How to Administer Medicine to a Resistant Child

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.^[1]

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

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.^[2]

• 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.

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.^[3]

• 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.

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.^[4]

• 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.

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.^[5]

• 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?”

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.^[6]

• 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…).