2.5-year-old refusing to take her medicine

[Monkey]

My daughter (2.5) is refusing to take her medicine since yesterday. Only had this problem once before and it could have been with the same antibiotic. The problem is that she's now even refusing to take Calpol. I have tried everything: big eyes, bribe, explanations... to no avail. I put some antibiotic in her bottle this morning and she did drink it but I am not sure whether this means the antibiotic is less efficient because it's been mixed with something else.

Any suggestion? She has bronchitis and a double ear infection so it's important I get medicine down her.

Thank you, ladies.

[buggie]

Congrats on getting some into her :)

I'd say anything goes when it comes to getting meds in - however, if putting meds into her bottle make sure you don't put much milk/drink in - you don't want to be left with a half finished bottle & unsure if she's taken it all/any of it.

Are you using syringe or spoon? Find syringes much easier as if there's any wiggling it doesn't spill. Maybe even consider small reward (eg 1/2 or 1/4 a choc button) for each dose taken.

The ab's should start to have a visible effect within 36-48hrs so fingers crossed she'll show signs of improvement v soon x

[Bishberro]

Hi Monkey, I have the same problem with my 3.5 year old. He just spits it out if I try and give it to him in a syringe or spoon. The only way I have found is to put it in his cup with some smoothie or juice. If I put it in milk and pretend it's a milkshake he knows straight away what I've done. A smoothie or apple juice are the only things sweet enough to disguise the taste. But as Buggie said, just give them a small amount so you'll know they'll finish it.

[Monkey]

Thank you both. I have tried anything spoon and syringes. I think there's one antibiotic that's very sweet and which she has taken an objection to meaning now she won't even take Calpol. She does drink it with milk and I make sure she finishes it so I guess that's the best I will get out of her. Kids!

Thank you again.

[VALFR59]

Hi Monkey,

I know how is stressfull when our little ones are not cooperative in situation so important for their wellbeing and health!

With my son, I've tried those various tricks:

- Seringue (used as usual to give the " paracetamol doliprane"): more difficult to spit out the medecine for the child! You can mix in the seringue the medecine with a bit of sugar (antibiotic is liquid as usual so easy to mix).As it's a little forced action, you could give her a treat after :)

- Mix the medecine with sweet (sugar or honey, depend what she likes), and put it in a plate no associate to " medeciness" in her mind (don't show her the bottle of medecine before, I observed that children are very stubborn sometimes, and refused just because they reconize the packaging, even if few months before they've appreciated the same product!)

- Negociate with a treat: my son is keen on chocolate. In more than 95% it works well if I put close to him 2/3 smarties and I explain him that I know if he is a good boy, with taking his medecine, he will have the chocolate.

Finally, I would recommend you to Check with your doctor for the mix between antibiotic and fruit juice (milk is more neutral but the better is water+ sugar if no pb of diabete for the child). No dangerous but perhaps could reduce the effect of medecine, as it contain a lot of antioxidant molecular and other functionnal food ingredients...(I know a bit of micronutrition and functionnal food as I am an Engineer specialised in food industry).

Hope your little girl will ended very soon her infections! good luck.

[Yak]

One top tip from a friend of mine - if bribery with sweets or chocolate works (and you're happy with that) give them the sweet to hold in their hand while you administer the medicine. For some children the promise of a sweetie after the event is just too distant and remote a reward to contemplate, whereas if they have it in their hand and they know they will get it immediately.

Good luck!

[slh2009]

Hi, we've had this problem with our 14 month old, for anti biotics and calpol. We mix a spponful into a small fromage frais and this does the trick, lucky he likes fromage frais very much!

[KBN]

We had the same, and found something that worked a treat: my little girl loves tea sets and let's pretend. I offered the medicine to her as a "cappucino" in a play cup and pretended to drink from a cup too and she drank without any fuss. continued to work for the whole 5 days! was gobsmacked... i think it was the association with spoon/feeling unwell/parent trying to force something down her that was broken by playing...

good luck!

[Saffron]

Does the medicine say it's to be taken on an empty stomach? Otherwise, it's just going to mix with food in the stomach surely, so mixing with milk or juice in the bottle wouldn't appear to be an issue. Ask a pharmacist if you can't reach anyone in the GP's office.

We had a similar situation with Little Saff not taking Calpol. I used 0.5 mL plastic eye-dropper with a rubber squeeze bulb. As ridiculous as it sounds, I gave her the entire 5 mL dose of Calpol in 0.5 mL increments over the course of 15 min with little sips of milk inbetween. Half a mL seemed to go down without much thought to swallowing, and it wasn't enough really to spit out either. With the 5 mL syringe, the problem seemed to be that she didn't like the arrival of a large amount of strange tasting goop in her mouth, which she then had to deliberatly swallow. Crazy, but true. I guess it just goes to show how parents will try anything to get the meds in their child! As for getting meds down our grumpy cat? ...well that's a whole other story...

[Monkey]

Thank you all. Little Monkey, or Little Bear as she now wants to be called, now takes her medicine mixed with a little bit of milk and says it's delicious. Doctor told me that mixing with milk is fine so we're all good and I am a much happier mummy tonight! Thank you!