How to Get Medicine down - 8 Month Old

I use to put a towel on the floor, and have the medicine already in the squirter and ready. I'd sit on the floor with my son, then have him lay down upside down to me. I'd have his head between my legs and my legs bent but over his arms and legs. Then I'd pry open his mouth, put one finger between his back gums (this got harder once he had teeth) and few drops at a time squirt the medicine into his cheek and he'd swallow bit at a time. Keeping the jaws open slightly is the key - it's harder for them to gather and spit if they can't close. Most the time most of the medicine went down. A couple of times he manages to spit it out and I'd have to reload and start over again. He didn't like his medicine, but he had pneumonia when he was 1 yr old and he had to take it in order to get better. I'd have a bottle ready for him to drink afterward and we'd cuddle and snuggle to get over it, but taking his medicine was not negotiable.

Have you tried mixing it with a little juice and putting it in his bottle? The sweetness of the juice should mask the taste of the meds.

Hard core... squirt it in his mouth and hold his nose until he swallows. He has to swallow so he can breathe. He will never spit it out again. I have never done this to my kids but it is what my mom did to my brother when he was uncooperative.

My kids all had to take the nasty zantac for reflux when little. What we did was a little tricky, but worked. We would take a bottle nipple with the plastic ring attached (but not on the bottle itself) and put a small amount of formula in it. Once they starting drinking the formula, we'd take the syringe (obviously has to be filled and ready) and squirt it into the nipple and the remaining formula. Seemed to help that the started with "uncontaminated" formula, and that way I didn't need to make sure they drank the whole bottle to get the full dose of meds. Hopefully this will help, though of course your smart little boy has enough experience with the meds that he's somewaht suspicious.

Also, what reflux meds is he on? Zantac is the hardest (in my experience) to get them to take and the least effective at controlling the reflux. Most docs start with it and for some kids it's enough, but maybe trying a different med would help with the daily battle. We (unfortunately) have lots of reflux experience with all 3 kids, and for us prevacid was the best. They have different forms available, but we preferred the capsules - we'd open them and sprinkle the contents on a small amount of applesauce and it was so easy to get them to take it. Plus, it worked so much better.

Good luck!

you may have to ask your doc about a suppository if you can't get him to take them.

I've found that anything mixed in 1oz of mango juice goes down with noooooo probs, including reflux meds and antibiotics. Good luck!

I have had to do what PopMom suggested many times, but mine still resists ... however it is the only way in my home to get it done.

I'm a SAHM but when I worked was a EEG Tech and we used the same method as PopMom to get kids to take meds for the test.

when making bottle or food make sure he dont see u put the medicine in it... have someone hold him and when u squirt the meds in his mouth someone hurry up and hold his mouth shut til he swallows it

This can be very tricky. My son would actually vomit when I tried to give him any medicine when he was little. And I mean ANY medicine. I tried everything. I tried being nice and I tried just squirting it in. As he got older it got a little easier because he had some control and would want to take it if I acted like his older siblings were having some. If the medicine was nasty, the gagging and vomiting would start. I had to get creative.

I foound the the nastier/bitter (prednisone was pretty bad) the medicine is, the sweeter stuff you have to mix it in with. I found chocolate pudding to work wonders for my son. I know that it isn't great for him but if it works, it works!!
Good Luck!!

the only thing we found to work on the worst of worst medicines, that some doctor's don't even prescribe due to the taste (can't remember the name) was ice cream. I know it isn't good for them, but at least they are getting the medicine. Chocolate pudding wasn't bad either at the disguise.

If he doesn't vomit it up, just squirt it down his throat. Put it pretty far back in his mouth, aiming for the lower part of his throat. You may have to wrap him in a towel or blanket to do it. If he vomits it up, I'd ask your doctor.