Self-medicating your sick baby or toddler
Don't resort to forcing medication down your child's throat when they’re sick. Rather try these easy ways to get the medicine down.
Caring for a sick baby or toddler is challenging enough without the added worry of trying to get them to take their medicine without spitting it out. Here are some suggestions and safety tips that may make giving medicine to your tot easier.
Why you should always consult your baby’s doctor
Whether your baby has the sniffles, is suffering from teething pains, or has a high fever the most accurate way of determining what medication to give your child is to pay a visit to the doctor’s room. While some over-the-counter medicines can relieve your child’s symptoms, not all products are recommended for children. If you can’t take your child to a doctor, your pharmacist is always available to answer questions and to help you to appropriately and responsibly self-medicate.
Signs that your baby is ill
General indications that your baby is not feeling well include uncontrollable crying and fussiness when touched, a lack of appetite, and lethargy. Danger signs include your baby not wanting to wake up or having extreme vomiting and diarrhoea, especially with blood in the stool. These symptoms will alert you to the need for a visit to the doctor.
How to administer the medication
Once medication and professional advice have been dispensed, make sure you keep strictly to the prescribed dosing amounts and intervals.
Seat your baby at a 45-degree angle and keep his arms down by his side and the back of his head supported against your arm. Administer the liquid a few drops at a time. Too much will cause your baby to cough, splutter and spit the whole lot out.
Aim the drips to the side of the tongue near the back of the mouth to avoid choking and avoid the temptation to get it down all in one go or to squirt into the cheek pouches as he is likely to store it there and spit it back out at the first opportunity.
Another option is to fill a bottle nipple with medicine and have your baby suck it like a pacifier.
Other important tips
- Never give your baby too much medicine at once
- Always use the correct measuring device. Ideally, use the cup, syringe, spoon, or dropper that comes with the medicine. If there isn’t one, ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider for one
- Never give more than one type of medicine to your baby at the same time
- Never share adult medicines with your child
- Always keep all medicine in its original package and container
- Never give aspirin to children under 12, because of the risk of developing Reyes Syndrome – a rare but serious condition that causes swelling in the liver and brain
- Always check your medicine cabinet and discard medication that has expired
Good to know
According to a survey by the American Academy of Pediatrics, about 25 percent of paediatricians reported that their “patients often fail to take medication as prescribed. The leading reasons for noncompliance include too many doses and unpleasant taste.
