How to Administer Medicine to a Resistant Child

If your child is sick, then medicine prescribed by a doctor and/or over-the-counter may be necessary. In either case your child may be reluctant to take the medicine because of the way it’s administered, the medicine’s flavor, or for other reasons. If you are struggling to administer medicine to a resistant child, then there are several things you can try.

Method 1 - Administering Liquid Medicine

1

→ Change the flavor. The pharmacist can add flavor like chocolate, watermelon, cherry, or another of your child’s favorites to many syrup medicines for a small charge.

→ This can even work on over-the-counter medicines which are already flavored, and your child prefers to be flavored differently.

2

→ Drip the medicine with a dropper or syringe. You can get a blank (needle-less) syringe without a prescription from a pharmacy. You can also use a dropper. Sit the child up, slip the syringe or dropper full of the correct dose between the teeth or gums within the mouth. Push the plunger slowly so the drops pour down the back of the tongue or into the cheek.

→ Don’t use a spoon for this method. Also avoid squirting into the back of the throat or the child may choke. Try squirting the medicine to the side of the mouth instead.

3

→ Deliver smaller doses. Use the dosing cups or dosing spoons that frequently come with liquid medications to portion out the doses over more time. Ask your doctor and pharmacist before you attempt this method. You need to make sure you’re giving the same total dose necessary for the illness, but you can give smaller amounts more frequently so the child is not taking it all at once.

→ An example of this could be instead of giving a child 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of a medicine every 12 hours you give her two half tablespoons (7.5 ml each) in quick succession at the dosing time.

→ The child may think this is prolonging the unpleasant experience of taking medicine—so it could be making things worse.

4

→ Serve the medicine with a treat. Ask your doctor and pharmacist if the medicine can be taken soon before eating or drinking or even with food. If the medicine can be taken with food, then you may be able to mix it into a cup of pudding, yogurt, or juice to get the child to take it. Or, you can give your child one of his favorite snacks or beverages such as a bowl of ice cream, a fruit snack or flavored yogurt right after the medicine. Let him or her know in advance he or she will get the treat if he or she takes their medicine.

→ If you mix your child's medicine in with food or drink, make sure that your child consumes all of it.

→ If the medicine cannot be taken with food or drink, then ask the doctor and pharmacist for the time limit between giving the medicine to your child and when he can eat and drink again.

→ Be aware that this method may ultimately backfire, as your child may come to associate the treat with an unpleasant experience.

5

→ Talk to your child. Introduce the medicine as something that will help her, and follow that up by asking her what form (cup, syringe) and flavor she wants it in. This will give the child some sense of control in the situation.

→ Don’t let the discussion turn into one where she refuses to take the medicine. If that happens you might counter by saying something such as, “You want to get better so you can play with your friends again, don’t you?”

6

→ Use force only as a last resort. If all else fails, you may have to use some degree of physical force. You will usually need a helper for this. Have a blank syringe prepared with the correct dose of medicine already. Place the child on the lap of one person who will hold the child’s head still and level (not tilted backwards). The second adult should use one hand to push down the child’s chin/lower jaw. Use the other hand to insert the syringe between the child’s teeth and squirt the medicine on the back of the tongue. Shut the child’s mouth until the child swallows.

→ There are times that force needs to be used for the wellbeing of the child, but again, this should always be used as absolute last resort. Using physical force can cause mistrust to form between you and your child.

→ You can let the child know he can help next time if he doesn't want you to use force. Also consider giving him positive reinforcement such as a hug and treat (yogurt, a video, stickers, etc…).

Method 2 - Administering Pill Medicine

1

→ Place the pill or capsule far back in the child’s mouth. One method is to place the pill on the back of the tongue, and have the child drink water or a favorite drink of hers—such as a fruit juice. Have her gulp the drink quickly and focus on the drink flavor.

→ Keep the child’s head level or bent forward slightly. Using a straw for the drink also helps.

2

→ Split or crush the pills. This is one way to break up the dose for easier swallowing. Use a knife or pill cutter to split the pill in half or quarters. You can also crush the pill between two spoons into a powder and mix it into a small amount of a favorite food of the child’s that requires no chewing (ice cream, pudding, yogurt, etc…). Just make sure you mix it into a manageable amount of food — she must eat all of the food to get the full dose.

→ Crushing the pill can be done more easily if you wet the pill with a drop or two of water and let it sit for five minutes.

→ Do not attempt this with slow-release capsules or pills with special coatings. If you destroy the slow release capability of the pill and it delivers a single, large dose, this can be extremely dangerous for your child. Ask your doctor and pharmacist if you are uncertain.

3

→ Empty slow-release capsules. Ask your doctor and pharmacist before attempting this, as not all capsules are meant to be opened. The contents can be swallowed without chewing, and are usually bitter, so need to be mixed with the child’s favorite sweet foods (applesauce, yogurt, or the like).

→ This can be messy. You don’t want to risk losing the ingredients. Make sure you have a clear and dry workspace to empty the contents onto.

TIPS

→ If your child is resisting or having trouble with one form of medication, ask your doctor if another form is available. Besides pills or liquids, chewable or dissolvable forms may be available.

→ Always consult a doctor regarding medical care of your child.

→ Consult your pharmacist for additional information on drug information, their interactions, and side-effects.

→ Ask the pharmacy to use childproof lids on the medicine bottles.

→ Store all medicines out of the reach of children.

Warnings

→ Never alter a medicine, dose, or administering method without consulting your doctor and pharmacist first. Overdosing children could result in serious injury and/or death. This includes over-the-counter medicines.

→ Be sure the labels on all medicines match what’s in the bottle, and what’s been prescribed to your child.

→ Many over-the-counter medicines are too strong for children. Check for children’s doses.