wed 24-Sep-14 20:58:32

Thanks all. We have tried all those apart from the tilting the chin back which we will try tomorrow

We are working on the assumption that getting anything down him is better than none! It is working as the spots on his bottom are no longer joined together and angry, so that is good. we let him run around without a nappy most of today which has also helped I think.

The honey straight after worked so well with his older brother that we are a bit flummoxed by this little man.