How to Give Medications to Kids

Your child's doctor writes the prescription, the pharmacist gives you the medication, and now you're left to figure out how to get your 1-year-old to take it. It is often simpler to dispense medication to a young infant, because she accepts whatever you put in her mouth. Once a child reaches a more independent age, she is more apt to spit it out or refuse to take it. The goal is to get creative in your dispensing methods, while maintaining the integrity of the medication.

Things You'll Need

• Medicine cup
• Medicine spoon
• Syringe
• Pill crusher

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Instructions

Liquids

• 1

  Use appropriate tools to measure the medication. A regular kitchen spoon does not accurately dispense a teaspoonful of medicine. Use oral syringes, cups or medicine spoons that have markings for "ml" or teaspoons.

• 2

  Read the numbers on the syringe or cup carefully.

  Shake liquid medication bottles for 30 seconds. Insert an oral syringe or medicine spoon into the top of the container. If you're using a measuring cup, pour the desired amount of liquid into the cup.

• 3

  Use a car seat or high chair to keep a child steady.

  Hold infants in a slightly reclined feeding position or put older babies in a car seat or high chair.

• 4

  Insert the syringe or spoon into the child's mouth. Focus the medication into the side of the child's cheek. Do not squirt it into the back of the baby's throat or you may incite the gag reflex. Hold the child's cheeks together to help her swallow. You can also gently rub a finger along the underside of her chin to get her to swallow.

• 5

  Mix the medication into a baby's bottle, if necessary. Put one-half to 1 ounce of formula or milk in with the medication. Make sure the child finishes the bottle.

Tablets and Capsules

• 6

  Mix pills in with soft food.

  Combine capsules or tablets with soft food. Disguising them in applesauce, oatmeal or pudding will distract the child into eating the medication without realizing it.

• 7

  Crush hard medications if the pharmacist says it is an acceptable way to dispense the medication. Use a heavy kitchen utensil or a pill crusher, which is available at the pharmacy. Mix the pieces with water, food or juice and make sure the child eats or drinks it all.

• 8

  Put crushed pills right on top of a soft food.

  Sprinkle the crushed pieces on top of a spoonful of applesauce or oatmeal and put it in the child's mouth. The medication will slip down the child's throat without reaching the taste buds.

• 9

  Hold an ice cube or fruit Popsicle in the child's mouth. Slightly numbing the mouth can help the medicine go down.