Yucky-tasting medicine goes down easier with a chaser of flavoring syrup
Amanda found a way to make medicine a little easier to take:
My kids have been sick all fall-- finally they were prescribed Augmentin, which apparently tastes "gross and nasty." It was too late to go back and have it flavored, and the price of the prescription is way to much to just get another bottle. Then it occurred to me that I could measure out the dosage, and then add a half an eyedropper full of vanilla flavored coffee syrup to the medicine. I get ours at Target to use in warm milk for special treats, so it wasn't as if I had to buy a whole bottle of it just for making the medicine go down. Both kids lapped it up. Yay!
Working off this hack, I'm thinking maple syrup, honey, or even a sugar cube would work as well.
Related:
My son is taking an antibiotic for his staph infection, which is some pretty strong stuff. The nurse at the hospital recommended chocolate syrup as a way to mask the disgusting taste of the medicine. In this case, NOTHING could cover up the taste and I've had to teach a 2.5 yr old how to swallow a pill, but I think chocolate syrup would be another good one to have in your arsenal. At least you can blame the kids' medicine taking when the bottle is gone, not your late night ice cream habit...
Posted by: Mrs. CPA | 20 November 2008 at 12:40 PM
A teaspoon of honey is great for helping a child swallow a pill. Just squirt a little honey onto a spoon and plop the pill right in the middle. Sucking on the honey-coated spoon will help the pill slide right down.
Posted by: Amy | 20 November 2008 at 03:52 PM
We went through the Augmentin thing a couple of months ago with my 15 month old. Doctor recommended mixing it with yogurt to make it taste better, but then I worried about getting her to finish the whole thing. So I switched to one tablespoon of vanilla ice cream, mixed with Augmentin to make it kinda soupy. Big smiles now at medicine time!
Posted by: Stephanie | 01 December 2008 at 08:23 PM
I have a 13-month old, and when I picked up some antibiotics for an ear infection, the pharmacist asked if I would like to add extra flavor. It was a couple bucks extra, but it really made a difference when it came to medicine time!
Also, in response to Amy's comment: it should be noted that honey should not be given to children under 1 year, due to risk of infant botulism.
Posted by: maso | 05 December 2008 at 02:14 PM
I just realized that you mentioned the flavoring in the post itself--silly me!
Posted by: maso | 05 December 2008 at 02:17 PM
It reminds me of a famous nanny's advice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrnoR9cBP3o&feature=PlayList&p=F969B8025BDC3570&playnext=1&index=7
Posted by: Damien | 10 December 2008 at 12:53 PM