How to give a capsule to a 2 year old child

For many, this word is unusual and unfamiliar. But in fact, chard is a leaf or petiole form of our well-known beet. Although it is similar to spinach with its long stems and leaves. Then what is it - a vegetable or a green herb? This culture has been known for a long time; the petiole form was used 2000 years ago. But in Russia it is not widespread, although it has good taste and medicinal properties. Therefore, having learned from the article about the beneficial properties of chard and how to grow it, you will definitely want to grow it yourself on your own plot.

Features of taking medications

Although the number of medications available to children is limited, there is a wide variety of forms in which they are available. The form of the medication is selected depending on the method of treatment, the age of the child and the genesis of the disease.

Mostly children's medications are available in the form of:

syrups;
suspensions, emulsions;
drops, sprays;
powders;
soluble and insoluble tablets;
dragee;
capsules;
granules;
rectal suppositories.

Newborns and infants are given oral liquid medications. In acute diseases, medications are administered intravenously in order to achieve the guaranteed required concentration in the blood and tissues in the shortest possible time. Parenteral injections are avoided due to insufficient muscle mass in children under one year of age and the pain of injections. Some medications are given rectally.

When prescribing medications, the doctor approaches each child individually, taking into account the physical and pathological characteristics of the body.

Parents should follow some rules:

Give medications strictly as prescribed by the doctor.
Monitor the child’s reaction to medications, remember or write down those to which the baby is allergic.
Don't forget about safety. Keep medications out of the reach of children.
Before taking medications, be sure to check their expiration date.
Be as responsible as possible about the dosage.

For children under three years of age, medications are not available in the form of tablets or dragees - brightly colored and reminiscent of candy.

Talk

Explanations can help too. In general, this is the most favorable option, as it will help solve the problem without negative emotions: violence, tears, hysterics, frayed nerves:

No matter how old the baby is, he needs to be told that the medicine is simply necessary, it will help him recover, his head or tummy will stop hurting, and he can go outside for a walk. Knowing your baby well, you can always find the right words.
You need to be prepared for this conversation, since you will have to explain in great detail, in a language understandable to the baby, why you need to drink these nasty bitter pills. Children are very inquisitive by nature, so satisfying their curiosity makes it much easier to persuade them to swallow medicine.
Since a child perceives any information better in the form of a game, it’s time for mom to work as a doctor. Treat all the animals and dolls with the “magic pill” and don’t forget about the main patient.
You can come up with a fairy tale or draw a comic book on the topic of how a “super pill”, penetrating the labyrinths of the body, fights evil viruses and, defeating them, gives health and good mood.
You can bribe a baby if you promise him his favorite treat or toy in exchange for him swallowing a small bitter pill.
Threats can also be used. The phrase: “If you don’t take medicine, you’ll have to give injections” in most cases simply has a magical effect.

Children in the older age group can almost always be persuaded to take medications, no matter how bitter they may be. In this case, the tablets or dragees do not need to be crushed, since many children over 4-5 years old easily swallow them whole.

How to take medications

Many drugs are structured as acids, alkalis or salts that easily enter into chemical reactions. And they should not change to help the child recover.

Milk and milk drinks

If you take iron syrup prescribed to a child to treat anemia with milk, it will not work. Only the delicate tooth enamel will turn black. In combination with milk, Magne B6, many antibacterial agents, Almagel, Nifuroxazide, expectorant syrups and all acid-resistant coated tablets (for example, Mezim, Erythromycin) will become much weaker. Even if milk does not act as a natural neutralizer for a drug, it will still reduce the absorption of most pharmaceutical drugs. After all, it contains a lot of proteins that tightly bind foreign substances and do not allow the therapeutic effect to manifest itself. It is not without reason that in case of drug poisoning, it is recommended to drink a lot of milk before the ambulance arrives.

Compotes, fruit drinks and juices

Rich in natural acids, fruit compotes and juices suppress the effect of antibiotics and neutralize the antipyretic effect of ibuprofen (including children's syrups Ibufen and Ibufen forte). That is why drinking cranberry juice or tea with lemon along with the medicine, on the contrary, will slow down the decrease in high body temperature in a sick baby and make his parents worry.

Is it possible to take medications with tea?

The tanning properties of the tannin included in the brew will prevent the medicinal drug from being completely absorbed. Therefore, doctors do not recommend using black or green tea.

About herbal decoctions

Herbal drinks are extremely unpredictable. No one has ever studied their effect on the body of children on a large scale. In recent years, scientists have been discovering the unwanted effects of some common and seemingly harmless plants. For example, long-term use of thyme decoction (an expectorant) can slow down the baby’s mental development; wild rosemary causes headaches. Herbal remedies can slow down the removal of medicine from the body, causing an overdose. St. John's wort, on the contrary, sharply shortens the period the drug remains in the patient's blood, reducing the effectiveness of treatment. This means that taking the “correct” dose of an antibiotic, medication for high blood pressure, or a contraceptive will clearly not be enough.

Many plants have not only a beneficial anti-inflammatory effect, but also a tanning, astringent, and enveloping effect. The biological mechanisms of these processes are different, but the result is the same: a decrease in the volume and rate of drug absorption.

Conclusion

It is best to take medications with plain, clean water at room temperature.

, which only slightly dilutes them and makes them easier to swallow. This rule always applies if the instructions for the drug do not indicate any other, strictly specific drink, for example, milk or juice.

Tablet crushing

Children under 5 years of age usually have difficulty taking the tablets or wafers.

But if the doctor prescribed the medicine in solid form, and the child cannot swallow the tablet, then the issue can be resolved by grinding it into powder.

If there is a line mark on the tablet, this means that it can be crushed.

The required part of the tablet is crushed into powder and diluted a little with water. Mixing the medicine with food is undesirable, as this can cause a negative attitude towards food in the child and distort the therapeutic effect. It is also not advisable to use juice, mineral water or milk for these purposes, since by reacting with the medicinal substance, these drinks can change the chemical structure of the drug.

You should be aware that not all drugs can be crushed. If the tablet is coated or capsule, then it is specially protected from the influence of the aggressive environment of gastric juice. If the protective layer is deprived, the medicine is completely neutralized in the stomach, and this medicine may not have the desired effect. Such tablets are prescribed to older children.

How to give tablets to an infant - instructions on how to give a tablet or capsule to an infant

Today there are many medicinal suspensions for infants, but some drugs still have to be given in tablets. How to do it?

We clarify the compatibility of the medicine with other medicines and food products that the baby receives.
We strictly follow the doctor’s instructions - we calculate the dosage with maximum scrupulousness, according to the prescription. If you need a quarter, break the tablet into 4 parts and take 1/4. If you can’t break it evenly, you should crush the entire tablet and, dividing the powder into 4 parts, take as much as the doctor indicated.
The easiest way to crush a tablet is between two metal spoons (we simply open the capsules and dissolve the granules in the liquid, in a clean spoon): drop the tablet (or the desired part of the tablet) into the 1st spoon, and place the 2nd spoon on top of it. Press tightly and grind until it becomes powder.

We dilute the powder in liquid (a small amount, about 5 ml) - in water, milk (if possible) or other liquid from the baby diet.
We give the baby medicine using one of the methods described above . The most optimal is from a syringe.
Giving a pill from a bottle does not make sense. Firstly, the baby, feeling bitterness, may simply refuse the bottle. Secondly, to make a hole in the bottle, the tablet will have to be ground almost into dust. And thirdly, giving from a syringe is much easier and more effective.

If it is possible to replace the tablets with a suspension or suppositories, replace them. The effectiveness is no lower, but the baby (and mother) suffers less.
If the baby refuses to open his mouth, do not shout or swear under any circumstances - this will discourage the child from taking medicine for a very long time. It is strictly not recommended to pinch your baby's nose so that his mouth opens - the child may choke! Gently squeeze your child's cheeks with your fingers and the mouth will open.
Be persistent , but without being harsh or raising your voice.
Try to give medicine while playing to distract your baby.
Don’t forget to praise your baby - how strong and brave he is, and how well done.
Do not pour the crushed tablet into the spoon with the puree. If the baby feels bitter, then he will refuse puree later.

What should you not take/take with your medications?

Antibiotics should not be taken with milk (the chemical structure of the tablets is disrupted and the body simply does not absorb them).
It is not recommended to take any tablets with tea. It contains tannin, which reduces the effectiveness of many medications, and caffeine, which leads to overstimulation when combined with sedatives.
You should also not take aspirin with milk. The acid, mixing with the alkali of milk, forms a mixture of water and salt without aspirin. Taking this medicine will be useless.
Juices contain citrates, which reduce the acidity of gastric juice and partially neutralize the effects of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, sedatives, antiulcers and drugs to reduce acidity. Citrus juice should not be taken with aspirin, cranberry and grapefruit juice should not be taken with most medications.

The site Colady.ru warns: all information presented is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Before using the medicine, be sure to consult your doctor!

Suspensions and syrups

Children usually consume sweet syrups and suspensions most readily.

They also add flavorings that remove unpleasant taste and bitterness.

Sometimes these additives can cause allergies, so you need to use them carefully and carefully monitor the child’s reaction.

Typically, such medications come with special measuring spoons, beakers or syringes for dosing and administration.

Before using the syrup or suspension, the vials of liquid are shaken to obtain a homogeneous mass, then a certain amount of the product is drawn into a spoon or syringe.

It is better to bottle feed babies if they need to take a lot of medication. When the syrup is given from a spoon, the baby must be kept half-sitting. In order for him to open his mouth, lightly press on the chin and pull down. Medicines can be given using a pipette by pulling back the lower lip.

It can be more difficult to give syrup to a child 1-3 years old than to a baby. It is necessary to come to an agreement with the baby; you cannot scold or scare him. Taking medication can be turned into a game - first give it to dolls, bunnies, bears, and also use various distracting maneuvers. The child must be praised for his patience and perseverance.

The child does not want to take medicine - what to do?

Children refuse medication with admirable determination. They cannot be reached with the argument that this is necessary to restore health. Therefore, it is not surprising that parents sometimes resort to deception, persuasion, promises, and advances so that their child swallows the syrup or tablet. If a child does not want to take medications, all remedies are good here. But have you ever wondered what emotions accompany this process - when you are trying to convince your daughter or son to take medicine?

You already know that it will be difficult, which means that you probably have a gloomy, tense or sad face, and there is fear and nervousness in your voice. You can rest assured that a child (even a tiny fool) will notice and feel all this! And the more upset or tense you are, the more the child does not want to take the medicine. Therefore, it is better to approach this process with a smile (even if through force).

When doing this in the case of a girl or boy, you need to try to convince the child that this is necessary in order to quickly return to a healthy state and “old life.” You can use the argument of returning to kindergarten as soon as possible or going outside, to your favorite playground, going to the zoo, etc. The prospect of time spent with friends and doing things you love can, in many cases, make a bitter pill just a little sweeter.

Other tricks can also have a positive effect:

the promise of a material gift after recovery in exchange for conscientiously drinking tablets and pills (the promise will have to be kept);
turning the reception into a game involving all your favorite dolls, bears, etc. and so on.;
imitation of taking medicine by mom or dad;
a story in the spirit of a fairy tale - about harmful villains microbes and a hero-medicine that will defeat them all. Surprisingly, such “tales” work for many children.

The main "don'ts"

Never use punishment for refusing to take a pill or syrup! In this way, you further aggravate the child’s reluctance to be treated and doom him to unnecessary stress. 2. Don’t be fooled by the fact that it’s, for example, “just sweet juice.” 3. Never give medicine by force. Such behavior can even lead to tragedy, for example, a child may choke. There are techniques in which drugs are infused by force, and they work when nothing else remains, but it is still worth trying to use all other means that are less traumatic to the child’s psyche.

The art of giving a child medicine

How difficult it is to give medicine to a baby! What tricks don’t have to be resorted to just so that the child takes a pill or a spoonful of bitter medicine! To prevent an ordinary treatment procedure from turning into a real battle, use our tips.

So, the doctor prescribed medicine for the child. Is it in your home medicine cabinet or have you just bought it - in any case, carefully read the instructions for it. Any questions or doubts? Be sure to consult with your pediatrician, but not in the presence of your baby. You must be sure of the need for the prescribed treatment, otherwise the child will immediately sense your hesitation and will flatly refuse the medicine.

With the exception of well-known, previously used medications, no other medications should be given to a child without the doctor’s permission, because they may turn out to be either useless or harmful for a given disease, and also because “similar diseases” are often treated differently.

Give all medications to your child in crushed and diluted form, and almost all of them at a certain time: before, during or after meals. Follow these rules!

The pharmaceutical industry produces drugs in liquid or granular form in bottles with a mark indicating the level to which it is necessary to pour and obtain a liquid dosage form for the child.

A number of medicines for children are produced in the form of suspensions and syrups that have a pleasant taste and smell, which also makes it easier to administer them orally to infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

Children under 3 years old

The strict rule is that all the tablets you give him must be crushed into powder.

A porcelain mortar is suitable for this, but regular teaspoons will also work. Lightly press one on top of the other and the powder is ready. Dissolve it in sweetened water, syrup, compote. It is better not to use juice and mineral water for these purposes - they often interact chemically with medications, which can lead to undesirable consequences.

Make sure that the powder does not remain at the bottom of the cup. If the baby spits out some of the water with the dissolved medicine, under no circumstances add it again “by eye” - there is a danger of overdose. Wait until your next appointment.

Before giving a medicine or tablet, be sure to try the medicine yourself and never deceive your child. If you have just described its wonderful taste, which turns out to be worse than bitter radish, you risk losing your child’s trust for a long time.

Is the tablet very bitter?

Immediately before use, mix the resulting powder with something sweet and thick, such as confiture, jam or honey. Do not divide one dose into 2-3 spoons. Give everything at once, otherwise the child may refuse the next one after the first spoon. Having prepared the “sweet pill”, try it yourself again. If you fail to mask the taste of the medicine, there is a danger that the child will once and for all acquire a persistent aversion not only to pills, but also to jam. Never mix medicine with foods that your baby should eat on a regular basis.

You should not give medicine to an infant through a pacifier, because he may develop a sharply negative conditioned reflex reaction to this object and in the future it will not be possible to use it for mixed or artificial feeding.

Children over 3 years old

Psychologists advise: while taking the medicine, place a doll or your favorite soft toy next to him and give them the pills along with the baby. Any business is argued for the company.

If your baby does not suffer from allergies, use this old proven method. Hide the medicine in a chocolate candy filled with jam. Carefully cut off the top of the candy with a knife, pour the powdered tablet into it and mix with the filling.

The effectiveness of the therapeutic action of many drugs administered orally depends on how correctly the time of taking the drug is chosen depending on the meal: before, during or after meals. Strictly follow your pediatrician's recommendations for taking the medication!

It is important to develop positive psycho-emotional reactions of the sick baby to the process of administering drugs. Never preface taking medication with long conversations and persuasion - children are very sensitive and, realizing that you sympathize with them, will turn a simple procedure into an execution for themselves and for you too.

Never give medicine by force, especially if the baby is crying at that moment. He may choke or choke.

It’s better to prepare in detail, but in an accessible way, to answer your son or daughter’s questions about why you need to take pills and medicines, and why you need to carry out the procedures prescribed by your doctor. Children love when everything is explained to them in detail. The explanation can be turned into a fairy tale, where the main character Tablet heroically fights against hordes of harmful microbes that have attacked the baby’s body.

Administration of drugs through the rectum is a fairly common method of therapy in situations where the use of pharmacological drugs by mouth is impossible or severely difficult. The purpose of this method is either a general (resorptive) or local effect on the painfully altered mucous membrane of the rectum. The drugs are administered in liquid form or in the form of suppositories.

Administration of drugs through the rectum has the following advantages:

- they can be administered in any mental state of the patient, the child does not show negative stress reactions when administered drugs that have an unpleasant odor or taste, irritating the mucous membrane of the mouth and esophagus, pharmacological substances are not subject to the destructive effects of the digestive juices of the stomach and small intestine;

- the use of drugs does not depend on the time of food intake and its nature;

— there are no adverse reactions caused by taking medications, such as nausea, vomiting, anorexia and other symptoms of dyspepsia;

- drugs are quickly absorbed through the mucous membrane of the rectum due to its pronounced folding and abundant blood supply and penetrate into the blood in significant quantities, bypassing the portal vein system.

The disadvantages of this method of administration include the impossibility of using it for diarrhea in children, the need for preparatory measures (administering a cleansing enema, heating the administered drug, etc.), and a negative psycho-emotional reaction to this method.

Rubber balloons with a soft tip are used to administer medications through the rectum.

Solid forms of drugs are administered intrarectally in the form of suppositories (suppositories), which melt or dissolve under the influence of body temperature in the rectum.

Before administering the drug orally, the mother must be extremely attentive and carefully monitor her actions. It is unacceptable to use drugs that have expired. And also those that were improperly stored, have signs of deterioration, and are in packaging with the inscription erased. If the administered medicine causes any adverse reactions in a sick baby, you must immediately inform the doctor and decide on the possibility of its further use.

Never allow children to play with medications, even vitamins - this is dangerous. All pills and mixtures are only from the hands of adults.

Medicine in a syringe

To administer the medicine orally, you can use a disposable medical syringe without a needle, or the one that comes with the medicine.

The syringe is brought closer to the corner of the mouth, focusing on the lower lip.

The medicine should be administered slowly so that the child has time to swallow it. You cannot pour syrup or suspension directly into your throat: the liquid should flow down the inside of your cheek.

A bitter medicine (for example, an antibiotic in the form of a suspension) is poured closer to the root of the tongue, where there are fewer taste buds, and the child will faintly feel the bitterness. In addition, when the root of the tongue is irritated, a swallowing reflex occurs.

It is convenient to measure the required dose with a syringe. After use, it must be washed, disassembled and dried.

How to give medicine to a child: dosing syringe, pipette, spoon

Basic principles

Whatever your baby suffers from, be it colic, allergies or some specific disease, you can only give him medications if they have been prescribed by a doctor. You cannot start medication treatment on your own.

If your baby has been prescribed a drug, read the instructions carefully. It will indicate a clear dose and time of administration (before, during or after meals). Don't hesitate to contact your pediatrician with any questions you have.

Some medications for infants come in ready-made form (syrups, drops, tablets, suppositories). Others must be diluted with water (powders, suspensions). This must be done strictly according to the instructions. Do not forget to shake drops and suspensions if you dilute them with water (part of the drug settles at the bottom of the bottle).

Do not interrupt the course of treatment yourself, even if your baby feels better. Otherwise, a relapse or transition of the disease to the chronic phase is possible.

The intervals between doses of the drug should be uniform (from waking up to night sleep). If you forgot to give your baby the medicine and are about an hour or two late, then give the baby the medicine; if more time has passed, skip the dose. Some medications need to be taken strictly on an hourly basis (for example, hormones). In this case, do not give the drug to your baby if you missed the dosage time.

Help for mom: Attach your medication schedule in a visible place. Set an alarm clock so that at regular intervals it reminds you that it is time to give your baby the medicine. Often you should not skip taking medications - this will affect the effectiveness of treatment.

Giving the baby liquid medicine

Most medications for children under one year of age are made in the form of drops, syrups and suspensions. Such products are much easier to give to a small patient, they are easier to digest, and have a pleasant taste and smell. Children rarely refuse to take such drugs.

Before each dose of drops and suspension, shake the bottle. Especially if the product was diluted with water. Carefully monitor the dosage - the baby must be given the exact number of milliliters of medicine each time (according to the doctor’s recommendation and instructions). The medications usually come with measuring spoons or dispensing syringes. If they are not there, you need to use a pipette or a regular medical syringe, removing the needle from it.

It is easier to give medicine to a baby if you swaddle him loosely and take him in your arms in a “cradle” (hold him horizontally at the chest, slightly raising his head). You can sit an older baby on one knee and hold his legs with the other. Hug the child with one arm, lightly lean him against you and secure his arms with your hand. Give the medicine with your free hand or ask a spouse or relative to do so. The baby should sit sideways to you. Tie your baby a bib so he doesn't get dirty.

Giving medicine from a dispenser syringe

This is the most convenient way. This way you can measure out the exact amount of the drug each time, and your baby will simply swallow it. Infants very rarely refuse to drink the product from such a syringe. Fill a dispenser or a regular medical syringe without a needle with a single portion of the medicine. Gently tilt your baby's head back. Carefully place the tip of the syringe in the corner of the child’s mouth and, gently pressing the dispenser plunger, inject the medicine. Aim for the cheek. Then the liquid will flow down its wall, and the baby will swallow the product. You cannot pour the drug straight into the throat: the child may choke. After each medication, disassemble the syringe and wash it under warm water.

Giving medicine from a pipette

This method is suitable for infants who have not yet developed their first teeth. Then the baby will not be able to accidentally bite through the glass tube. It is easier for a child to swallow liquid in small drops, but it is more difficult for parents to calculate the exact dosage in this way. Your hand may tremble, and it can be difficult to track exactly how many drops you dropped. Take the medicine in several approaches. It’s easier to instill five drops each time, then add again (to the desired volume). To get your baby to open his mouth, gently press your finger on his chin. Instill the remedy, aiming at the cheek, or on the tongue (if the medicine is not very bitter).

Giving medicine from a spoon

Thus, it is better to give the drug to children who have already learned to sit. Scoop the product into a measuring spoon and gently use it to bend back your child’s lower lip. When he opens his mouth, pour the drug into it. You can lightly press your finger on your chin or cheeks. If your baby flatly refuses to open his mouth, pinch his nose with two fingers. The child will reflexively open his mouth. At this moment, pour the medicine between his teeth and cheek (if you pour it directly into his throat, the baby will regurgitate the medicine). Open your nose when your baby swallows the product. Do these manipulations carefully so as not to frighten or injure the child. You should only pinch your nose as a last resort.

Giving medicine using a pacifier

If the baby uses a pacifier and the medicine tastes good, it can be given to the baby through the pacifier. To do this, take the required amount of the drug into a measuring spoon, dip the pacifier in it and let the baby lick it. Repeat the action until the entire portion is taken.

What if you were prescribed pills?

Giving tablets and capsules to a baby is more difficult. But they are rarely prescribed. First, you need to make sure that the medicine is suitable for the child’s age and is combined with other medications and complementary foods. Be sure to ask your doctor if there is another alternative (for example, a similar liquid medication or rectal suppositories).

First, calculate which part of the tablet (half, quarter or whole) should be given to your baby at a time. The packaging and instructions will necessarily indicate the amount of active substance in milligrams and how much of it the child should receive. The doctor must also tell you how many milligrams to give the baby at one time. Grind the tablet or part of it into powder. To do this, put it in a tablespoon and press it on top with another spoon. Simply divide the capsule in half and pour its contents into any shallow container.

Then the powder is diluted with a small amount of boiled water and given to the baby as a liquid medicine (via a dispenser syringe, pipette, bottle or spoon).

Attention! Be sure to monitor your baby's reaction to the drug. If a rash appears on his skin during the day, his temperature rises, constipation or diarrhea begins, or there is abundant mucus and greens in his stool, consult a doctor immediately. These are signals that the baby is not absorbing the medicine.

Important details

If the drug tastes unpleasant (most often this concerns hormones and antibiotics), it should be administered closer to the root of the tongue. Then the baby will hardly feel the bitterness and swallow the liquid reflexively.

Do not dilute the powder with too much water. Do not add milk, juices or fruit drinks to it to make the preparation tastier. This way, the baby will not receive the required concentration of the medicine, and the bitterness will still be present. And large volumes of liquid are more difficult to swallow than one spoon. If necessary, the product can be washed down with boiled water.

After your baby has drunk the syrup or suspension, wipe his gums with a napkin or brush his teeth. This will save your baby from an unpleasant taste in the mouth and dental plaque.

Do not add powder to food. The child may refuse complementary foods (the bitter taste will be associated with purees or porridge), and the medicinal properties of the medicine will be almost completely neutralized.

If the product has analogues in the form of syrup, suspension or drops, it is better to give them rather than tablets.

If your child vomits 10-15 minutes after taking the medicine, do not worry. This is a natural reflex. Try giving the remedy again. If your baby vomits half an hour after taking the drug, delay taking it until the next time (as scheduled).

Children often refuse medications: they become capricious, spit out, and regurgitate. Don't worry and be patient. Your confidence and calmness are the key to success. Gently try again and again. Distract your baby with conversations, cartoons or fairy tales. Give the baby the remedy from beautiful children's dishes (sometimes this helps), for example, from a bottle or a colored spoon. Do not yell at your child or make sudden movements. You need to give your baby medicine at a time when he is relatively calm. If a child cries, he will definitely choke on the liquid or spit it out. While taking the medicine, tell your child that this is a magical drink and it will definitely help him. Each time your child swallows the drug, praise him for his courage and patience. You will definitely succeed!

Summary: It is easiest to give liquid medications to infants from a dispenser syringe, and to older children - through a bottle or from a measuring spoon.

Why is strict dosing of medications important?

Absolutely any drug is a chemical substance foreign to the human body. There are no “simple” safe drugs

. For example, herbal cough syrups loved by many children (Pertussin, with thyme, with plantain), if the dosage is exceeded, can provoke painful nausea, abdominal pain and even vomiting. Glucose tablets with ascorbic acid will cause salt crystals to form in the kidneys. The same applies to most multivitamin complexes, which almost always include vitamin C. And excessive use of vasoconstrictor nasal drops is completely life-threatening. Therefore, it is IMPOSSIBLE to take medications in a dose greater than that recommended by the doctor.

It happens that parents independently reduce the dose of the medicine or stop giving it earlier than prescribed by the attending physician. And they explain this by the desire to “protect the liver and kidneys” from the harmful effects of “chemistry”. This is no less dangerous extreme. A “little” antibiotic will not be able to defeat pathogenic microbes and will cause their drug resistance. Untreated or prolonged purulent inflammation will deplete the child’s body and cause so-called multiple organ failure. Its symptoms - weakness, poor appetite, unstable stool, pale skin, anemia, swelling, reduced immunity - will haunt the baby for a long time and haunt his mother and father.

All parents know that sometimes it is almost impossible to force a child to drink this or that medicine, especially if it is bitter. A child can cry, kick and struggle, and even after losing an hour, he will still be a “winner.” And the parents will be left with medications that they could not force the child to take. So how can you give a child medicine so that “the sheep are safe and the wolves are fed”? Is this really impossible?

It turns out it's possible. Experienced parents have long ago invented several fail-safe ways to give their child medications and avoid hassle for both themselves and the child. These methods are listed below.

Soother with medicine

With the help of a unique pacifier, made in the shape of a “cross,” it is also convenient to give medications to a child.

Through the valve located in the middle of the cross, the pacifier is filled with medication that enters the baby’s mouth almost imperceptibly.

You can make a hole in the nipple yourself and insert a pipette with medicine there.

You can also dip a regular baby pacifier into the liquid form of the drug and give it to the child’s mouth. Or, first dip it in the medicine, and then in syrup or honey, if the beekeeping product does not cause allergies. This can be done several times until the entire required amount has been taken.

To remove the unpleasant taste in the mouth after taking the medication, you can give your baby something to drink.

other methods

For older children, you can offer the pill in a playful way.

It’s better to prepare two spoons at once. Place ascorbic acid in one for the bear, and sugar with crushed tablets in the other for your son or daughter. First, the baby is treated, and then the bear or doll “drinks” the ascorbic acid. In order not to waste an expensive drug to “treat” the doll, cheap ascorbic acid or paracetamol (aspirin, etc.) is used. That is, those drugs that you don’t mind throwing away.

And children older than one and a half years are easily persuaded. In exchange for treatment without refusals or tears, you can promise them to buy some kind of toy, go on a visit, visit the zoo, and so on.

It’s even better to have an educational conversation and tell him how important it is to get treatment on time, and how his friend was also cured thanks to the pills. There is a high probability that the baby will open his mouth on his own in order to recover faster and go for a walk in the yard “like Petya.” Another way: This is to stuff a banana or chocolate candy with pieces of the medicine. At the same time, the baby is distracted while chewing a product with a “surprise” with the help of a favorite cartoon or toy.

It is important that the child does not notice the catch! The wrapper on the candy should be wrapped neatly, like in a factory. You can place larger pieces, such as quarters, into the candy. And smaller particles are introduced into the banana to make the medicine less noticeable to the taste buds.

Playing Doctor

Many children are afraid of medications, thermometers and doctors. Try to change your child's attitude towards medications through play. Let the baby turn into a doctor himself, and let dad, mom or your favorite bear get sick. Let your child take your temperature, give you an injection, and give you some medicine to drink. If the child understands that there is nothing terrible in the treatment and his “patients” feel much better, then perhaps he will stop being afraid of treatment himself.

Do not frighten your child with a hospital, painful injections and bitter pills, because this will only strengthen the child’s fear of treatment. And believe me, it will be very difficult to convince him otherwise.

How to give medicine if the child refuses

From the moment of birth, parents need to build the right pedagogical strategy. It will be especially needed when the baby gets sick. Starting to give the medicine, the baby begins to cry and resist. And it turns out that it is not the father and mother who raise the child, but vice versa. If your baby deviates from your decision at least once, then he will understand that your decision can be changed. And then such a reaction will occur every time the baby doesn’t like something.

Therefore, when treating a child through persuasion and moderate violence, parents need to bring the matter to an end. This will allow parents, truly understanding the threat to the baby’s health, to complete the treatment they have begun. But after this, parents definitely need to hug and praise the baby.

Candles

The pediatrician may prescribe medications in the form of rectal suppositories. These are suppositories that are inserted into the rectum. Many mothers are afraid of this procedure. However, thanks to suppositories, a longer-lasting therapeutic effect can be achieved.

Administration of drugs through the rectum will avoid negative reactions from the gastric mucosa and will not cause vomiting in the baby.

In fact, the procedure is simple:

The candle is warmed to room temperature. To do this, it is dipped in a shell into warm water or held in the palms.
With clean hands, the parent removes the candle from the package.
The child is placed on his left side. A diaper is placed under it.
The anus is lubricated with Vaseline or baby cream.
The child's legs are bent at the hip and knee joints and pressed to the stomach.
With one hand, the baby’s buttocks are spread apart, and with the other, the narrow end is inserted forward.
The buttocks are tightly closed and supported for a couple of minutes. After this, you need to calm the child down and let him lie down without sudden movements.

Suppositories are administered after bowel movements. If for some reason this was not done and the suppository comes out with the stool, the procedure should be repeated.

Anyone can independently give medicine to their child. The main thing is to be patient, persistent and remain calm. After all, the baby’s health is the most valuable treasure of parents. Thanks to their care and correct actions, the child will quickly recover.

When all the arguments are exhausted

How to teach a child to swallow pills? When the baby refuses to take capsules and other tablets and it is impossible to come to an agreement with him, parents should not despair. After all, bad things come to an end.

Some parents resort to tricks. At the pharmacy they purchase special glazed capsules into which they place real tablets. Thanks to this, the medicine is easy and simple to swallow. This method is suitable for children over 3 years old.

And for infants, it is best to mix the crushed tablet in a spoon with something sweet that he is allowed to drink. For young children, it is best to take the medicine in syrup form. However, situations arise when certain drugs are not available in liquid form, especially for children.

Main difficulties

Mothers are afraid that the frightened baby will immediately spit out the pill. And this happens every time the children notice that they were given bitter “muck”!

Typically the course of treatment lasts several days. And it is extremely difficult to persuade a child to open his mouth again after he is afraid of an unpleasant taste. But you cannot forcefully give medicine - the child may choke and begin to choke.
In such a situation, it is better to contact the doctor again and ask him to replace the tablets with more tasty analogues (syrup, suspension, tablet form in a sweet shell). In most cases, you can find a pleasant-tasting replacement! But mom should not be embarrassed to talk about the problem with her doctor.