As a pediatrician, I know how to prescribe medication, but it was only until I became a mother that I truly began to understand the challenges of actually giving medication to children.

Now let’s face it. Most children hate taking medication and will do anything to avoid it. But there are a few tricks we can use to make this process easier for both parent and child. Here is what other parents and pediatricians have taught me through the years.

1) Make it fun

I’m a sucker for dark chocolate. It’s my guilty pleasure. Actually, I don’t feel any guilt at all while eating it…so it’s just plain pleasure. Nothing makes me happier than coming home after a long day and biting into a piece of pure bliss.

But without fail, if my daughter witnesses me eating anything at all…she wants some also. Now, I’m not that bad of a mother…I do share (besides those times I hid in the bathroom just to have chocolate for myself).

The point of this story is that most of the time, our children want exactly what we are having. So why not use this technique with medication too?

If you are giving medication in a syringe or a spoon, a game that a lot of parents play is to have mom and dad also drink a similar liquid from a syringe (or pretend to) and just as nature designed it, your child will want exactly what you are having!

I have even heard from parents who have tea parties with their child where everyone would go around the table and drink their cup of ‘medicine’.

Children inspire our creativity, so make it a fun and bonding experience!

2) Make it sweet

Since we’re on the topic of chocolate and how it makes everything better, here is a trick that I learned about relatively recently.

If you are giving medication through a syringe, you can put 1/2 ml of chocolate syrup in the syringe, followed by the medication and then end with another 1/2 ml of chocolate syrup. So it starts and ends with chocolate!

Seriously, how did I know about this trick before? It’s genius!

As always, please check with your pharmacist to verify that the medication can be mixed with chocolate syrup. If so, you are set.

3) Make it invisible

Sometimes as a parent, you are left with no choice but to be sneaky. If your child is absolutely refusing to take the medication, it’s time to hide it.

You can mix the medicine in a small amount of juice, applesauce, yogurt or even milk. Just make sure that your child drinks/eats the entire portion that you give them to make sure they get full dosage of the medication.

Remember to check with your pharmacist to make sure that particular medication can be hidden in drinks or foods.

4) Make it easier

One of the most eye-opening experiences as a pediatrician for me has been to actually taste the medication I sometimes prescribe. Some of them taste absolutely horrible! It’s hard to imagine a child swallowing them without a fight.

With that being said, many medications can be flavored to make them more palatable. You can even ask your pharmacist about different forms of the medication such as chewable tablets or rectal suppositories.

In cases, where there are no other options, another trick is to bypass the taste buds completely by squirting the syringe directly inside the cheek into the back of the mouth. This way, your child won’t taste too much of it. This method isn’t perfect, but it tends to work.

5) Make it cold

Having your child suck on ice chips before taking the medicine can numb the taste buds and make the medicine easier to swallow. If the medication can be refrigerated, cooling it for a bit can also help it go down easier.

As a parent, it is incredibly hard to see your child sick. And the struggle of getting your child to take medication can add to the stress everyone is experiencing. Hopefully these tips will help getting through this time just a little bit easier.

(Image via famveldman/bigstock.com)