Advice on giving medicine

[Ladybug122]

DS has a cough. It's one of those coughs that once started, pushes him into a marathon coughing spell, waking him up at night, and generally making him miserable. I have Pedia Care cough medicine which he hates. He fights me, turns his head, covers his mouth, clamps his mouth shut, and if I do manage to get any cough medicine in his mouth, spits it back out (sometimes in my face)

Any advice on how to get a 2 year old to take cough medicine, or tips on tasty cough syrup for kids?

[poky]

Re: Advice on giving medicine

I've always loved the grape flavor of dimetapp, and hated the fake "cherry" flavors of most of the others. :huh:

No real tips, though; our cats hate their liquid meds, too, and it's a PITA every evening.

Re: Advice on giving medicine

One large spoon full of blackberry brandy.


Will make whatever you were using before taste that much better.

[peggyfromwastate]

Re: Advice on giving medicine

I'm not sure if we're supposed to give cough meds to 2 y.o.'s anymore... but I used tylenol cold plus cough, b/c they were already used to the flavor.

straight cough medicine is pretty nasty.

dimetapp is dosed for 6 and up...

[Cumberland]

Re: Advice on giving medicine

I asked my ped who is also a friend for a codiene based cough syrup for my 4yo, and he said no. He said most peds wont give it anymore. FWIW, blackberry brandy prob helps the cough the same and tastes better.

[Sheherezade]

Re: Advice on giving medicine

I only buy the Delsym cough syrup. It is more expensive, but it lasts for 12 hours and it has a sweet orange flavor. It is well worth the extra cost. You could give him the choice of two different syrups and let him drink it out of one of those little dosing cups. Maybe having his own "choice" would deal with the two-year old "I'm in charge here" syndrome. If he isn't old enough to do that, I'd go for the squirt and hold method. Use a large syringe (no needle of course), squirt the stuff in the back of their mouth and just hope they swallow enough to get a dose.

My daughter used to spit the stuff back at me when I had to dose her with antibiotics for chronic ear infections. Good times.

[peggyfromwastate]

Re: Advice on giving medicine

so that they don't just hold the medicine in their mouth using the squirt method, you can pinch the nose shut so that they have to swallow it. (so the squirt and pinch?) I've used this for sheer desperation only--- it's a 2 person job too...