Your kid is sick. They need medicine. You know they need it. But they don’t know they need it….
Enter- one of the many struggles of parenthood….getting your child to actually take their medication.
My oldest child, Axxle, is medically complex and has taken medication every single day of his eight years of life. Most of that time having more than one medication/dose a day…I’m going to estimate about 9,000 doses of medicine we’ve given him…
Wowzers. I’m just now doing the math on that as I’m typing and it’s kinda blowing my mind lol
Well, after thousands of doses, I’d like to say I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way on how to get your child to take their medication. Things that haven’t worked so well for us and others that have worked like a charm. I’ll also share some practical tips that just make your life a little easier, like the best syringes or the best way to crush pills…all in my humble opinion of course.
So if you’re a new mom trying to figure out the best way to get your child to take their medicine, or a medical mom facing the new challenge of keeping up with multiple medications, I hope you find some help here 🙂
***Let me preface this by saying that I am NOT a medical professional. All this info is purely my own opinion as an experienced mom to a medically complex child. You should always bring any and all concerns regarding your child’s medication to your child’s doctor or pharmacist. Always follow their instructions on dosage and administration and be mindful of any interactions some medications might have with food/drink.*** See my Disclaimer here 🙂
This post may contain affiliate links. That means I may make a small commission on items purchased through links in the post, at no extra cost to you!
And if you’ve made it to the pill swallowing stage…I’m sorry this post isn’t going to be very helpful! We haven’t made it there yet!
Tips on Getting your Child to Take Their Meds
Here are a few strategies I’ve used in the past that have been helpful.
Syringe play
Toddler-age, I’ve found it helpful to create some play around it. I’ve let them play doctor with the syringe, practice with water, practice giving me or their favorite character toy “medicine.” In fact, I just used this one again last night and even at 8 years old, it helped lol
Play seems to make everything easier with kids. And I’ve found it can definitely help take the fear and uncertainty out of it.
A Quick, little “puff”
So one of the biggest challenges sometimes is just getting your kid to swallow their medicine.
In my first year as a mom, I read somewhere that a quick, little puff on their face startles that reflex to take a breath, forcing a little swallow first. And I have to say it works….most of the time!
This one usually comes into play when they’re fighting me. I aim the syringe into their cheek and I make sure they’re in a more upright position so it goes down the right way. Then I blow a quick, gentle puff of air on their face.
The Chase
This one is for those sensory seeking kiddos who like physical play. A good chase and wrestle has always helped my son willfully take his meds!
It’s sometimes exhausting, especially at the end of a long day, and sometimes time consuming when you’re in the middle of the bedtime rush. But I figure, it’s unfair he has to take all this medication in the first place so I might as well bring a little fun into it for him.
Juice cup
We’re not big juice drinkers, but I’ve used this method for cold or pain medicine and it’s been very helpful! I use half a cup of a “strong” juice that has lots of flavor (not apple or white grape…something like concord grape or V8 Fusion) covers it up nicely.
Applesauce packet
If your child enjoys applesauce or puree packets, squirting liquid medicine inside and shaking it up has been successful for us on several occasions!
Let them help
Kinda like letting them help cook in the kitchen, if they’re big enough, let them “be the pharmacist” and help prepare their own medicine. Crushing pills, drawing up syringes, sorting pills, etc.
A Good Ole Bribe
I absolutely have bribed my child to take his medicine. This is usually reserved for when he’s inpatient and meds are a must and he’s dysregulated and not himself. A movie, iPad time, candy, toy, a speaker (IYKYK)….
Now on to some practical tips…my favorite syringes, pill crushers, and preferred ways to mix up meds.
Practical Tips
Favorite way to administer crushed meds
I probably started doing this about a year ago and it’s such a time saver. Or it feels like it lol Maybe it’s just me, but trying to suck up his crushed pills mixed with water from the crusher felt so frustrating and time consuming lol One of his medications is “piecey” so it felt like it took forever to get it all in the syringe.
So now what I do is crush it, dump it dry into the side of the syringe, put a little water in, push the air out, then “pop” it to mix it up. It feels so much quicker and easier.
To push the air out without pushing the meds out, I cover the tip with my thumb and create the tiniest opening while pushing the bottom up.
Then to “pop it”, cover the tip completely with your thumb then pull the bottom up and let go. It should “pop” and mix the meds with the water. This also works well for chewable or meltable pills so you don’t even have to crush them first. I do this with his meltable iron tablet and his chewable aspirin.
Favorite syringes
Right now we use about six syringes a day so we go through quite a bit. Because of that, I’ve been ordering some in bulk on Amazon as it tends to last us a while. I’ll link those HERE. They’re cheap but they’re comparable to the ones they use in the hospital and they do the job.
But my very favorite syringes are actually from Publix Pharmacy. If you have one near you, it may just be worth using them as your pharmacy…assuming they’re in-network with your insurance, of course. I love them because they last FOREVER. I even run these through the dishwasher occasionally and the markings have never come off. Unfortunately, you can’t actually buy them (tbh, I haven’t actually asked…maybe I should…) I’ve even tried looking for them to purchase through the manufacturer but have been unsuccessful lol I ask for a few extra when I pick up his med refills but usually they’re pretty stingy with them, understandably. But I have come across a very generous tech a time or two…one who even filled up a bag for me. I will never forget her 🙂
Favorite pill crusher
Never thought that I’d have a favorite pill crusher, but here we are. Just about all his medications now are pills that we crush and administer by syringe.
The one that I used for the first couple of years was given to us at the hospital, so I naively assumed it was probably the best, but it truly became my worst enemy. It sent me into a quiet rage every day until it finally dawned on me that I could simply look for a different one. So if you value your sanity, I’d stay away from the kind that have the little claw teeth in the bowl and the top. It’s nearly impossible to get it all out between the teeth.
But on to my favorite. It’s a combo pill splitter and crusher, which is great for travel so I don’t have to bring both. It has a stainless steel top for crushing too, which is nice. And it’s usually under $10 on Amazon.
If you don’t need a splitter, this little crusher is great too.
Pill Sorter
I grabbed one of these when we hit the pill stage. These are all just about the same, but I’ll link the one I use if you need one. It’s definitely a time-saver if you’re dealing with multiple medications or doses a day so you don’t have to open each individual bottle.
Check out our basic one here: Amazon
Medication chart
If you’ve got mom-brain and can’t remember your morning, a medication chart can be a great help. After not being able to find exactly what I was looking for, I created my own and it is now available in my Etsy shop here.
It’s a magnetic, dry erase medication chart for your fridge. Space for up to 10 medications and morning, noon, and evening dose spots. You can also personalize it with their name at the top!
Med travel bag
A little bag like this one is so useful for travel. I stick all his medications in there along with epi-pens, pill crusher/splitter, pulse ox, thermometer, syringes, and basic medicine just in case.
I hope this has been even the tiniest bit helpful.
It can be tough as a parent when your kid won’t take their medication. Especially the greatly-needed, sometimes life-maintaining ones. If you’ve tried everything, including all the ideas above, just know you’re not alone and you are not failing. Some kids do great with it but some kids just have that strong-willed, super stubborn bone in their body.
It also took a while (too long really) for me to realize that some of his heart meds have side effects that may be making him feel weird. One of those tough parts of having an autistic, communication-restricted child. So I keep that in mind when he’s resisting taking his meds.
Sometimes they take it without a fuss and other times we have to accept defeat. In my experience, it’s been one of those things that has gotten better with time. Just keep trying everything you can and try not to lose your marbles in the meantime.
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