A Spoonfull of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down?

You poor thing! I know what your going thru! There's nothing like KNOWING they NEED the meds and you can't get them down! One thing I've done is to add the meds to a liquid drink. Usually I take one or 2 ounces of orange juice, pop, even warm jello liquid and add the medicine to that. Sometimes it will cut the taste. Also, check with the pharmacist, but with some meds, you can make home-made popsicles. Again, use a juice and add the meds. You can also check to see if it is available in a pill form and can be crushed. If so, you can add it to applesauce, pudding, etc. You could even try this with the liquid. Hope this helps a bit and gives you some ideas. Good luck. N.

This to shall pass. I have dealt with this issue with both my daughters. I agree with the shyringe. They are only sick for a few days, it is worth getting the meds in quickly.

I am not sure taking toys away when they are sick is the best answer. If you have already taken away alot of the toys it is obiously not working. It will take effort and patience. Try setting a timer and rewarding her for finishing before the timer beeps. Maybe give her a chance to earn her toys back. Or try a racing game. I bet you can take your medicine faster than mommy can take her vitamin. ( making sure you allow ample time for success)

Little about me:
30 yr old SAHM of 4; 3 beautiful daughters ages 6y,4y,4mo and 1 handsome son who turns 2 today!!

Hello Katherine,
I too have gone through this. My daughter is now 4 and does much better with her meds.
We used to have to hold her down to get her to take it she would cry and scream but would be fine once it was over. When she had strep one time we had no other choice. We tried the bubble-gum flavoring but realized she likes grape flavoring better.
I talked to another friend and she said her son is the same way he hates the bubble-gum medicine but likes grape.
I know some medicine comes already bubble-gum flavored and they can add the grape on top of that and my daughter really can't taste the bubble gum.
I know you can also add some strawberry or chocolate syrup to the medicine but not to the whole container. Only mix it with the dose she is getting that morning or that evening.
I know with my daughter having the grape flavor the doctor suggested letting her have a sip of grape juice before the meds to get her taste buds ready for the meds and it seems to work.
We always give my daughter a little bit and then give her a drink etc... and she now doesn't need to be held down when she has to have an antibiotic.
I hope this helps!
I hope it gets better for you and your daughter :)
Good Luck,
T.

Please don't add sugar to the medicine. Sugar lowers the immune system and it is already compermised becasue she is sick and because she is on a perscription med. All she needs is whole phytonutrients from fruits and veggies some calcuim lactate and omega 3 oil. By giving her this, her body will bounce back naturally instead of just suppressing systems and weakening her immune system even more.

This is a tough one...I too HATE liquid medicine and so do my children (4 and 6). Put the medicine in a measuring suringe like they give you at the pharmacy hold her nose shut and squirt! Not the nicest thing you'll ever do, but it'll get the job done:-) Maybe one day of that and she'll take it like you want her to. Sorry, I didn't have glamorous advice, but it'll work.

Do they make tamiflu in chewable tablets? My daughter prefers tablets to liquid.

Good luck.....I feel your pain.
K.

I totally understand what you're going through. My 7 y/o daughter is exactly the same way. She would rather suffer than take any liquid medicine. In the future, if she needs like a dose of childrens motrin or something, try teaching her to swallow the pills. Then if she does well, you can ask your Dr. to prescribe meds in pill form as opposed to liquid. My daughter did this at about 4 y/o and now that is how she takes anything she needs. You will be surprised at how easily children like this will learn to swallow pills.

In the mean time...
You still have to finish what she needs now. This may sound a bit cruel, but it was the only way I could get any liquid meds into my daughter. I laid her on her back on the floor. Then I straddled (sp) her torso in a "sitting" on her sort of way (obviously without putting any weight on her body). Then I "pinned" her arms down with my knees. This leaves her immobile, and me with two free hands...one to hold the medicine (in a syringe so it cant spill) and one to hold her mouth open with. Once I squirted to med into her mouth, I dropped the syringe and masaged her throat, forcing her to swallow. I know this sounds like a lot, but its actually quite easy compared to many other ways I had tried. She will cry, and she will be mad at you, and she may even try to spit the medicine at you (I wore a couple of doses at first, try holding her lower jaw up so she can't), but in the end you know that you are doing what is best for your child. And believe me, when she's 25, she won't hold it against you...lol.