Forcing or planting drugs in food? Not this way. The specialist advises how to convince the baby to the necessary therapy.
Emily Glarum, a specialist at the Los Angeles Pediatric Heart Institute, has simple advice: be honest, practice, provide choice, set a schedule, and let your baby drink in small sips or through a straw.
Don’t cheat baby
– I like to promote honesty. Hiding drugs in food can make kids feel cheated and cause distrust and even aversion to different foods, Glarum says.
She adds that she has seen many times that children find that the drugs were mixed with food and could stop eating, and were more suspicious during meals, like, “Oh, they mix the drug with that?” While Glarum recommends not hiding medicines, if children choose to mix medicines with food or drink, it’s okay if they know about it.
– Be honest with children about why they need the drug, but in a way that they can understand. For example: “We’re trying to improve the condition of your knees” or “I’m trying to help your stomach feel better,” she said. Especially if it is a drug that children have to take for a long time. The conversation will help them understand the meaning of therapy and the need to control medication.
“Start and stick to a consistent treatment schedule,” Glarum suggests.
Also, offer your child a choice. – For example, allow your child to take liquid medicines from a dropper or cup. Or give the choice of water or juice to take the pill. The timing of medication can also be somewhat flexible, such as allowing the child to choose whether to take the dose before or after bathing, the expert lists.
Learning to take pills and a drinking straw
He also advises that you take the time to learn and practice your medications, especially if you are switching from liquids to pills. This can be done with lozenges, ranging from the smaller ones to those that are the size of the pills you take. “It helps create a level of comfort for the child,” he says.
If your child doesn’t like the taste of the syrup, you can give them small portions to drink and then take each mini-dose with a small amount of water or a drink of their choice. “Offer a small reward between doses, like work on a coloring book or place a Lego brick on top of a structure,” says Glarum.
An alternative for a child who does not want to drink the medicine is to use a straw. In the case of an infant, you can use a syringe and place drops of medication between the child’s cheek and tongue, allowing each drop to be swallowed until consumed.
Source: Wprost
