Getting medicine into a very defiant 3 year old?

[Ginger]

hello, ds2 is extremely strong willed and defiant. he has tonsilitis and i really need to get antibiotics into him 3 x a day. i am really really struggling. any tips on how i can do this?
it took me about 40 mins this morning and everytime i got some in his mouth, he blew it back out (like blowing a raspberry iykwim?). my couch is now well medicated, but my son is not. help!

[*LittleMissSummer*]

We had the same trouble with DD. And this will sound really awful but we used to spring it on her, we wouldn't let on what we were doing and just grab her squirt it in, close her mouth up and tell her to swallow!

[LimeSlice]

If you very gently stroke from under his chin down towards his chest with flat hand, you will stimulate his swallow reflex. When it comes down to it, he has to take it, so sit down with him, hold him still, put the syringe at the back of his molars on one side and do it quickly, close his mouth and stroke his throat a couple of times. He won't be able to help swallowing it. Then a glass of juice or something he doesn't usually get to have, lots of praise and distraction.
After 3 days of bargaining, negotiating, bribing, encouraging, explaining, pleading and chasing DD1 around the house wasting antibiotics, this was the only way we could get it done. After a couple of doses, she realised that she was going to be given it whether she likes it or not, and it was much easier.

[AnyDream]

Lolly bribe? Offer his favorite drink as a chaser? Are you using a syringe to guve it? If you aim for the side of the mouth its harder to spit out. Explain that the taste goes away just as quick if you swallow as if you spit it out. Otherwise you could talk to the pharmacist & find out if they have the same thing in another flavour that he might tolerate better.

[Ginger]

thanks for the suggestions guys.
bargaining does not work with him. i have even offered him tim tams! and it makes no difference.
i spoke to both the gp and the pharmacist about it and this was the best they could offer me.
i basically have to hold him down and sit on his arms. he grits his teeth close together so i can't even get the syringe past his teeth iykwim?

[OceanPrincess]

We had to explain to our 3.5yo that she needed the medicine to get better. She knew she was sick so we explained that without it she wouldn't get better and would have to go back to the Dr.

Have you tried telling him what's going on?

She understood eventually. It's hard!

[Olive]

Is it the flavour?

[teresa]

this may sound cruel but i work in an emergency department and when we have kids in like this we usually pin them down, squirt the medicine into the side of their mouth bit by bit and sometimes have to try and close their mouth to get it to stay in.
good luck!

[Dansta]

if its liqward...we have to do 2X syringe on DJ (have done so for the past 2 years) and we lay him on his back, hold his hands infront of his chest and aim the syringe at the roof of his mouth (another trigger for swallowing) and it works 90% of the time. (we do 1X4ml then 2X3ml from another syringe and the latter one is BIRGHT red, twice aday)

[Caz_88]

Ummm.... if it's flavoured liquid and you can give food with it.... mix it with flavoured custard? Not very healthy but I remember doing this for a parent of a child who Had a mental disability when I was working in childcare . It was their last resort... especially because they couldn't get time off work to home and give it, and childcare workers can't really pin and force a child...

[Ginger]

still no luck here.
have pinned him down, explained it it him, bribed him, mixed it in chocolate milk. i am about to give up.

[Olive]

Can you give it to him in smaller amounts more often? Say halve it?

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Liebling knows his own mind too (hope it keeps up when he's in his teens and older!) and disliked some antibiotics that he needed, I remember. He thought it a great game to run away from me when I tried to medicate him.

DH chased him, pinned him down, popped the syringe in and squirted it in. We told Liebling he could win next time - so he stopped crying, got up and run away while we chased him and didn't catch him for five minutes. Because he got to win, when I told him it was medicine time next he lay down on the floor and opened his mouth.

[Ellie]

We just went through this with dd having pneumonia ... The nurse showed me how to swaddle her in a blanket ... Just like a new born ... Then pinch her nose so she has to breathe through her mouth ... Then just put a little bit of medicine in at a time so she doesn't choke but has to swallow. We did it once at the hospital and then once at home, then when I gave her the choice of being wrapped up or drinking her medicine ... she is now taking her medicine on her own lol!!! It sounds cruel but you have to get it into them and better she couldn't hurt me or herself

[Arcadia]

Did the doctor explain it to him? Dd is very defiant about medicine, but with an ear infection she actually listened to the dr who told her she had to have it and she could have a treat afterwards (I prompted that). Then she and I went shopping for the 'treat' which was jellybeans (yeah real special lol) and she could have one after each dose (which was three per day and more sugar than she had ever had I think!).

It sounds like the power needs to be given to him in some way. What if you sat down with him in the morning (when he's fresh and cooperative) and made a deal: look, you have to take it do let's talk about ways you are happy to do it. Do you want it on a spoon or in a cup, or with a treat etc. if he says no I would tell him you will swaddle him and force feed him because that's how important it is.

Unfortunately if the gentle approach fails, then I wouldn't hesitate from forcing it. Infections are terrible and can lead to other complications.

[xXHopeXx]

We just went through this with dd having pneumonia ... The nurse showed me how to swaddle her in a blanket ... Just like a new born ... Then pinch her nose so she has to breathe through her mouth ... Then just put a little bit of medicine in at a time so she doesn't choke but has to swallow. We did it once at the hospital and then once at home, then when I gave her the choice of being wrapped up or drinking her medicine ... she is now taking her medicine on her own lol!!! It sounds cruel but you have to get it into them and better she couldn't hurt me or herself

We had/have to do this as well as sort of pinch DDs cheeks together to stop her from.spitting it all back out. It sucks when they dont understand they need it and really hate having it hope something works soon!