What are some tips for getting your baby to take medicine?

Everyone will get sick. Adults often have symptoms such as colds, diarrhea, and headaches. At this time, many people will choose to take medicine, such as going to the pharmacy to buy medicine, or taking some Chinese medicine, which generally does not require too much attention. But if the sick baby is very young, then you have to be very careful when giving the baby medicine, and there are many precautions, because most medicines have side effects. These side effects may not cause much harm to adults, but for fragile babies, they may be very serious harm. Therefore, if you are sure to give your baby medicine, parents should keep the following knowledge in mind.

Method 1: Feeding medicine from the "lower jaw" without choking

When feeding medicine to children, adults refer to the way they take medicine themselves—open their mouths, pour the medicine in, and swallow it. However, children under six months old have imperfect swallowing functions. Although it is simple to force medicine into their mouths, it is inevitable that it may cause choking and vomiting if they are too hasty, which is not a good method. To make it easier for your baby to take medicine, the posture must be correct. First, lift the baby's head and tilt his face to the side. Then insert the spoon or straw from the lower jaw (the side of the mouth close to the lower teeth) and slowly feed the medicine. Do not take out the spoon or straw in a hurry. Wait until the child swallows the medicine.

Method 2: What to do if your child vomits after taking medicine

When children are young, their swallowing function is poor and they will spit up after drinking milk, and even more so after taking medicine. This kind of vomiting is unconscious. As long as it happens soon after the medicine is given, the vomited amount of medicine must be replenished in time, otherwise the drug effect will not be achieved. However, children over 3 years old who vomit after taking medicine are often spoiled by their parents. Children are unwilling to take the medicine and feel nauseous when taking it. Once this habit is formed, it is difficult to correct, so it is necessary to guide them from an early age, and the methods are similar to those mentioned above. Some children really refuse to take medicine because they think it tastes bitter, especially medicine in tablet form. You can mix it with their favorite fruit juice, honey water, or glucose water. However, the amount of juice or sugar water must be strictly controlled according to the amount on the medicine instructions, otherwise it will be ineffective. Milk may react with medicines and is not recommended to be mixed with medicines.

Method 3: Encourage older children to take their own medicine

By the age of 2, children have most likely learned to use a spoon by themselves. If the child is sick at this time, unless he is very weak, if his spirit and appetite are good, you can encourage the child to take medicine by himself and give him praise. Once a child feels that taking medicine is a brave thing to do, he or she will not be afraid of taking medicine in the future. However, this depends on subtle influence from an early age. For example, when the child is young, he doesn’t want to take medicine, and the parents don’t have the heart to force him. They think that it doesn’t matter if the child doesn’t want to take the medicine, as he can get an injection if he is sick. As a result, the child is reinforced of the idea of ​​not taking medicine. After all, the side effects and risks of injections are much higher than those of taking medicine. Some parents use medication as a means of punishment. If their children are disobedient, they threaten them with taking medicine and emphasize that it is bitter medicine. Of course, the children will be even more reluctant to take the medicine. When children are 3 to 6 months old, they should be given appropriate amounts of fruit juice and soup with a variety of flavors. Foods like bitter gourd juice, tomato juice, watercress soup, mustard soup (the soup should be boiling without salt), etc., have a slightly sour or bitter taste. This will allow your child to slowly adapt to the taste of different foods, and when they are sick and take medicine, they will naturally not be afraid of the bitter taste. In addition, parents who take the lead in eating everything will also have a good influence on their children.