Teach Children To Take Their Medicines How?
Teaching children to take their medicines can be difficult. Most little ones are reluctant to take their medications, usually because of the taste. Experts say there are many easy ways to take your medicine without much drama.
How to teach children to take their medicines?
Most of the medicines have a bad taste, this makes it difficult for the little one to want to take them. Which is why it is essential to indicate that if you take the medicine you can feel better, but this is not always sufficient motivation.
To start, you should keep in mind that the best thing you can do is empathize with your child. If you put yourself in their place you will know that the drugs taste very bad, that way you will find ways to give them without everything becoming a battle.
Hide the taste of the medicine
The taste of the medicine can be hidden with some food, but before doing this it must be verified that it does not lose its effect. This technique is very useful, although in reality you are not teaching him to take the medicine, but to hide the bad taste in order to take it. There are some foods that are commonly used to hide the bad taste of medicines:
- Juices
- Jams
- Shakes
- Yoghurt
- Purees
- Note: talk to your pediatrician before using a food to cover the bad taste of a medicine and find out if it is a good idea.
Plane trick
The airplane trick is well known for teaching children to take their medicine. Most little ones get excited about seeing an aircraft when they are little (that is, months or few years old). Of course, you will have to sing and be motivated so that your child is too.
Children often associate games with positive things, that is why if they see a “little plane” in the shape of a spoon coming, they will feel encouraged to eat and take the medicine. Although it is important that they take the medicines, it is not good to force them. The ideal is to find a way for them to decide to take the remedy themselves.
Dispel flavor with cold
The cold tends to dissipate flavors, which is why iced drinks can hide the taste of medicine. Try to use, if the medicine allows it, cold drinks or foods that the little one likes.
Some medications cannot be mixed with any other liquid, make sure of this before practicing this technique. Ice creams and jellies are perfect to disguise the taste of some medicines.
Syringe instead of spoon
The spoons usually make it difficult for the child to take the medicine, instead of a spoon you can use a syringe, so it will be easier for you to introduce the medicine into the mouth more quickly but be careful not to choke. This method is quite practical and is widely used.
How to prevent the child from being scared when seeing the syringe
Most likely, the child will be scared by the sight of a syringe, so you must use your imagination to avoid complicating the situation and making it more difficult to give the medicine. You can use the same technique of the plane if you see it necessary.
Remember that syringes are normally used to inject, if it is a baby you will not have any problem, but if it is a large child it is most likely that they will resist the use of the syringe.
Never fool him
Teaching children to take their medicine is easy, but never use deception as an option; this will only make things worse in the end. Some parents tell them that they will give them candy; in the end the little one realizes and will not trust the parents again.
The infant may see some medicine and eat it thinking that it is a sweet, being this very dangerous … that is why it is essential to avoid lies. Never trick your child into taking the medicine, or scold him if he resists, patience and imagination will be your best allies.
Anticipate that you will give him a medicine
Before giving him the medicine you can tell him that you will, tell him that it is for his good, that later he will feel better. The next time you try to give him some medicine, the child will feel prepared, that way the process will be easier.
The first few times it is normal that your child does not want to take the medicine, because he does not know what it is and it has a bad taste. Therefore, as you verify that when you take the medicine you feel better, it will be easier for you to access.
Empathize with your child
Put yourself in the child’s place, understand that for him or her that medicine is not provocative. You also went through that stage, so use empathy with the child.
Showing love to the little one is essential, this will not only be of great help when it comes to giving them medications, it will also be helpful at all times and in any facet of their growth.
Methods to persuade the little one
You don’t have to taste the medicine to know it tastes bad, so use gentle and loving words to persuade your child to take the medicine. Pretend that you too will take the medicine, so the child will feel that it is safe and will trust you.
It is important that you put yourself in the child’s place, although the medicines are for his good, the taste of the medicines is usually unpleasant. Try to show the little one that everything you do is for his good, never deceive him or tell him disguised lies, he will most likely realize in the long run that everything was false.
