Tips on giving a toddler medicine?

Does anyone have advice on how to give an almost 2-year-old medicine? He will spit it out, and he would instead not breath than swallow medicine. Any advice? He doesn’t take a pacifier.

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Depends on your views. I battled with my daughter over medication and after having to get 2 prescriptions for an ear infection because she wouldn’t stop spitting it out and wasting it I resorted to bribing. I get the mini pieces of chocolate or a fun size pack of m&ms and she takes it no problem now.

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I usually let him pick a drink to mix it with and I just mix it in a small cup. Giving him the agency to pick whether its blue Gatorade or lemonade is all the motivation he needs to down it

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Agree with the bribe… m&m’s or TV was out go to…
IF not an antibiotic but Tylenol or ibuprofen, the chewable are often easier than the liquid.

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I’ve mixed medicine in applesauce or fruit pouches.

Let him give you some medicine and then you give him medicine. Or try giving it while in the bath.

My kids love medicine so I’m no help here. They ask for it :frowning: all I can say is maybe make it fun my sister’s kids hate medicine and she makes it fun for them. Doesn’t let them see the surenge and sometimes she hides it in an old juice cup and they think it’s juice.

I used to dip a lollipop in the medicine and have my daughter lick the medicine off of the lollipop until the medicine was gone. After a few licks, she would want to dip the lollipop into the medicine herself and once the medicine was gone, she got to finish the lollipop as her reward for taking the medicine.

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I put it in her cup. Ill give her a drink she doesnt normally get and she downs it like its nothin. Or ill pretend to drink my drink through a straw and when she wants some ill give it to her in that drink. Otherwise mine takes it from a spoon :woman_shrugging: she gets like 3 colds every winter so she knows the routine of medicine. When she cant breath from congestoon she’ll ask for medicine.

I put the medicine in my daughters drink

Put it in a medicine syringe then get some meo or liquid candy of some type and add it it taste like a treat rather than medicine

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If its a dissolvable kind that was our best bet

Mini syringe. You can buy them or sometimes get them free from a pharmacy. Also try cheaper versions. Cheap liquid paracetamol tastes nicer than Calpol apparently.

Bribe with candy/chocolate my son hates taking medicine but will if I tell him he gets a treat afterwards and have a drink ready to wash it down (he’s almost 3years)

I’ll put it in a small cup of strawberry milk, my los favorite.

Sometimes I’d have to squirt it in my sons mouth and blow in his face to make him swallow it immediately lol. You could also try putting in a Sippy cup

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Mix it with something sweet to drink

Tell him if he doesn’t take it you have to use suppositories. Because he will. :woman_shrugging:. Maybe he doesn’t like the taste. Can you use a different brand.
You can put your hand on each side of his checks and shoot it quickly he’ll have to swallow it. (Likehow they give pets medicine)
Can you give it to him when he’s sleeping maybe. Hugs. I haven’t experienced that yet. Good luck. Hugs

I’ve seen people use a syringe and add a little bit of Cool aid. The kind you squirt into water bottles.

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Put it in their juice or drink.

Offer a piece of chocolate or cookie if he takes his medication. Also make a star chart or rewards chart on his bedroom door as an incentive. One more thing, when he is done being sick tell him he gets to pick out a small toy or something next time you go to the store

I work at a pharmacy and pediatricians always recommend to mix it with a little bit of a flavored coffee creamer, like vanilla or something your child would like. If it’s a prescription liquid most pharmacies can add additional flavoring for a small fee (2.99 at Walgreens) and it greatly improves the taste.

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I tell mine to "hurry so we can (insert what they love to do here). He swallows that medicine pretty dang fast :rofl: . Mine loves going outside , especially with all this snow.

I had to hold mine down and squirt little bits in her cheek at a time and then blow on her face or tickle her so that she would swallow it

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You know those flavors you add to water bottles?

You can stick your syringe into them and pull just enough to add a good taste to the medication.

Good luck mama:)

Saw this hack on tiktok

Put it in with like hawaiian punch drink in a sippy cup maybe.

Mix with Apple sauce

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Calpol with the syringe you can see the amount you give c

We put it in carnation good start drinks or with a small amount of G2 the grape is good for grape meds. Pedialyte makes some pretty good flavors to disguise it too.

Don’t tell them its medicine.

Mix it in grape juice. The grape juice covers the taste of medicines!! Worked everytime for both my kids

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This is what one of the nurses at my pediatrician’s office told me to do and it has worked so far! I squirt it into my daughter’s cheek (full dose and fast) and squeeze her cheeks so her lips make fishy lips so she has no choice but to swallow the medicine. She will spit it out if I don’t do that. And afterwards, I give her lots and lots of praise and cuddles so hopefully it’s not as difficult the next time around. The whole interaction takes all of 10 seconds

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In the juice! I have to give mine melatonin and uh, tried to mix it into fruit snacks and hes clever enough to eat every fruit snack and leave the melatonin -_-;

This is tough I am a mom and worked with preschoolers Best you can do is football hold towel under their chin and you squirt small amounts in their cheek at a time. If they won’t swallow blow in their face each time they’ll take a breath. If you ever have the option of a shot instead take it save yourself the grief also tylenol comes in suppositories this worked better for my infant and toddler when they were sick and uncooperative sometimes you don’t feel up to stomaching medicine and honestly the suppository works faster… but theres a process for that too.

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If it is a prescription one, ask for a different flavor. They wanted to give the Grandson the bubblegum flavor allergy meds, because the majority of kids like it. Not him. It has to be grape. At age six it still has to be the liquid. He won’t even try the chewable type.

Get some hersheys coffee creamer! Mix it in with that and let them drink it! Not kidding lol this is how we did it for that age!

Mix it with pudding or applesauce, just be sneaky!

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Squeeze the cheeks lol

A light blow in his face will make him breath and swallow.

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I wish I had advice when my daughter was little. (She is now 45). One time I literally had to sit on her with her head between my knees. Before anyone gets totally upset about this, it was on a waterbed, so there was no weight on her. It was on my legs.

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I just put it on a spoon and my son took it. He was feeling yucky so that could have been it. Usually we have to hold him down and squeeze the whole syringe in his mouth and pray he doesn’t spit

Half the time my little one just likes to do it himself. I let him squeeze the syringe himself and he’s a happy camper :woman_shrugging:

Milkshake or syringe sometimes you got to be cruel to be kind

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I let my son drink his medicine out of a little cup with a straw and tell him it’s a game, he has to get all the “juice” out in one big sip! He’s so proud of himself when he does :grin:

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Hide it in a juice box!

I usually use those medicine syringes for babies even for my 2.5 yr old and 7 mo
Totally make a game of it, load up the medicine without them seeing it cause that’s what scares them usually
Squeeze their cheeks and laugh and when they least expect it squeeze some into their mouth and the blow on their face because it usually makes them gasp and swallow and tadaa

*you have to be careful when doing this because not every kid is the same and even though my girls are fine other kids might not take it so well

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Mix with orange juice

Syringe it in the back of their throat between the gums and the cheek, and blow in their face, unable to not swallow

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Sorry if this offends anyone but it’s worked with all three of mine. Hold them however you can hold their head with one hand and the other the syringe put the syringe towards the back to the side of the cheek but it has to be the very back if you directly squirt it in the middle which is their throat they can choke n not swallow it. A little at a time even though it’s hard as hell I’ve given 2.5ml to my baby and literally squirted it 10 times just to get him to take it. But after you put a little in the side back of the their mouth do a quick blow to their face and they’ll have to take a breath. And this is another reason I do little squirts at a time because you need them to actually swallow it. And it’s easier to swallow a little rather then a lot. And don’t do a long blow like you’re blowing food. Quick kinda hard blow like you’re blowing off something that fell on the floor. And sometimes they will cry and cry and it actually helps sometimes because to continue crying they have to swallow.
Again sorry if it offends anyone. But it’s how I do/done/ & will continue to do it.

Blow gently in his face immediately after, it triggers a swallow reflex.

Keep it in the fridge. Sometime when it’s cold it will taste a little better. I have also tried mixing with chocolate syrup on a spoon. But a syringe has always worked best for my daughter who hates medicine also. I wouldnt put it in juice or mix it with anything heavy because you don’t know if they are getting the exact dose they need for it to work properly.

I would put like a ounce of milk in the cup and pour the medicine in and I would drip a little strawberry or chocolate syrup in it to cut the taste. I put a little bit of milk cuz I want to make sure they drink it all. It works. Juices and stuff wouldn’t work on my kids cuz the taste is yuck to them. Milk with the syrup really helps. With my 2 year old at times I would just use a syrenge put it in his mouth then hold his chin to keep his mouth closed and tilt his head. It’s harsh but it gets done fast

Be the boss and make him take it. Tell him this is medicine you need to be healthy and you can to back to whatevering after you take it.
Don’t let it be a negotiation and don’t get physically forceful. Just handle it.

Mix it in chocolate pudding

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I either mix it in a little bit of juice/pedialyte or I have to hold him down squeeze his cheeks and put a little at a time so he doesn’t spit up . Patience is really key .

Sometimes at that age if you hand it to them in a little medicine cup they will do it on their own they like the independence. Offer it and ask if he wants to do it himself like a big boy (could even put some juice in one for yourself just to make it fun lol) Otherwise you gotta get that syringe back of the mouth up by the side of his cheek so the only option he has is to swallow because it’s so far back. It’ll be a few seconds of him being pissed off but it’ll be over quick.

I use one of the medicine syringes and put the medicine under their tongue. If they spit I do it a second time while holding their nose.

My son rarely has soda, so I let him pick a soda or juice and mix the medicine w just a little bit… then give a little bit more or just the soda as a little reward

I would give my son grape medicine in grape juice (for Tylenol or motrin).
When my son got sick and needed antibiotics, I had them give him a shot of antibiotics. I also started doing Tylenol suppositories because my son stopped taking the medicine with juice.

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You may have to get suppositories to reduce fevers. My son was the same but fortunately he rarely needed meds.

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Put the syringe in the back of the cheek towards the throat and give slow squirts. You may have to hold them down but at least they will take it.

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My daughter was almost 2 and I tried every single trick we could. She was so sick and needed antibiotics. Her dr suggested going to the er where they tried to get her to take the antibiotics different ways. My daughter would stop breathing and she was too smart for the tricks of masking it or putting it in anything. It was super scary because I didn’t know what to do. The ER ended up having to give her shots of antibiotics which she screamed during. The next time she got sick I reminded her that if she would not take her medication, they would have to give her shots again. She is now almost 12 and thankfully takes medications so well for me and has. Best wishes mama… that can be extremely frustrating. Just know you are not doing anything wrong and you are a great mom

I would squirt little bits in the side of his mouth while he sipped a juice box. He was none the wiser.

Have you tried from a spoon. Not trying to be smart I was having torture with my son with the syringes etc but then I tried a spoon and he took it way… Easier

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I give my son the syringe with medicine, he puts it into his mouth himself, I just squirt it while it’s in there. :rofl: He’s 16 months

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Nurse trick Hold his nose when you give it the medicine. It will make him swallow. Got to be fast…
Medicine in…grab that nose. :wink:

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My son did this had to put the syringe at the back of his mouth and do small squirts also the flavor is a factor my son only like bubble gum

An elderly lady once told me to hold their hands over their head as you are squirting it in because it’s harder to fight. It helped with my son in the younger ages. Another thing that worked with him was telling him it was “muscle medicine” and he has to take it to get big and strong

I always had to mix it with juice or something for my youngest :woman_facepalming::woman_facepalming: he had to have his 2 front teeth pulled at like 3 or 4 because he fell into a windowsill and messed them up… after the procedure they gave him liquid codeine and after I put that into his mouth he spit it out and never would take meds again!! And before this I always had to keep the bottles of tylenol and motrin up high hidden because he would try and drink it :woman_facepalming::woman_facepalming:

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I hold my kids and spin in circles really fast and put the plunger in their mouth. For some reason they are so distracted they just swallow it hHja

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Does he do a pacifier? If so,cut the tip and put medication inside, worked for my kids.

Get as all dropper and squirt it in when he isn’t expecting it don’t let him be too aware of it so he won’t get stressed hope he’s ok

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Used to mix in with a chocolate pudding cup!

My daughter has always projectile vomited anytime I tried to give her calpol or nurofen, I always use suppositories paralink is the only way to go with her x

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Syringe, full amount, fast as possible so they have no time to spit it out. My kids take medicine like i do jello shots ha

If you can get unflavored liquid medicine, get the amount you need, and fill the rest of syringe with their favorite juice! We do this with my son and it works every time!!

Liquid dispenser for example from kids nurofen! Fun to take it from that or mix with with a spoon of yoghurt

I drained the juice out of gusher fruit snacks and refilled it with the medicine lpl

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I use a 10ml syringe with 5ml medicine and 5 ml Apple juice

I “drilled” a hole in a push up ice cream, put the med in and closed the hole.

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Put it in a little medicine cup and have them drink it, or a straw, both have worked with my daughter, its hit a miss sometimes shes a spitter too

I put it in my kids juice at that age just a little bit to make sure they got it all

Mix in a drink? Syringe it down his throat? There’s always suppositories for fevers you have to ask for them at the counter

Mix it in a little orange juice it’s the only thing I have found that they can’t taste it in

If the medicine is a liquid form and given in a syringe try adding flavor to it. Use a water additive like Mio and add the flavoring by putting the tip of the syringe into the additive and squirt some in

i normally measure the medicine with a syringe then put it in a spoon so it doesnt look ( scary ) thats the only way my baby will have it lol

I put my son’s medicine in his cup with a little liquid so he will drink it

My son not a toodler but we use a popsicle and does pretty well dont use to much popsicle just a little with the meds. Crush it a little like a slushy

Melt chocolate, mix it in, and then let the chocolate harden

We have also put liquid on ice cream. We have given a chewable w 1 chewable sweet tart in the box. Only 1 sweetheart and I chewable meds. He ate both

Mix it with a yoghurt. Or milk if you can. Or rubbing the throat can cause a reflex swallowing action. I had to do this with my two year old.

I put the medicine in with choc milk and my 2 yr old drinks it right up

In a yoghurt always does the trick with my little one if really necessary xx

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Mix it in something like a smoothie or yogurt or peanut butter or nutella work too

I try to hype my 3 yr old up for it. Tell her its candy or something.

Yes blow in there face and they will naturally swallow.

Try mixing it in icecream

Then there is my daughter that tries to chug the bottle of meds! Haha kids!

Drink it from a cup?