Tips on Giving Medicine to Children

Establish a good routine for giving medications by giving medications at the same time everyday. This is most important medication doses such as penicillin need to be given on time in order to prevent or cure bacterial infections. Also by doing this you are helping your child get used to the idea of taking medications at a set time each day. Your child can then begin to understand that they must take medications after breakfast, after school, supper, or whatever time you designate. Remember to stick to you schedule as much as possible and strive to make it a central part of your overall everyday routine it will certainly get easier as you go along.

Share with your child the benefits of taking medications. Starting when your child is barely old enough to understand, tell her about how her medications are helping her and will soon make her feel better. Overtime she may begin to understand and be less reluctant to taking them as scheduled.

Remind older children that taking many medications everyday does not make them abnormal or different from other children their age. If your child is self-conc ious about taking medicines assure them they are equally as normal as their peers. Comfort them by letting them know you care about what they are going through. Also if your child is being teased at school about medication perhaps you can instead work on giving your child medicine at home.

Disguise the taste. If your child will not take medications as is because of the taste try using the flavoring option for liquid med's available most major pharmacies. Adding flavor to your child's medicine is the safest way of disguising the taste while maintain accurate dosage and is highly effective in liquid vitamins, iron, folic acid, penicillin, pain relievers, etc. However the cost is about $2- $3 extra each time and although it is worth every penny it could become costly if your child takes medication daily. You could instead try to mix it with juice, milk, or food. Just remember to keep the amount of liquid you are mixing it with small in order to maintain an accurate dose. For pills you could try crushing them and mixing with one tablespoon of pudding, yogurt, or ice cream.

Take special mesures when it comes to infants. When giving medicine to young babies avoid using medicne droppers and dispensers intended for older abies. Babies naturally have difficulty swallowing liquid when it is given tis way and it can cause some choking or some of the liquid may get into their lungs if not swallowed right. Instead Munchkin and a few other manufactors make a medicine dispenser shaped like a pacifier that holds a small amount of liquid. The baby can then suck the medcine out comfortably and a reasonable pace much like a bottle. Also available for young babies is the Medibottle which allows medicine to be given in accurate dosages while feeding or when the baby consumes any other liquid through the bottle.