2 Year Old Who REFUSES Medication

Hi my name is A. and I had this problem with all my kids. I got a sryng (spelling) from the phamacy it had a short tube on the end so you can get it to go down near the throat. I had to hold them down. Hope this works.

I am a pediatric nurse with much experience with bad tasting meds for kids! I have to agree with Mandie - holding her down and plugging the nose is a technique we have to use NUMEROUS times with some little ones! This does not hurt them, but rather forces them to swallow before taking a breath - since you are plugging their nose and they cannot breathe nasally. I would just add one thing - squeeze her cheeks into "fish-lips" before squirting in the medicine. This way she has less ability to spit it out before she needs to swallow and take a breath.

Oh, and eventhough it is a frustrating experience, make sure to follow-up with plenty of hugs and love! She won't hold this against you!

I've taught this technique to many families before they leave the hospital . . . let me know if you need some more tips on how to make it work! It may take 2 people at first, but once you get the hang of it, you can do it on your own.

Well.....I did this with my 2.5 year old son that behaved the same way...

Does she use a pacifier?

If so, go to CVS or Walgreens and get a pacifier that releases medicine. This of course is under your control...you just pour correct amount in dispenser and plunge in mouth!! viola'

If you have a pacifier addict like myself... no problem!

Good luck!!

Hello,
I am wondering if maybe at 2.5 yrs old maybe you can try talking to her about taking the medicine. Try saying, I know this is bad but if we take it real fast and get a drink then it will be all over. I have to believe that at that age a child is capable of understanding a basic discussion. My daughter is only 16mos old, but I can tell her things like that now and she usually understands....so maybe if you try something like this it may help. I do know that getting frustrated only makes it worse. My little sister (she's 9 now) has been on asthma meds since she was really little, and at first my mom would fight her to take it.......but then she realized that if she just said...this will help you and we can get it over with really fast if you just take it, after a few times of that conversation it started getting better. She was on quite a few things too, and after having my mom tell her that it was better for both of them to get it over with and then to see how "painless" it was....she just stopped fighting.
This may not help, you could simply have a very strong willed little one on your hands and unless she wants to do it, she won't, but maybe you can adapt this idea and find something that works. Good luck,
T.

I know this may sound horrible, but what I have had to do in the past is put them on their back on your lap, pinch their cheeks together and then put the medicine in a little bit at a time so they don't choke. (it may be a 2 person job) They have pretty much no choice but to swallow it. It's really not as horrible as it sounds. Good luck!

call the doctor or pharmacist and ask if it's ok to mix it in with food or drink.

my son would refuse his juice if he actually saw me mix medicine with it but would drink it if he didnt witness me putting it in there.

My sister mixes her childrens medicine with chocolate milk or a mixture of chocolate pedisure and milk so they can taste the chocolate and not the medicine. I tried the same trick with my daughter and she did not drink it she could still taste the meds and spit it out just like yours did. So I mixed it with Sprite and water and she drank it, so you could try both of these and see if she will drink it. Good luck to you

Check with the Dr. and see if you can get a shot instead. My daugter was the same way and the Dr. never told me that some meds can actually be injected one time and then your done vs. waisting all the meds on their shirt. I went to a emergency room in FL and God Bless the nurse who introduced me to these. She said they didn't offer it because the needle was so big but it was way less painful then the 2x's a day daily force fed meds for 10days

also it was cheaper!!! probably another reason they don't offer it out right

This may sound mean but I have a 3.5 yr old that has CF so there are times she has to take lots of liquid meds and she would do the same thing. So we hold her down get it in her mouth and plug her nose. Even the nurse at the hospitial did the same thing. Or we let her do it.

Mandie~