Health Hacks: How to Help the Medicine Go Down

Mary Poppins may have used a spoonful of sugar to help the children take their medication, but in real life the task is seldom so simple. Just about every parent has a tale of woe of a time when their child came down with an infection and absolutely, positively refused to swallow a single pill.

It’s not that surprising that children are resistant to taking medications. Virtually all such substances are naturally bitter. Since many poisonous plants also have a bitter aftertaste, human beings evolved an inherent aversion to the flavor. And since children have a higher number of taste buds than adults and subsequently more perceptive palates, they are that much more likely to avoid anything that tastes remotely bitter. Children suffering from fever benefit greatly from fever-reducing medicines. Taking antibiotics in a timely fashion can also help combat serious infection.

Unfortunately, while this once might have presented a sound evolutionary advantage, it’s now a serious pain for parents stuck with a sick preschooler. Here are some suggestions for how to minimize the fuss.

This might seem like the lazy way out, but it’s often the most effective. If your child loathes a particular medication, offer them a particularly appealing prize for taking it. This doesn’t necessarily have to be edible, although sweets are always an easy option. It could be a favorite activity or game.

If you’re going to hide your children’s medication, make sure you do it well enough that they don’t realize what you’re doing. There’s nothing worse than having your three-year-old get wise that you’ve been sneaking crushed antibiotics into their cereal—it will only make them stop trusting your food altogether. Stick to strong flavors (chocolate syrup will cover just about anything) and substances where texture won’t be an issue (smoothies are a good option). Make sure that your child can consume all the food. Most medicines also should not allowed to be mixed with milk.

Yes, sometimes even your toddler can listen to logic. Explain to them that the consequences of not taking the medication are much worse than 30 seconds of “yuckiness”. Bacterial conditions can get much worse if antibiotics are not taken in the correct dosages at the correct times. Tell your child that they are likely to get much sicker and may have to go to the hospital for a shot if they do not follow the doctor’s instructions.

Slightly numbed taste buds aren’t quite as perceptive. Try having your child suck on a popsicle or ice cube for a minute before quickly swallowing the medication. It’s an odd trick that takes some of the terrible taste away.

One slightly quirky solution with dye-free medication (not always available) is to let your children add food coloring to alter the medication. If you let them turn their cough syrup into an art project, they may be more likely to forget about how unpleasant it is.

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