Jump to content

How to stop toddler spitting out antibiotics - help!


acb2013

Recommended Posts

Can anyone suggest a way to get my 2.5yr old to take revolting-tasting antibiotic medicine solution? It's getting spat out instantly with much screaming. It's too strong tasting to hide in milk or juice or yoghurt. She's been given it as antibiotic cream didn't work. Thanks!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not fool proof and not one of Gina Ford or anyone else's tips but tell her she will have to go and stay in hospital (add to that, i.e. without mummy or daddy - you know your child and what you can say) if she doesn't take it. Also buy her a huge bag of her favourite sweets and let her hold one in her hand to shove in her mouth as soon as she has taken a spoonful.


Good luck, it is hell!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the ideas, it's obviously not just us then! I will have to work through various tactics. Will def try seeing if the doctor can offer a less vile tasting one, I can completely see why my daughter is gagging on it & spitting it out. Gooders79 it's Flucloxacillin. The pharmacist mixed it up into a bright pink solution that I guess is supposed to make it more enticing (as it looks like Calpol which my daughter will happily take) but the colour doesn't disguise the nasty penicillin taste.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is awful. After trying methods like the above we then offered the syringe (forget the spoon) for her to take it 'voluntarily', after feeding it to her dolls. Knowing the alternatives, she would sometimes take the chance to be in control. For a course of treatment that might require three or four doses daily over several days, this didn't work each time (there's no panacea, if you pardon the pun). We once visited every pharmacy in Camberwell looking for alternative flavours to no avail (I mean, aniseed flavour for kids, really?).
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm afraid we went for the child's-head-clamped-between-my-knees approach and squirted it in with a syringe (though I had to buy a syringe as the one that came with the medicine was very stiff). It was repellent stuff, bright yellow and banana-flavoured (yeuch!) but as she was ill enough to be prescribed them, then she has to take them, end of. But I'm quite mean about things like that!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might be able to get a higher strength, which would reduce the size of each dose (2.5ml rather than 5ml)

I think having a sweet or some milkshake ready to gulp after can help


Also try giving a dose while in the bath

Giving one late at night (trickle it into her cheek)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your other option is to go back to dr or pharmacist and request a suppository instead. I know we're all a bit squeamish about them but my good German friend thinks we're all mad for wrestling oral meds into our children if suppositories are available...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone. Have found this morning that a giant chocolate button followed by 2.5ml medicine directed inside her mouth towards the cheek, followed by another, then repeat has worked (so far), phew! Means my daughter will be consuming vast amounts of chocolate during the next week but at least she's taking the antibiotics.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Often the GP won't know anything about the flavour of different brands but there does seem to be a big variation. With trimethoprim we had the most disgusting aniseed flavoured syrup that it was impossible to disguise. I got a new prescription and then did a tour of the pharmacies finding out the different options. Pinewood is flavour free for trimethoprim and much more palatable - I'm not sure about other types of antibiotics but the experience taught me to ask the question rather than accepting whatever I was given. It's great that you have found a solution but I hope this is helpful for future reference.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...