10 Substitutes for the Spoonful of Sugar

They say that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, but sugar may not help your child feel any better. Author Vicki Lansky offers creative tips for getting kids to take their medicine, without bribing them with heaps of sugar.

“One of the hardest things about giving medicine to babies and small children is getting it all down,” says Vicki Lansky, parenting expert and author of Practical Parenting Tips  (Meadowbrook Press). The trick is finding fun, creative ways to ease the process.

Here are ten tips for getting your kids’ medicine down the hatch:

1. Give bad-tasting medicine by holding your child’s nose until the medicine is swallowed. Follow with a quick drink of juice.

2. Many medications can be frozen as Popsicles, but check with your pharmacist first.

3. Chilling liquid medicines can improve flavor.

4. Hold a paper cup under your child’s chin when giving liquid medicine. Spills can then be mixed with water or fruit juice and drunk from the cup.

5. Rub an ice cube over your child’s tongue to numb the taste buds.

6. Bury a pill in a spoonful of applesauce, yogurt, ice cream or whipped cream.

7. Crush the pill and mix the powder into applesauce and jam. Serve with a spoon and follow with juice or water.

8. “Give” the pill to your child’s favorite doll first.

9. For kids in daycare, ask your pharmacist for an empty bottle with the proper label and instructions. Put daytime pills in this bottle and give to your childcare provider.

10. Keep track of medicine dosage on your calendar; busy parents need help staying organized!

Also, remember that it’s important to take medicine for the entire period prescribed by your doctor. Failure to do so can simply weaken medicine’s effectiveness. Follow these tips, and your child will be on top of the world in no time!

Posted: 4/30/2004 11:19:32 AM

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