How to Give Toddlers Medicine
Put on a cheery face., Take your child to the pharmacy with you., Give your child choices., Play doctor with your toddler., Offer your toddler a treat.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Put on a cheery face.
Your reactions to situations can have a big impact on how your child reacts to them.
Even if you feel badly about having to give your sick tot medication, putting on a happy face and using a cheerful voice can go a long to getting your toddler to take his medication.Prepare yourself before your approach your child.
Tell yourself it will be quick and painless — for both of you.
Then approach your child with a big smile and a clear statement like, "Time for medicine so you can feel better!" Remember to keep your facial gestures in check so you don’t cue your child into the fact that taking the meds may be unpleasant.
Try and keep a smile on your face as you give your child the medication.
Remember to praise your child for taking his medication. -
Step 2: Take your child to the pharmacy with you.
In some cases, you can choose the color and flavor of different medications.Instead of doing this for your child, let her choose the color and flavor at the pharmacy.
This may help your toddler feel like she has control over the situation.
It can also make her excited to take each dose of the medication.
Ask your doctor to prescribe a medication for your child that can have special FDA-approved color and flavor added to it.These combat the bad smell and taste of many medications.
Your doctor is likely well aware of the struggles of trying to get a toddler to take bad tasting medicine, so he should have some ideas.
Take your child to the pharmacist if you are able and give her the option to choose the color and taste she wants.
Ask your child for color and flavor selections if she is too sick to take to the pharmacist.
You can call the pharmacy ahead of time to find out what colors and flavors are available.
Then ask your child which is her favorite.
Be aware that most over-the-counter meds can be flavored as well, even the most pungent cough medicine.
Nonetheless, despite flavoring and color, your toddler may still resist or find it unpalatable. , Kids like to feel as though they’re in control.
Letting your child make some of the simple choices about things like where and how he takes his medication can help get your toddler to take the medication.Tell your child to choose how he gets the medication.
You can provide a variety of options such as a cup, syringe, or dropper.Doing this each time can keep it fun for your toddler.
Give your child the option to take his medication before or after getting dressed.
Let your toddler choose where he takes his medication.
Give him a couple of options such as at the kitchen table or on the sofa while watching TV.
Make sure he knows that not taking the medication is not an option. , Let your child pretend to give you or a stuffed animal medicine before she takes hers.
This can make your toddler comfortable enough to take her own medicine.Comment on how well your child gives you or the stuffed animal the medication as well as how well either of you take it.
Follow this up with, “Let’s see if you can take your medication as well as I did, Maya.” , When it comes to giving a toddler who doesn’t want to take medication he doesn’t want to take, adding an incentive can help motivate him to take the medication.
Give your child a small but special treat if he takes his medication with no problem.
Give your child a small sticker or little trinket.
Consider giving gold star stickers he can put on a board of medication times.
If he has a gold star for taking all of his medication, you can offer a treat like a trip to get ice cream when he feels better.Consider offering a small treat to follow the medicine with something that tastes good, like a sip of juice or popsicle for taking the medication.
Make sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist if this is okay, as some medications cannot be taken with food. -
Step 3: Give your child choices.
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Step 4: Play doctor with your toddler.
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Step 5: Offer your toddler a treat.
Detailed Guide
Your reactions to situations can have a big impact on how your child reacts to them.
Even if you feel badly about having to give your sick tot medication, putting on a happy face and using a cheerful voice can go a long to getting your toddler to take his medication.Prepare yourself before your approach your child.
Tell yourself it will be quick and painless — for both of you.
Then approach your child with a big smile and a clear statement like, "Time for medicine so you can feel better!" Remember to keep your facial gestures in check so you don’t cue your child into the fact that taking the meds may be unpleasant.
Try and keep a smile on your face as you give your child the medication.
Remember to praise your child for taking his medication.
In some cases, you can choose the color and flavor of different medications.Instead of doing this for your child, let her choose the color and flavor at the pharmacy.
This may help your toddler feel like she has control over the situation.
It can also make her excited to take each dose of the medication.
Ask your doctor to prescribe a medication for your child that can have special FDA-approved color and flavor added to it.These combat the bad smell and taste of many medications.
Your doctor is likely well aware of the struggles of trying to get a toddler to take bad tasting medicine, so he should have some ideas.
Take your child to the pharmacist if you are able and give her the option to choose the color and taste she wants.
Ask your child for color and flavor selections if she is too sick to take to the pharmacist.
You can call the pharmacy ahead of time to find out what colors and flavors are available.
Then ask your child which is her favorite.
Be aware that most over-the-counter meds can be flavored as well, even the most pungent cough medicine.
Nonetheless, despite flavoring and color, your toddler may still resist or find it unpalatable. , Kids like to feel as though they’re in control.
Letting your child make some of the simple choices about things like where and how he takes his medication can help get your toddler to take the medication.Tell your child to choose how he gets the medication.
You can provide a variety of options such as a cup, syringe, or dropper.Doing this each time can keep it fun for your toddler.
Give your child the option to take his medication before or after getting dressed.
Let your toddler choose where he takes his medication.
Give him a couple of options such as at the kitchen table or on the sofa while watching TV.
Make sure he knows that not taking the medication is not an option. , Let your child pretend to give you or a stuffed animal medicine before she takes hers.
This can make your toddler comfortable enough to take her own medicine.Comment on how well your child gives you or the stuffed animal the medication as well as how well either of you take it.
Follow this up with, “Let’s see if you can take your medication as well as I did, Maya.” , When it comes to giving a toddler who doesn’t want to take medication he doesn’t want to take, adding an incentive can help motivate him to take the medication.
Give your child a small but special treat if he takes his medication with no problem.
Give your child a small sticker or little trinket.
Consider giving gold star stickers he can put on a board of medication times.
If he has a gold star for taking all of his medication, you can offer a treat like a trip to get ice cream when he feels better.Consider offering a small treat to follow the medicine with something that tastes good, like a sip of juice or popsicle for taking the medication.
Make sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist if this is okay, as some medications cannot be taken with food.
About the Author
Olivia Simmons
Specializes in breaking down complex creative arts topics into simple steps.
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