Toddler absolutely refusing antibiotics

[Anonymous]

Just turned two DD absolutely won't take medicine. Even holding her down and trying to force it she spits it out. She has a UTI and a fever and we aren't getting any antibiotics in. Ped said to call pharmacist, who said to call ped. When I pressed the pharmacist they said it can't be mixed with anything and just to hold her down and kind of didn't understand the issue.

Does anyone have any successful techniques? We've tried letting her hold the syringe, pretending to take it ourselves, giving it to baby brother, giving it to dolly, bribing with chocolate chip, nanny trying. Freaking out because she has a fever. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Our 4yo DD had a UTI that progressed to kidney infection last summer and refused to take the antibiotic. Our pharmacist told us we could mix it in with a small bit of ice cream. It worked for us.

[Anonymous]

What antibiotic is it? Your pharmacist may be wrong that it can't be mixed (or maybe just can't do it themselves, so is saying no). If worst comes to worst, you can do IV antibiotics, which sucks but will guarantee they get in her. I'm sorry, 2 is such a hard age for these sorts of things.

[Anonymous]

Do you have a syringe where you can squirt it into the side of her cheek?

What’s the antibiotic? Would she take a chewable tablet that’s like “candy”?

[Anonymous]

We had to do rocephin shots when my now four year old did that. She was pissed but it cleared up the ear infection.

[Anonymous]

I would try, in the following order:

1. Ice cream trick PP mentioned
2. Bribery (you have to go bigger than a chocolate chip)
3. Swaddle her with a towel, hold her head still, use the syringe to get the antibiotics as far back in her throat as possible, then hold her mouth closed while you blow in her nose.

The last one sounds extreme, but is very effective with cats. I'm only half-serious about using it on your kid. But, if you are desperate, it should work.

[Anonymous]

OP call your pediatrician ask them if you can mix it with jello or icecream anything.

I have had a ton of uti;s throughout my life seems odd can not mix it with something.

[Anonymous]

Here is a tried and true technique (you need a syringe for this) -

sit on the ground and put your daughter's head between your thighs. Clamp down on her head to hold it secure. Have your spouse hold her hands. Then use the syringe to shoot the meds into her back cheek (where molars would be) and close her mouth until she swallows. Works like a charm. My difficult meds taker is almost 20 now but he sure was a challenge to raise

[Anonymous]

This is PP - when my son had a fever, I would give him tylenol suppositories. We called in "meddy in the bottom". As he got older we would ask him if he wanted meddy in the mouth or meddy in the bottom. Eventually he chose mouth. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

One adult holds child from behind like bear hug so she doesn’t have use of hands and legs. Other forces it in mouth then holds mouth shut forcibly. You will feel like your smothering her, can get very messy but only thing that worked. Honestly I was worried childs heck would break but he survived and took meds.

[Anonymous]

Give it to your self first and spouse. Put juice or something in it, obviously nothing actual antibiotics. Narrate the process. Maybe even offer it to her favorite stuffed animal. Then say, now it’s your turn! Basically make a game out of it where she doesn’t go first.

It might not work but might be worth a try!

[Anonymous]

I mixed antibiotics with ice cream when my 2 year old needed it. BTW I think both your pediatrician AND pharmacist are being jerks. This is a common issue. Make sure you have a prescription fir the liquid form of the antibiotic—I think my son’s came in a syringe and it was a pink strawberry liquid. We mixed it with vanilla ice cream and I told him he could have ice cream fit breakfast, lunch abd dinner since he was sick. (I did not say it was medicine!) He ate every drop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here is a tried and true technique (you need a syringe for this) -

sit on the ground and put your daughter's head between your thighs. Clamp down on her head to hold it secure. Have your spouse hold her hands. Then use the syringe to shoot the meds into her back cheek (where molars would be) and close her mouth until she swallows. Works like a charm. My difficult meds taker is almost 20 now but he sure was a challenge to raise

Yes, this (if the bribes don't work). It sounds mean but it's better than letting your child have permanent damage or death doe to an uncontrolled infection. And this is nothing compared to antibiotic cream in the eye. My kid had a torn retina at 3, and getting the drops/ointment in the eye was absolutely excrutiating and took at least 2 people to hold her still, hold the eye open, and squeeze out the medicine. If she moved even a centimeter, the medicine went down the side of her face instead of in the eye. (PSA if your child is going to be doing anything that might involve eye trauma...make them wear goggles.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would try, in the following order:

1. Ice cream trick PP mentioned
2. Bribery (you have to go bigger than a chocolate chip)
3. Swaddle her with a towel, hold her head still, use the syringe to get the antibiotics as far back in her throat as possible, then hold her mouth closed while you blow in her nose.

The last one sounds extreme, but is very effective with cats. I'm only half-serious about using it on your kid. But, if you are desperate, it should work.

Yes- the last one works, we used to hold her nose shut as opposed to blowing in it (which again, sounds extreme) but works like a charm and you're only holding their nose for like a second. My in-laws in India taught us that trick and it's commonly used there.

[Anonymous]

Parent of a child with pretty major medical issues that required lots of meds starting at 17 months, and also called fragility that made holding him down not a safe option. I am a big fan of the Ellyn Satter technique here.

Put her in a high chair, or other contained space. Draw up the syringe, tell her you'll give it to her when she's ready, and then just wait.

Maybe build with magnetiles, or look at her books, or do something she'd like to do, but don't rub it in. Just let her know once or twice that when she's ready she can take her medicine and come join you. Then when she does, make it fun.