How can I get a 4-year-old to take antibiotics?

How to get a 4 year old to take antibiotics or else she’ll have to get a shot. It’s for strept and a ear infection.

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My daughter is 2 and has an ear infection currently. We have been putting her antibiotics in ice cream, milk, and juice. Use whatever your child likes and mix it in before giving it to them. Good luck! :slightly_smiling_face:

Just get the shot. Yes they will be upset for like 5 minutes but it’s worth not having to fight them to take the meds.

I mixed it with strawberry milk and he chugged it

Juice, apple sauce, yogurt

My son wouldn’t take it no matter what. I’d put it in food, drinks… you name it. He always tasted it. We had to hold him down do half at a time in the side of his cheek then blow in his face quickly. Blowing in their face will make them swallow. It sounds cruel but he’s 7 now and takes it just fine for all the moms coming after me saying I traumatized my kid!

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The dreaded strep throat😑 both my kids are carriers. It’s a battle every year with both of mine. When they were littler they hated taking meds. It was a constant battle and it didn’t matter what I mixed it with. If they saw that bottle they wouldn’t take anything you tried to give them. I stopped that battle and just got the shots. It’s was 1 bad experience in the doctors office instead of multiple battles for 10 days. Now that they are older they will gladly take the meds over getting a shot any day and I don’t have to worry about it

Is it liquid? Mine will always drink it right down if I mix it in some juice out of a fruit cup.

We let granddaughter push the plunger for syringe liquid meds she is just turning 3 and gas to take meds daily at first we used apple sauce but she quickly got over that now its just “ok take you medicine ready go good job!” Good luck mommy no matter what you do to get them to take it, it needs to be taken I understand not wanting a battle each time but remember it was prescribed for a reason good luck!

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I used to put my kids meds in with their milk. They’d drink the whole thing because they love milk so much

I just made mine get the shot… crying for 5 minutes is sooo much better than trying to get my kids to take medicine twice a day for 10 days lol

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Bribe her with ice cream,

A spoonful of chocolate syrup right after. We actually recommended that at the pharmacy I worked at. Good luck!

When mine where little I’d mix it with vanilla pudding or apple sauce … try that option

Mix the antibiotics in something your child will drink or eat. I use to make smoothies and added the antibiotics

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I did the shot. Not worth the fight and missed doses.

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I mix my daughters in a drink and it’s always worked

Lol I explained to mine that if she didn’t want a shot she’d take the medicine. So she took the medicine :joy: give the shot if need be. Then they’ll learn to take the medicine when told lol

Hold them down and squirt it in the side of their mouth while pinching the cheeks so they can’t spit it out. Sit on them if you have to lmao.

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We mix with a little bit of chocolate milk. Make it yourself and add more chocolate syrup so they don’t taste itb

Try mixing with applesauce, yogurt, pudding or even put it in a spoonful of chocolate syrup. If you mix it with juice or chocolate milk or anything to that nature make sure your only putting a little bit of liquid and not filling up the cup so your sure their getting the meds. You can always ask your pharmacy to flavor it if they do that as well. Keeping it in the fridge also makes it tastes a little better as it’s cold.

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The doctor told me a few weeks ago a teaspoon of Nutella in the mouth then the medicine in and swallow it all in 1

Take the shot. I always do if it’s an option. I’d rather deal with the 2 seconds of crying than fighting with my kids for a week to take medicine

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I use to get candy when I took my medicine. It doesn’t taste good. So when we got to that point with my son. He got some chocolate to take away the yucky taste.

I would just opt for the shot so she’ll get better.

If it’s liquid and she’s refusing pinch her nostrils together or let her plunge it herlself. Then have some juice or water for her to wash it down. If it’s pill form use a straw that’s how I taught my kids and grandkids.

When my daughter was bit by a dog she had to take antibiotics for 2 weeks I mixed it with a couple drops of water and juice crystals it’s the only way she would take it. That’s what the pharmacy suggested when we were struggling

Try mixing it in chocolate milk

The shot is so much easier and convenient!!! Clears it up way quicker IMO

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Tell her if you don’t take it you will have to get the shot to feel better. :rofl::woman_shrugging:t3: mine would say let’s get the shot.

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Honestly we prefer the shot. Its over in like 30seconds and works faster.

You can chase it with some chocolate syrup :woman_shrugging:t2:

I hand it to my kids they take it if I try to give it to them myself they both flip out

Mix in with a spoon of yoghurt… get a pro biotic as well :v:

Mix it in yoghurt without her knowing :smiley:

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Who is the parent and who is the child?

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I’ve got a kid who would rather take the shot than take the medicine every day. So maybe judgment call if it’s that big of a deal and nothing works then just get the shot. It’ll be done and over with before they know it. You’re probably going to spend more time reading our suggestions than the time the shot is gonna hurt lol

Theyre children but they still can understand the concept. I sat mine down and told them that i know it tastes bad but just swallow it quickly and get a drink and i let them have whatever drink they prefer. I told them if they dont take it that they will have to get the shot and that im not going to try to hold them down and get the medicine everywhere and make a mess. Its their choice to swallow it or go and get the shot. That worked for us bc mine didnt want the shot.

Tell her your both going to die. Pretend to take one, lol so i would dooo do it

Try letting her push the button on the syringe herself if she will. My five year old boy is difficult to give medication to also. He did get the shot once and it left a knot for a long time. I had to force him to take it a couple times and that was heartbreaking but after that he did it himself. He still tries to refuse medication. I don’t force it unless the dr says to. Dr recommend letting him play with the syringe type and drink juice from it and then when it was time for medicine he might take it easier. He knew when it was in juice or food and wouldn’t eat or drink it. Good luck!

Get the shot! Works faster. I worked pediatrics. Or have the pharmacy flavor the antibiotics

u hold her down and make her take.it. honestly i would do the shot if its THAT difficult to give meds to the kid smh

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I’m an OLD SCHOOL Parent, 4 years old is too old to be Refusing taking medication. Yes it taste yucky BUT you can have some juice right after, OR I hold you down and make you take it. Either way YOU WILL take your medicine.

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Use the syringe to put it into a straw/ pouch/ anything they can slurp up (without them knowing it’s there. Or if they still refuse I would have dad hold them like a baby, do something to make them laugh and when they open their mouth and shoot it straight down their throat as fast as you can and have juice ready lol.

I put the meds in the syringe thing and squeezed it in an applesauce pouch and shook it up and he ate it no problem

Hold them down if you don’t the nurses will me and my bd coheres our son with that and usually after one try to pin him he will just take it it’s sad and sucks for everyone but you have to be a parent first and it’s dangerous for small children to have high fevers for long they can become delirious extremely fast

Orange juice hide the taste if you put more juice than medicine.

Explain shots and IVs to your child. I’m old school. This granny don’t play and they knew they better take it. Say what you want but ppl sent me their kids to get well. They took their meds

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Do you have anyone besides you to give the medicine? I tried lots of tactics. Then, my friend and coworker said to bring it to her. Sbe put it in the syringe and the kid took it for her instantly! I had tried pretty much everything suggested here.

I asked for small pills if was a life saver my son would literally throw up if I have him liquid

When younger, our neurologist suggested things like Applesauce cups, baby food squeeze pouches, pudding… small quantities though so you know it’s all taken.

Go to a quarter machine. Spend $5. Fill a glass jar with all the balls. Or put a bunch of stickers and cheap toys from the dollar store in a jar. One as a reward for each dose of meds!

My 4 year old loves syrup!! So I give him the med and then a spoonful of syrup! It takes convincing. He also likes sweet tea so that’s always my second option I mix just enough so with 1 drink, both are downed!

Been through this just this week. If it’s a tablet, administer with a spoonful of jam/jelly so they swallow without wanting to chew.

I had to hold my daughter down when she had strep. She ended up getting the shot. It was so much easier.

I went for the shot every time with mine and wouldn’t have changed a thing. Five mins and we’re done. She fought the liquid so bad and having to hold her down was more traumatic for the both of us. Plus she has zero fear of needles now.

Tell her that. Let her know her options. Either drink it, or get a needle. Chances are they’ll drink it then lol

Mom of 3. Always shot! I’m not fighting them and ending up with wasted meds everywhere.

The shot is the best way to go. They are well in 24 hours and back to school and parents back to work.

My daughter refuses to take meds. She’s a bit easier to convince if their in chewable form, but when it comes to liquid meds like antibiotics I just let them give her the shot. One second shot vs a weeks worth of fighting = shot wins every time

Just do the shot. It’s one bad moment compared to a twice daily battle. 4 is young to reason with about why you need to take medicine. It depends on your kid though. Mine wouldn’t take medicine at all no matter how I hid it. If i started giving treats 2 times a day all of a sudden he got suspicious,so we did the shot.

If you choose the medicine just ask the pharmacist to add a his favorite flavor, usely they have grapes, strawberry, cotton candy, raspberry, bubblegum flavors you can have them add to it…

Used to crush pill and put in tsp. Of brown sugar. Many years ago and probably parents would be horrified niw. Lol

Get the gogurts and put it in the opening. Mine suck them down!