Making medicine go down a little easier

Bob found that the gentle approach helped the medicine go down:

I've got a 13 month-old who is once again on antibiotics.  In the past, getting him to take "the pink stuff" from a syringe has been a struggle but recently I found a method that has left both of us calmer and happier.  Instead of holding his arms and forcing the medicine in, I've been letting him play with the full syringe.  His natural curiosity leads him to inspect it thoroughly and once he's satisfied, he puts it in his mouth!  He knows what it's for and I think just wants to be in control.  Once he puts it in his mouth he'll either suck the medicine out or let me push the plunger.  It usually takes a few attempts to get all of the medicine in but it's a much more enjoyable experience than the other way.

I've also taken to "giving" the medicine to a stuffed animal (which he thinks is hilarious) and then doing the same with him, again with happier results.

Tags: Baby, Health, Parenting, Toddler

Comments

[Gladys]

Another trick for giving medicine is to try it on a spoon. When my oldest was 8 months old, we gave up on struggling with the syringe and fed it to him on a little baby spoon instead — that went down a lot more easily.

[Jennifer]

My son LOVES to wear sunglasses when he takes medicine. He's so busy giggling and looking around through them that I can get medicine done in a split second!