3 Tricks for Getting Your Kids to Take Medicine

In the words of Mary Poppins, “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down”, but you don’t have to give your kids a sugar high to get them to take medicine they may not like. While it might seem impossible to get your little one to enjoy something yucky, we have compiled some simple tricks that can make getting him to stomach it a bit easier.

Stay Positive
The first step is ensuring that you have a positive attitude around your child when it comes time to give him medicine. If you find yourself getting frustrated by their negative reaction to it, your child is more likely to continue resisting. Instead, use positive reinforcement and be encouraging. Remind him that it’s a small amount he can swallow quickly and that after he takes it, he will begin to feel better.

Trick His Tongue
Another way to make it easier on your child is to find ways to mask the taste or skip over the taste buds altogether. Try giving him an ice cube or popsicle before he takes the medicine in order to help reduce the taste, or give him something like juice to help balance the taste quickly after he takes it. You can also try using a syringe or dropper to administer it onto your child’s cheeks. This allows you to more easily avoid the taste buds completely. If you choose this method, move the along the cheek to the back of the mouth and slowly squeeze the syringe to safely distribute the liquid.

Provide Incentives
Reward your child with small incentives for taking his medicine, whether it’s a fun sticker each time, five extra minutes of playtime during the day, or a special outing. Having something positive to look forward to after taking his medicine can make him more motivated to take it without a hassle in the future. Even a tiny gift to bring a smile to his face will help him remember it as a more positive experience.

Have you discovered any tricks that help your child take medicine more easily? We’d love to hear them in the comments section.