How Do You Get a Toddler to Take Medication?

I offer a sweet "chaser" for them.....

perhaps a lollipop she can suck on for a few seconds after a sip of the tylenol and some water...

this is what I have been doing for years and always works...

Gosh.. I used to crush the childrens tablet and mix it really good into a teaspoon of grape jelly - that was the only way to cut the taste of the medicine -

Hi. I have 2 boys, 5 and 7 and for a long time they would not take anything so what I would do is make them a chocolate milk with lots of chocolate (ovaltine works too). The chocolate tends to cover up the taste of the medicine.
E.

Here's what my mom used to do. She would line up three or four dosing cups and pour medicine in them. When we asked "We have to take ALL of that?" She'd respond with "Okay, if you take one without complaining, I won't make you take the rest." After we took it, she'd pour the rest of the medicine back in the bottle (and probably pat herself on the back for being so smart!)

I haven't tried this trick yet myself, but hopefully it'll work for you!

Hi T.. You do want to be careful giving milk products such as chocolate milk and ice cream when a child has a fever. It can cause really bad stomach upset. You may find chocolate soymilk or gingerale/sprite to be helpful or mix it with a melted frozen fruit pop.

My son had some nasty tasting antibiotics and wouldn't take it so I put it in a yogurt tube and he kinda thought it tasted a little funny but he loves those things so much he ate it anyway.
Also have you tryed the fast melt chewables? If she can eat candy and vitamins she can take those just call your pediatrician for a dose suggestion. My son will eat those before he'll take liquid.

My son is the same way. He is 2 also. I mix his with juice and tell him he has to drink it all because there is medicine in it that will make him feel better. It usually works for him. If I try and give him medicine on a spoon or some other way he spits it out at me.

I used to give him those Tylenol Fast Melts and those worked really good. He didn't mind taking them because they are sweet and he could chew them. Walmart even has a generic that's under $2. They are really neat and they disolve quickly once they put them in their mouth.

Hope that helps.

L.

I put it in juice. Works wonders but make it cold and if she won't take the amount cause she can taste it, add more so the amount she does drink, will have enough for a dose.

I'm not sure if your daughter takes a pacifier, but they make one that dispenses medicine. It always worked with mine when we had trouble getting her to take the meds.

Hi T., I have seen you got many responses and your daughter is over the fever. But for future reference it seems like nobody has mentioned the Tylenol in suppository form. I have five kids. My 3 year old twins are not fan of medicine at all. So after trying everything in the book, I realized when they went to the hospital for their fever what they gave them was a tylenol suppository and that it can be purchased over the counter. Not to add suppository form works a lot quicker than liquid. So I always have it on hand, and though its uncomfortable for them for me to insert it, once its in they dont push it out and fever is gone fast.

I do something very similar to Carla S. I have to sort of "pin" my three year old. Actually, recently he has finally started taking the chewable Tylenol. But when he was two, what a nightmare! Good luck and please realize, this too shall pass! Although for me, this phase passed very slowly!!
Just remember, you're stronger and your intent is not to physically harm your child. Keep those things in mind and just do it.
Best of luck!

We usually try to sneak it in his food or drinks, but when this is not an alternative it usually takes the both of us to give him medicine. One will hold him laying back and the other will pinch his nose while using the syringe to administer the meds. If you need a larger dosage, I would suggest giving little by little to prevent spitting. This may sound kind of harsh, but it gets the job done quicker and pinching the nose helps him not taste the meds as bad. Also, I've heard that flavor enhancers for meds work well. I'm planning on trying that out, too. Good luck!

The only way I have ever gotten either of my children to take a medicine is to let them do it. You put it in the syringe and let them do the administering. Hate to say it but that is the ONLY way mine will, even to this day and my oldest is nine... Good Luck.

Have you tried the chewable tablets? Depending on her weight that could solve your problem!

Not sure if anyone suggested this - but those new Tylenol meltaways are great. My 2 year old son takes them like a pro - but he thinks they're candy so I have to put them away - somewhere safe and really high!

~H.

They do have tylenol & other cold/cough med. That is chewable &/or small strip that dissolve on the tounge. I hope atleast one of these help you.

I put The Tylenol and even cough syrup into Alpine Spiced Cider single serving packs I mix in whatever i need for her to take with about 1/2 the package and 1/3 cup water mix well. make sure it is warm Works evertime with both of mine. If she will drink it readily you can add a little more water. I also add the cherry Tylenol to milk. we call it pink milk much like brown or chocolate milk lol Do not let your child see you mix in the medacine. Even if it tastes good she won't drink it is she sees you do it lol I hope it helps .

Hey there,

You can try two things. First try using the melt away strips that are out now by Triaminic. I just got them at Target and it is recomended for children over two. Ask her to stick out her tounge and put it on there it will melt within seconds. If that is not an option you think she would do, get a product called 'lil colds, also at Target, and it comes with a dropper. Pin her down, if you have to, and squeeze the dropper towards the back of the mouth so she cannot spit it out. Those are the products that I use and they work great.

good luck

My son was the same thing too just like your daughter. Ask your husband to hold her and you try to feed her a little drop at a time. This one works for me eventhough he wasn't happy with this way. Make sure give her a little drop at a time. Hope this helps.

How crazy is this? My 2 year old daughter loves the taste of medicine (and has for over a year) and even asks for it "medicine, medicine." I just put her vitamins (sugar free, yuk) in the syringe and she sucks it down and asks for more. She gets excited when she sees the Tylenol bottle and gladly accepts the syringe full of cod liver oil (we give it to keep skin rash's at bay). It's crazy. We have to be sure never to have any kind of medicine anywhere for a long long time as she seems to love the taste of it. I know that's not advice, but it's so crazy I had to share.

I had trouble with my daughter as a toddler as well. Out of desperation I just gave her the spoon to take herself. It turns out that's all she really wanted, was to take it herself. I used a measuring spoon in which the handle was like a mini cup. It was like a tube with a spoon on the end.

Medicine is very important and should not be a choice. No bribing and I really am not a fan of hiding it. Give the medicine however you have to do it and then offer some water or juice to rinse out the flavor in the mouth. Lay them on the floor and have your legs on her shoulders if need be. A fever can bring on a seizure. Good luck

I don't know if this will help or not , but this is what we do with my 2 1/2 yr old little boy....always have a cup of something at hand juice or water or milk....we use a syringe to suck up his medicine so it makes less of a mess ...also we let him help , hold the bottle of medicine and let her help suck it up , then let her put the medicine in her own mouth, we explained to him thet we know it tastes yucky but that he needs it to get better so if he helps by playing the doctor he does much better and no longer spits it out...sometimes all i do is suck it up and hand it to him hell take it and say all done mama ! Also, ask your pharmicist about adding a flavor to her medicine and let her choose , they add flavors at walgreens.... If this doesnt work dont get discouraged just try out creative ways she might respond to it ...I THINK ITS 5ML for kids at this age check with your dr.....

Hi
We recently had this problem with my son as well. What we did was use a medicine spoon one he can hold himself. The we said you can either do this the easy way, which was him holding it and drinking the medicine,or the hard way. The hard way being myself or my husband holding it and him and making him take it. He loved the idea of picking I guess and I think the fact that he had control of putting it in his mouth. Now anytime I have to give him medicine he tells me easy way or hard way mom and of course he always does it himself. Good Luck aren't they fun at this age!

Mix it with a sherbert or icecream. Not yogurt cause I hear it reduces the effectivness. But that may be just antibiotics.
Or plug her nose and she will have to open her mouth. I had to do that once.
Or there is a medication called I think fever all. It is a small supository. slips right in and works fast!
Sorry about all my spelling errors!

I use the squirter. the suringie thingy. and shoot it in little bit in the back of the mouth towards the throat. I asked soemthing like this a while back. But yeah if you come at it calm and sweet maybe she will respond. I found that is the best way if i am stressed about it he wil be too. also tylenol now that they can pick the flavor mix in i think they sell it at walmart.

Try the Tylenol Meltaways. Good luck! Vitamin c is a natural fever reducer but won't have pain reliever. Google vitamin c flush. T.

try the chewables, they work great! my 4 & 2 yr. old think its candy.

When my son was little he did the same thing...as soon as you got it in thier mouth...it came right back out...but another way you can try is to put the drops on the side of her cheek or you can always play a game with it...Thats how I ended up getting mine to take medicine...She might even be old enough for the meltaways...these are good for kids who dont like the liquid but check first on the packet to see it 2 and over can take it...I give them to my son once in a while for fever and he calls them bettercina candy lol...medicine candy...Hope this kind of helps =)

dear T.,
I used to have to put it in 2 ounces of regualr soda. Especially if it was cherry flavored medication it went into Cherry flavored soda to hide out the taste of the medication. My daughter was tramatized really badly from getting diabetes at 2 1/2 years old. I had to come up with unique ways to give her medication. Now my son has the same problem. He cannot swallow pills yet and he's 5 now so we have to crush his pills up and put them into a drink. Have you also tried Chocolate Milk. Do it while she is out of the room. Ask her if she wants chocolate milk and only really give it to her when she needs some medicine. If she gets really bad (fever wise)you can buy tylonal rectal suppositories at the pharmacy behind the counter. Good luck any questions. please e-mail me at ____@____.com.. M. Petersen

Tylenol makes melt away pills and I crush it with a spoon and mix the powder in pudding, applesauce, yogurt. One of my kids actually think they are candy as they look like candy. Just make sure all the food is finished if you mix it together.

lol . . . I've never tried this but it seems like an idea I would use. Put the meds in sugar free jello in ice cube trays or low sugar juices and freeze it in ice cube trays as well.

*ask your pharmacist if this will anyway deminish the strength*

Try mixing it with chocolate syrup (Trader Joe's has a healther version) and spoon feed it to her. Don't try too hard to get her to take it. My son is the same age and he will refuse things just because I'm trying to get him to do something. Try offering it as reward. Give her the opportunity to do somthing to earn it. If she keeps asking for it after that just tell her it's all gone.

Mix it with about 1/4 teaspoon of their favorite juice in one of those oral medicine syringes or if it is an antibiotic most pharmacies can add flavoring for an extra charge!!! My 2 year old likes the taste of childrens motrin berry flavor, if your looking for a fever reducer/pain reliever!!! I hope this helps you!!! It sucks giving your kid something they dont like but if its what they need, we have to sufer through it as well!!!

Hi T.. 2 1/2 can be a difficult age. Old enough to understand some things-- but young enough to misunderstand so much! Nonetheless, you really need to start talking to her about the fact that she is sick and needs medicine to make her better. Talk to her about what happens if she doesn't take the medicine.

One of my own kids was really fussy about tastes and so would really put up a fuss at that age about taking her medecine. So generally we would just put it in fruit juice or soda pop and give it to her. We never let her SEE us put it in -- or the mere idea that it was in there would put her off it. And we had to dilute it in about 1 cup of juice, so it could take her up to an hour to finish it all.

As she got used to this we began to call it "special medicine juice" and urged her to finish it all up -- talking about how she was sick and what would happen to her body if she didn't.

On those rare occasions when she would still balk (after explaining) we would just look at her a little sadly and say, "We NEED you to finish up, or we'll have to go to the doctor." I remember her eyes got big and she asked what the doctor was going to do. I shrugged and said, "Well since you won't DRINK your medicine she'll probably have to give you a shot."

"Never mind! I'll drink my medicine!"

From time to time she needed a reminder about the alternative. I think the key was that we always acted very low key about it, like it was her choice.

Clearly this wouldn't work with a child who thought going to the doctor was exciting (or who didn't mind shots).

A little twisted perhaps, but at some point they need to start learning that it's not about a power struggle... it's about their choices leading to consequences. The sooner you start framing things in those terms, the better.

Btw, someone mentioned putting it in pudding, and yes this works too. A little chocolate pudding with cherry flavored medicine for example. The only hitch is that she needs to eat it all up! But again, don't let her see you put it in.

As for the person who indicated you should "make" your daughter obey you and just take it because you said so, clearly she has never seen a small child spewing medicine all over while weeping because she knows it's naughty to do so. For some children, it's just hard to choke down something that tastes nasty!

Furthermore, as parents we always have to ask ourselves, is having total and complete control of our children worth damaging their trust in us AND their faith in thmeselves. Is our goal to raise intelligent, creative, self-reliant children... or blindly obedient sheep who do what someone else believes is right out of fear?

Well this might sound harsh but it only last a couple of seconds and dont worry it is not as dramatic as it seems. My daughter does the same thing but I have found that giving her medicine like a cat works great. Just hold her in your lap and hold her head still. Tilt her head back and squeeze open her mouth and pour it in. Then close her mouth and rub her throat till she swallows. This process should only last a few seconds but she wont have time to refuse it or spit it out.

Hi T.,
What a chore! My toddler has her moments when she absolutely hates it and then sometimes she just takes it. When she takes it willingly, I talk her into helping me by telling her I need her help, then let her put the sirenge in her mouth and I push the button. But, for those days she does not want to take it, I place her on my lap, hold her left arm with my left hand and hold her right arm back with my rib cage. I find it easier to stick the sirenge in the corner of her lip and lean her back a bit.

I have also been successful at times by putting her medicine in a sippy cup and she drinks it before she realizes what the taste is. The problem with that is she does not get the full dose.

I will take a peek back at your posting to see if anyone has any better idea.

Dear T.,

Do you think that it would be o.k. to put it into pudding or ice cream, and give her the first bite so that you are sure that she got the most of it.

I have to put my husband's Alzheimer's medicine into his morning coffee - and I feel guilty about tht, but it is the only way to stay sane - me, that is. His doctor prescribed it and it is legal. I have found out lately that other women have had to do that too. Sincerely, C. N.

You know, you're not alone! My 2 year old also will not take any kind of medicine....of course, he wants the medicines he's not supposed to have, like my Tylenol or my brothers Tums....haha
I've heard of some "quick dissolve" childrens medicine, just a flimsy film that dissolves quickly on the tounge.....I haven't tried those, but if you get those and don't tell her it's medicine, maybe she'll take it.....

My son was the same way. I seen at the pharmacy they have a new thing were you ncan change the flavor of any medicane. So we went down there and i let my 2 year old pick out the flavor. Also I let him putt it in the dropper and take it. It gives him the sinmce of control and makes him feel like a big boy. I also try to make it not a big deal if he says no I tell him ok thats fine. Or go in the kitchen and talk about how graet it is when you taest it but babys cant have any. It worked for me now my son begs for medicaine so good luck to you. Also praying dont hurt.

Some medications come in those strips that you just place in their mouth. My Daughter loves them.
Or you could just force it down her which I had to sadly do once. Good luck in what ever you come up with.

Have you tried the tylenol meltaways? Just cut one in half and tell her its candy... Dont let her see you tamper with the medication..less stress, less mess and it comes in bubble gum and grape.. Grape isnt so bad..

We still use the syringe method with my 2 year old and just give a little at a time into the cheek and eventually you will get them dosed. Try a cup yourself it is pretty nasty the consistancy so you can understand why they run from it. Otherwise try chewable tylonal sometimes that works best ans people forget about that kind! Good luck!!

I was told by my pediatrician to take a dropper and place it between the jaw and teeth in the back of the mouth while holding my baby at a 45 degree angle and administer the medicine fairly quickly that way they do not choke but also do not have a chance to spit much up if any I have used this method from 6 mo.s on with both of my children now a medicine fighting duo of 3yr.s and one that is 2yr.s old.
I know this might sound like it is mean but like my childrens pediatrician told me what's worse just giving up and letting your child feel awful or doing this which they will get over in seconds with a little bit of extra love and feel better soon thereafter.

make little icecubes like a popsycle and let her suck on those. dont let her see you put med in her juice do it when she not looking. there very clever.:) as they get older do the popcycle thing too. or crush there meds in fine powder and mix it with chocolate milk or juice.

I know this sounds bad, but you put it in their mouth, plug their nose and keep their mouths shut. They can't breathe so it forces them to swallow. I've never had to do this since my daughters LOVE the taste of medicine, but I've heard it works...

Well we have this issue w/ our 2 1/2 year old too from time to time. So we started giving her meds in other things, measuring spoons, cooking spoons even a shot glass... they all worked she gets to pick out the thing she takes her medicine with. We even give her the glass to hold her self so she thinks its a big deal.
Hope this helps.

Honestly, there is no nice way to get a child that is unwilling to take it other than hold them down and put the dropper so far back in their throat that they have no choice but to swallow... I know it sounds terrible, but when they need medicine and they dont want to take it, what other alternative is there? They need to learn how to take medicine and I feel that camoflauging it with something else just doesnt teach them how they are getting better with medicine..Anyway, I have a 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old and my 2 1/2 yr old daughter is NOT a fan of medicine so thats what I have to do with her...She IS learning to deal though... They always do...

I run a mommy group in San Jacinto/Hemet if youre interested in playdates/making friends for your kids (or yourself) or just hanging out with other moms that are close to your age... Im 30 and my name is S... there are over 60 ladies in the group and we have park playdates all the time (we also do playdates at each others houses)... just go to www.meetup.com and its San Jacinto-hemet mommies!.. Hope my advice helped.

Hi! My daughter used to take alot of medications for her allergies and acid reflux. I found a couple ways to do it. The best way and I still do it now was I would grab her favorite food she eats on a spoon. I would do yogurt. Then I would give her a couple bites sitting on the floor letting her walk around of the yogurt. When she was not looking I put the meds on the spoon and she would come back for a bite of the yogurt and open up and swallow not even thinking about it. If it was a strong med. then I would let her continue to eat the yogurt. Another way I did it for a while was put it in the dropper and let her hold it. Then I would do a quick swoop and squirt it in her mouth. Sometimes I did not even have to do that because she would end up sucking it up herself. You just have to watch out because they learn what to push to make the med. come out so you have to do it before they do that. Good luck!

Have you tried the chewables? Are you giving it to her in a medicine cup or a dropper. My 3 yr old used to hate taking his medicine when I was using the syringe/dropper, but if I put it in a dixie cup he thinks that is great, and takes it without any hassle. Good luck!

T.,

buy the new medications that you put on the tongue and they disolve. faster and easier. they also have the tylonol that disolves fast in pill form. i found liquid can be spit out. yuk! the other method although can make them scared of the dr is to tell them they will have to go get a shot if they dont take there medicine.

Hello!
Im a mom and a childcare provider for almost 10 yrs a lot of kids grew up with me and I handle a lot of sick children, the trick is lay them down hold their hands and pinch there nose and the medicine go down no problem ist kind a hard but whatever works.

Most fever medications come in the melts or chewables...this is the only way my kids take them! Sorry its hard on both of you!
about me: I'm the mother of four kids, 26,24,15 and 9 and I have two grandsons...