Hi! I have had great results when I've posted questions before, so here goes another one: My almost 6 month old daughter takes medicine twice a day for Reflux, and we have the hardest time getting her to take it. She immediately spits it out because it tastes so bad. She already learned that if it's in her formula she won't even eat the formula. Any suggestions?!?! We are in desperate need of suggestions because it is extremely important that she get all of the medicine. Thanks!!
J.,
I know that Target pharmacies will add flavoring to medications. That might help. Have her take strawberry-banana flavored meds instead of nasty flavor. :)
Hope this helps,
Melissa
Hello! I have an almost 5 month old boy who takes Ranitidine for his reflux and hates too! I have asked the pharmacy to flavor it but they said that they couldn't :( So I just give it to him slowly and laying down flat also holding his cheeks so he can't spit it out. I try to distract him by talking and making funny faces but it doesn't always work. Oh and I always keep the dropper in his mouth so that he can't bite down and use his tounge to spit it out. Once he has swallowed it all I offer to nurse him to wash the taste out. This usually goes well but if he does get mad then he gets over it quickly!
P.S. Try doing it when she is hungry. That way you can feed right away.
Hope this helps!
~Jenn~
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Maybe you could try to flavor it yourself, like with some sugar free koolaid or something... I know it sounds awful, but if it works and gets the meds down her, it's worth it!
Be careful not to make it too yummy or they will get into medicin because they like it.
This sounds mean, but it really works - I used it with both my kids at that age. Now they think medicine is yummy so we have the opposite problem, they're always asking for it. :-)
You will probably need your husband's help for this. Get the medicine loaded up, have your daughter buckled into her high chair. One of you put your fingers on her cheeks to force her mouth open while also plugging her nose and slightly tipping her head back. Insert medicine syringe along the inside of her cheek towards the back, squirt and release the cheeks - but not the nose! She will swallow quickly because her nose is plugged and she needs to breathe, then you can let go and it's over. I'm telling you, it works, it's fast, and it's effective. No more fights, fits, or wasted medicine (not to mention all the formula or food it was mixed in with!) We've told this to friends who were also battling and they were thrilled with how well it worked.
Hi J.,
My youngest, 9yrs., recently outgrew her voluntary gag reflex whenever taking medicine. Starting at around age 1, she could gag/vomit at will whenever she had to take any medicine, no matter type/kind it was--sometimes the smell or sight would trigger it, and at 8, she finally stopped and will now take medicines.
Of course as a baby, it was always difficult to get her to take meds, and as barbaric as it sounds, I used to put her dosage in a medicine syringe, hold her down, and shoot the medicine into her mouth against her cheek. Most times, she had no choice but to swallow it. If you do it too slowly, then she might not take it all, and it takes longer, but too fast and she might choke on it.
Good luck! I've found that the kids are extremely strong when they're determined.
K. W
Go to www.chocobase.com
This website may offer solutions to your problem. Dr. Jeff Phillips has developed a flavorings for Acid Reflux Meds for children.
My son took the same stuff starting at 2 weeks old until 6 months old. He could not tolerate the regular stuff (the pepermint flavor). After two doses, at two weeks, he was putting his hands up to his face. I tasted it and the peppermint wasn't like candy it was like oil, not sweet, and really strong. We started having it made for us with great results (never another complaint). Ask your pharmasist or doctor about compounding (that what it is called when they make it), there are a number of pharmacies in Portland that do it (New Seasons is one). You can have it made flavorless, which we did, or have a different flavor. I hope this helps.
