Getting a 2 year old to take medicine

[SueC]

Does anyone have any tricks to getting a headstrong 2 year old to take her medicine. The medicine tastes disgusting so I don't blame her a bit. I've tried mixing it with juice, root beer, kool-aid, but she figures out really quick that there is medicine in it and refuses it.
I've tried praise, bribery, threats, all to no avail. If I tilt her back and squirt it near the back of her throat, she pukes it up. Today, I did get her to take a tsp. of cough medicine. I started out by telling her what a big girl she was being and giving her little sips followed by water. After a couple tiny sips, she quit cooperating. I tried being very patient with her, but in the end, I had to really yell at her to get her to take the medicine. I didn't enjoy doing that, but that was the only way I got her to take it. She's due for another dose this afternoon so I'd love some advice before then if anyone has any!

That song from Mary Poppins comes to mind: "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, medicine go down...." Maybe let her have a spoonful of the stuff after the medicine goes in.

I had a daughter that refused medicine, too, so I understand your frustration. For babies I know they tell you to blow on their face because it automatically makes them swallow but she's two so I don't know if it will work. Or a medicine dropper which is harder for the tongue to push out. But of course, my husband did have to hold her arms so she couldn't fight it.

Good luck!

We had a really horrible time with this when my 3 1/2 year old had to take amoxicillin for 10 days. Yes, she is 3 1/2 and we should be past this and she has taken amoxicillin enough times before without problems!
It is so, so frustrating.
We tried giving her the Tylenol easy chew tablets and she hated those (don't blame her) so it was easy enough to switch to the liquid. But it's harder with the other medications.
Here's one for the good-parenting books: we threatened her that if she didn't take it, she would have to get a shot in her bottom like she did last time for strep. I was getting so frustrated with her that it wasn't a threat! I was about to haul her grumpy little self right back to the doctor for that shot. The other threat that worked , was telling her that I was going to have to give it to her like I did when she was a little baby -- with a syringe. I actually had to carry through with it once and like you said, she gagged it back up. But it turned out to be an effective threat going forward.
After a while it got a little better in that we could tell her she HAD to take it in the next 5 minutes. We would put it out for her and give her 5 minutes so she had some control. Otherwise I would threaten the syringe.

I totally understand how frustrating it can be!

If it's a prescription, you might want to ask your pharmacist for suggestions. I've heard that sometimes they can add a flavoring to mask the flavor of the medication -- but sometimes you just trade one nasty taste for another.

[Meenah]

Maybe suggest how good her sister is at taking needed medications!!! Can you tell I am the mother of two girls 1 1/2 years apart.

Luane

[peggyfromwastate]

Our 2 year old twins have been through this. Thankfully, Steven, our sick one, has to take medicine every day for asthma but he loves it. He actually asks for medicine. Our daughter gets to see him gleefully slurping down whatever disgusting potion is offered him, but she doesn't get the hint and when it is her turn, she is a total pest about it. We've found more success with grape and orange flavors than with cherry, which seems to be the standard. With Izzy, we have to usually use the syringe dropper, one of us holds her, the other forces her mouth open and feeds it to her and pinches her nose closed until she takes the medicine. This is something my dad showed us-- apparently that's how they get "uncooperative" kids to swallow meds in the ER. She doesn't spit it back up or puke it back up with this method, but she is mad!

For OTC, I've had slightly more luck with Elixsure brand (that is the syrup-like stuff that is much thicker and therefore doesn't spill). We also let both kids drink water from the medicine dropper after they've taken their meds. For some reason they like that feeling.

One word of hope-- I have found that with Izzy she goes through stages, and thankfully the last time she was sick (at age 2 1/2) she took her meds with little problems! That's not to say that next time we won't have to do the nose pinch method, but I try to stay optimistic!

Good luck!!!

[SueC]

Thanks guys for the suggestions. We are in a healing trend in our household so I get at least a temporary reprieve from administering meds. (I don't know why I'm even jinxing myself by saying that.) Our 4 year old is an absolute angel about taking her medicne, even if it is disgusting tasting. Sydney fights us tooth and nail, even if she is feeling miserable she somehow musters up the strength to fight. I've heard about pinching their noses, and tried it once--maybe I'll try that again. She usually pukes it up if I force it in her but maybe if I hold her nose long enough she won't? I can't wait until she is old enough to reason with!