How to teach a child to swallow medicine capsules. A complex physiological process or how to teach a child to swallow pills. Strength is the last resort

When a child is ill, the problem of treatment is added to anxiety and excitement for him. Children do not like to take medicine, and sometimes it takes a lot of patience and effort to persuade them to do so.

The most common difficulty in treatment concerns taking pills. How to teach a child to swallow pills? Of course, there are a number of tips that can make this task easier for parents. After all, it is usually they who are responsible for solving this problem.

It is better to start training from the age of 3.5 years. At this time, you can already agree with the baby. Explain something to him and listen to his fears and concerns.

Oddly enough, it sounds, but training should ideally be carried out when the baby is healthy. In a good mood and in the absence of a sore throat, he is more likely to do what you want from him. Small vitamins can be used as teaching material. The first tablets in a baby's life should not be bitter and large:

• Show your child an example, let him repeat all the actions after you. Explain that it is best to take the tablets with plain water.
• Teach your child how to properly place the tablet on the tongue. It is necessary to put it far, but not too close to the root, so as not to cause a gag reflex. The same applies if you ask how to teach a child to swallow capsules.
• Explain the convenience of swallowing tablets without tasting them rather than chewing them. Tell them that they will dissolve in the stomach, doing everything to make the disease go away.

Many mothers ask how to teach a child to drink pills whole. Of course, it is best not to divide them into parts, unless the dosage requires it. The main thing here is not to worry about parents. After all, their excitement is transmitted to the child. When washed down with water, the tablet will go exactly where it is required.

Did your little one do an excellent job and swallow the pill? Praise him! Reward with something tasty and tell all the relatives what an adult he has already become and how easy it will be to treat him now.

Do not forget to tell the baby that you can drink only those pills that his mother (dad, grandmother) gives him. Emphasize that there are pills from which you can recover, but there are also those that (if taken incorrectly and without permission) can, on the contrary, make you sick.

How to get your child to take medicine

Many parents try to force medicine into their child. This method is not always effective, the baby can choke on water, choke on a pill, it can vomit. Therefore, experts insist on the positive motivation of the baby.

Of course, ideally, you do not need to force the baby to drink the medicine he needs, but it is much more effective to negotiate with him. To do this, you should calm him down, and calm down yourself.

After that, talk to the child. Explain to him that medicines need to be taken in order to recover. Offer to reward him with your favorite sweet after a tasteless preparation.

Be cunning, but never deceive the baby, because otherwise he will not believe you, even if you say sincerely that this pill is not bitter.

Help, I'm giving up. How to teach a child to swallow tablets, capsules?

Open in application

In the application, you can view all the photos of this entry, as well as comment and read other posts by the author

Comments

If the tablet can still be crushed, mixed with something sweet like honey and given to drink, then the capsule must be swallowed whole.

Don't listen to the advice above! Honey and pills are not compatible things at all !!!

And there is no alternative? can you eat syrup? and so you can just grind with water and give from a spoon or syringe. But these are just pills. I don't know about capsules. Ask your doctor if you can replace the capsules with something?

Honey, juice, syrup is not suitable. There is no alternative. The capsule must dissolve in the intestines!

Capsules can be opened and the contents poured out, the tablets can be crushed

- @elena24588 well, I can’t, I wrote) then they will only harm the stomach. And at best, they simply won’t help

I don't know about capsules. And my elder only gnaws pills (even bitter ones), then swallows them. No whole one either.

- @nastyachijik eh, I've been tormenting for two days already, apparently, it's time to stop, it's not destiny ... not the time, probably (((

And what kind of capsules, we were prescribed Creon and 1 capsule divided into 4 doses, so they opened and divided and gave these balls without a shell

- @zahlebina.marina, you can do exactly the same with Creon. There, in addition to the external gelatin capsule, there are microcapsules inside, which do not dissolve under the influence of gastric juice and enter the intestines, as I understand it. We have enterol .. well, it seems that they also allowed to disclose it. but will there be an effect xs

- @olga_mama2, the allergist prescribed us this way, and not only me and my goddaughter also gave the same effect, but enterol was in powder

Read these entries in Mumlife - the most popular application for female communication!

To explain to a small child that this bitter pill or nasty drops will help to recover is most often impossible. A sick baby concentrates only on the negative emotion of the present moment, and even the potential improvement is not able to make him take the medicine. That is why you should not waste your energy and look for reasonable arguments. This situation is one of those when it is worth resorting to tricks.

Bitter tablets should be ground to a powder and diluted with sweet berry syrup or jam. If the taste of the drug is acceptable, but for some reason the child does not like it, try to discreetly dilute the drug with his favorite treat: fruit puree, jam, condensed milk, yogurt. If taking the medicine is really important, you can even allow the baby something conditionally forbidden, where the medicine will be mixed.

There is a great way to easily swallow pills. You just need to drink them from a bottle. In this case, the tongue is located in the mouth in such a way that the moment of swallowing becomes easier.

We are trying to negotiate

If your baby is at an age where you can negotiate with him, use this opportunity. Line up your arguments ahead of time. Press on emotions: impressionable children succumb to persuasion much faster. Reassure the child that he is big enough to take medication on his own and without crying. Use the principle of comparison with other children who can easily take a pill. Promise your baby a long-awaited gift for his courage. It may not be entirely pedagogical to do so, but in this case, the health of your son or daughter is at stake.

Remember that most modern medicines for children do not actually have an unpleasant taste and are as easy to use as possible. Stereotypes, fear and unreasonable prejudice - this is what prevents the child from being treated normally with medication.

Teach your child to safely take medications in advance. Talk to your doctor about taking multivitamin courses, give your baby rosehip syrup or other healthy supplements in various forms.

Strength is the last resort

Sometimes a child is at an age when it is still difficult to explain the expediency of taking medications, and it is almost impossible to outwit them. If the health or even the life of the baby really depends on the drug, there is nothing left but the use of force. Of course, this method should be resorted to only as a last resort, while acting as delicately as possible. Try to make sure that the medicine still tastes good, stock up on enough water so that the child can drink it. It is very convenient to dilute the drug with a liquid and inject it into the mouth with a syringe without a needle. It is quite possible that the child will understand that the medicine turned out to be not at all disgusting, and the next time he will take it without any effort on your part.

Experienced parents know: if you managed to pour or pour the medicine into the child inside, this does not mean anything. Even when the baby swallows it, he can easily spit it out or regurgitate it back, flooding everything around, starting with himself and his parents, ending with furniture. To a greater or lesser extent, almost all parents are faced with the fact that getting a child to swallow medicine is a great art. And sometimes it requires special tricks. After all, some children become more and more inventive with age in resisting this matter. To make this event easier for yourself, you can use some of the following tips:
* to inject the medicine, use a spoon or pipette. The most comfortable spoon is not too deep and rounded, it is easier for a child to lick it. If necessary, you can turn it over and run it over the baby's tongue so that he licks off the remnants. If the baby doesn't like the spoon and the dropper is too small for your dosage, you can use a special medicine spoon or a plastic syringe that injects the medicine deep into the baby's mouth. But, of course, you need to enter no more than the volume that the child can swallow at one time;
* Another backup tool, if others do not fit, is a nipple from a bottle, from which the baby can suck out the medicine. Then pour water into the same nipple so that he drinks the rest of the medicine with it. Now in stores you can easily buy small bottles specifically for medicines. Such bottles have a convenient measuring scale and various nozzles in the form of nipples and soft spoons, with which it is easier for a child to give various drugs, even in the form of an insoluble powder;
* when injecting the medicine, do not touch the back of the tongue, otherwise you may provoke a gag reflex. Point the spoon deep into the mouth, and the pipette or syringe to the side, that is, between the back of the gum and the cheek, since most of the taste points are concentrated on the front and center of the tongue.

While administering the eye drops, hold the child's head. In this case, at least part of the medicine will reach its goal.

* when chilled, most medicines have a less pronounced taste, so it is better to give them to a child colder. But check with the pharmacist if the lower temperature will affect the effect of the drug;
* if there are no contraindications, the medicine can be mixed with juice or fruit puree, and in this case it will be much easier to give it;
* if the child has an adverse reaction to the medicine, stop giving it for a while and resume taking it only after consulting with the doctor;
*sometimes you may need help. Take it or organize it yourself.

If you give the medicine alone and the child resists

Trying to give medicine to a screaming and bucking baby is an incredibly difficult task. But if there is still no one around you, first put your patient in a high chair or child seat, fasten him and quickly give the medicine. If there is no such chair, try another trick:
* fill the container with medicine (spoon - not to the brim) and place it on the table within reach;
* then sit down on a hard chair yourself, and put the child on your knees facing forward;
* place your left hand across the child's body, holding his arms securely;
* grab the child's jaw with your left hand, placing your thumb on one cheek, and the index finger on the other;
* tilt the baby's head back a little and gently press on the cheeks to open the mouth;
* Inject the medicine with your right hand. Keep pressing lightly on the child's cheeks until the medicine is swallowed by the child.
This whole procedure should take only a few seconds: if you hesitate, the baby will begin to break out.

Always give medicine to your child confidently, even if it didn't work the last time. If the baby feels that you are expecting resistance, you will definitely receive it. This can happen anyway, of course, but your confidence increases the chances of success.

The last remedy you can use: mix the medicine with 1-2 teaspoons of strained fruit puree or fruit juice, but only if the doctor has not forbidden such a mixture. The main thing is not to dilute the medicine with a large amount of food or juice, because the baby may simply not eat the entire serving.

Remember that when the child is sick, it is better not to give new food.

Despite the fact that taking pills is quite a common procedure, it causes serious difficulties for many adults and children. The fear of a gag reflex tightens your throat so much that the pill stubbornly remains in your mouth, waiting for you to spit it out. Fortunately, there are various ways to deal with this problem that will help you relax, overcome the fear of choking on a pill, and allow you to swallow it calmly.

Steps

Taking the tablet with food

Eat a tablet with bread. If you're trying to take a pill and just can't swallow it, try using a piece of bread. Break off a small piece of bread and chew it until it is ready to be swallowed. Before swallowing bread, take a tablet and attach it to the chewed bread in your mouth. Close your mouth and swallow the bread along with the tablet. The tablet should be swallowed without difficulty.

• You can also use a bagel slice, cookie or cracker. Their texture is similar enough to bread that it will help you swallow a pill with them.
• You can also drink water with bread to help it pass through the esophagus.
• Some medicines should be taken on an empty stomach. Check the package leaflet for any instructions to take the medicine on an empty stomach.

1. Eat a pill with marmalade. To make it easier for yourself to swallow a tablet, you can stick it into a piece of marmalade. Take a piece of marmalade and make a small incision in it. Insert a tablet into the incision. Eat marmalade, but do not chew it. Chewing some tablets changes the time of onset of their action. Just try to swallow the marmalade, and when it is in your throat, quickly wash it down with water.

   • You may have difficulty if you find yourself unable to swallow a piece of marmalade. You may need some practice.
   • This method is very suitable for children. Disguising the pill with marmalade makes it easier for parents to convince their child to take the medicine.

2. Lubricate the tablet with honey or peanut butter. The tablets can be taken along with honey or peanut butter, as these foods make it easier for them to pass through the throat. Take a full spoonful of any of these products and place the tablet in the very center of the spoon. Be sure to push the tablet deep into the honey or peanut butter. Then swallow the prepared spoonful of honey or peanut butter along with the tablet. Wash it down with water.

   • You should drink water before and after using this method. Honey and peanut butter are quite thick foods and can be swallowed rather slowly. Moistening your throat with water before and after taking them can help you swallow the pill more easily and not choke.

3. Try eating the tablet with a soft meal. If you cannot swallow a tablet with bread, try eating it with soft foods such as applesauce, yogurt, ice cream, pudding, or jelly. This method is used in hospitals for patients who have difficulty swallowing. Prepare a small plate of food. Eat a little before you are about to swallow the tablet with food. Then eat the tablet with another spoonful of food. The tablet should be swallowed without difficulty with food when you take a sip.

   • Do not chew the tablet while doing this.

4. Practice swallowing tablets on small candies. One of the main reasons that people have difficulty swallowing pills is that the throat rejects the pill and becomes tense. To overcome this, one can practice swallowing small sugary pills to train the throat to swallow whole objects without creating the risk of choking or injury. Take a small dragee, such as mini M&M's. Put it in your mouth like a tablet and swallow it with a sip of water. Repeat the procedure until you get used to the size of the swallowed tablets.

   Eat a tangerine tablet. Try swallowing a whole slice of tangerine. After getting used to swallowing the tangerine slices, place the tablet inside the next slice and swallow it. The smooth texture of the surface of the tangerine slice will facilitate the passage of the tablet through the throat and allow it to be swallowed without difficulty.

   • Drink a slice of tangerine with water so that it passes through the esophagus better.

   Swallowing the tablet with liquid

   1. Take the tablet with small sips of water. When you take medicine, you want your throat to be as well moistened as possible for the pill to pass easily through your throat. Take a few small sips of water before taking the pill. Place the tablet at the base of the tongue and then continue to drink water until the tablet is swallowed.

      Try the two big sips method. Take a tablet and put it on your tongue. Take a mouthful of water and take a long gulp of the water, but not the pill. Then take another large sip of water along with the tablet. After that, take one normal sip of water to help the pill pass through the esophagus.

      Use a cocktail straw. Some people find it easier to swallow a tablet with water or a drink sucked through a straw. Place the tablet on the base of the tongue. Start drinking water or a drink through a straw and swallow the tablet as you do so. Continue drinking after swallowing the tablet to help it pass through the esophagus.

      Drink plenty of water before taking the tablet. Some people find that drinking plenty of water before taking the pill makes it easier to swallow. Next, take a mouthful of water. Open your lips slightly and push the tablet into your mouth. Then swallow the water along with the tablet.

      Help your child swallow the tablet. Even three-year-olds may need to take pills. At this age, it may be difficult for a child to understand the technique of swallowing a pill, or he may simply be afraid of choking on it. If you find yourself in this situation, try to explain the whole process to your baby. A simple way to give a pill to a child is to ask him to fill his mouth with water and hold it in his mouth while looking at the ceiling. Slip the tablet into the child's mouth through the corner of the lips and wait for it to go down to the throat. After a while, ask the child to swallow water, while the tablet should be swallowed with water.

      • You can also try any other method of swallowing the tablets with food or drink with your child, as long as it is not prohibited by the instructions for the drug.

   Application of alternative methods

   1. Try using a plastic bottle. Fill a plastic bottle with water. Put the tablet on your tongue. Then wrap your lips around the neck of the bottle. Tilt your head back and drink some water. Keep your lips on the neck of the bottle and suck the water out of it. Water along with the tablet should easily pass through the throat.

      Use the head tilt method. When using this method, you should place the tablet on your tongue. Then you need to take water in your mouth, but do not rush to swallow it. First you need to tilt your head forward, pressing your chin to your chest. Let the medicine capsule slide down your throat and then swallow it.

      Relax. Anxiety can have a significant impact on the ability to swallow a tablet. It is very important to relax while doing this. If you're nervous, your body tenses up and it becomes harder for you to swallow pills. To prevent this effect, you need to relax. Sit down with a glass of water and do something that will help you reduce your anxiety. Find a quiet place to do this, listen to soothing music, or meditate.

   2. Find an alternative to pills. Many drugs are available in various dosage forms. You can buy medicine in liquid form, as a patch, cream, inhalation solution, in the form of rectal suppositories or aerosols, which are tablets dissolved in water. Talk to your doctor about your options, especially if you find it difficult to swallow tablets, regardless of the method used.

      • Do not attempt to take the tablet in any other way than the one recommended by your doctor. Do not crush the tablet and do not try to dissolve it, do not try to use the tablet instead of a rectal suppository, unless it is intended for this. Always check with your doctor if you change the way you take a pill.