• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

How to Win the Take-Your-Medicine Battle!

February 21, 2018 by Bright Beacon Leave a Comment

We’ve all been a part of moments like this, some of us more often than others:

Your child sits on one side of the table, eyeing you with suspicion. More specifically, eyeing what is in your hands. You are shielding your hands with little success, hoping that the popsicle you just gave your child a few minutes prior was a satisfactory peace offering. Your child backs away as you lean in.

You’ve just launched the first salve in the TYMB, the Take-Your-Medicine Battle!

For those who have to give their children medications every day, these battles collectively comprise the TYMW (Take-Your-Medicine War), a drawn-out conflict where the parent hopes to emerge a daily winner more often than not, success measured by measures such as monthly blood drug levels or positive behavioral outcomes.

But there are a few critical issues at hand.

1) Your child is sick (either acutely or chronically) and needs the medicine.
2) The medicine smells like vulcanized rubber and tastes like sweaty feet (during medical training, we spend a day tasting all of the medicines we prescribe- I write from experience).

During my week as a medical volunteer at a camp for special needs kids in Texas, I’ve learned that parents have become quite creative in the ways they administer medication. Perhaps you’ve tried these same techniques I saw at camp:

1) pills mixed with applesauce or vanilla icing
2) capsules taken with 2 ounces of soda as a chaser
3) tablets swallowed only with liquid taken through a straw
4) capsules opened, sprinkled into a straw, then delivered like a pixie stick
5) liquid medication injected into a hotdog or waffle

I apologize that doctors and pharmacies are not as helpful as we could be. We prescribe foul-tasting meds when we could choose tastier ones, solid pills when we could provide liquids (but sometimes we honestly have no choice). For those of you with children who have special needs, with children who need medications daily, I applaud you. I applaud your creativity, your perseverance, your dedication. Continue to fight the good fight. I do have some good news. Children grow up. They adapt. They won’t always need liquids (bye-bye bad flavors), and they won’t always have trouble swallowing (they often figure it out).

Don’t despair: you won’t win every battle, but you are winning the war for your child’s health (even if sometimes you feel the medicines aren’t doing what the doctor says they are supposed to do). You’re winning the war because every time you try to get your child to take medicine, you show him or her something important: love. Giving a child medicine amidst their crying and frustration is an act of love because none of us enjoy seeing our children sad, sick or in pain. And the greatest part of administering medication to your child? After the five-minute battle, you are no longer your child’s adversary; you are back to being Mommy dearest, which to me means you win- regardless of the battle’s outcome!

I have seen and heard countless success stories about how parents give their children medication. Do any of you have good stories about how you give medicine to your child? Share your experiences!

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Kids

About Bright Beacon

Bright Beacon exists to provide a safe place on the internet for parents of children with medical needs to meet, share their stories, discuss their questions, and support one another through good times and bad. Bright Beacon was created by co-founders, Dr. Kwabena Blankson MD and Dr. Matthew Moore MD. Dr. Blankson is married and the proud parent of two beautiful daughters ages 4 and 19 months. He completed his undergraduate degree at Harvard College and received his medical degree from the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Moore is married and the proud parent of four boys ages 13, 7, and twin 4 year olds. He completed his undergraduate degree at the United States Naval Academy and then received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences at the Presidents Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

Coconut Oil

Why Coconut Oil Is So Good For Pregnant & Nursing Mothers

“Coconut oil contains large amounts of lauric acid, a … [Read More...] about Why Coconut Oil Is So Good For Pregnant & Nursing Mothers

Must Have

winter

Pre-Holiday Must-Haves

"It's beginning to look  a lot like Christmas..." The … [Read More...] about Pre-Holiday Must-Haves

Did you know?

diabetes in infants

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes in Infants

Pregnancy and Sinus Pain

Pregnancy and Sinus Pain

toddler hair growth

Toddler Hair Growth

pregnancy & tooth pain

Pregnancy & Tooth Pain

Fruit Salad Recipes With Fewer Than Five Ingredients

Fruit Salad Recipes With Fewer Than Five Ingredients

How Early Can an Ultrasound Detect a Fetus?

How Early Can an Ultrasound Detect a Fetus?

substitution for oil in baking brownies

Substitution for Oil in Baking Brownies

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2021 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.