I can't teach my son how to swallow a pill!!

Rutabaga

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 2:04 am

Have your son practice on something other than an actual pill. That way there is no pressure for him to be successful. Also, make sure it's something that tastes good in case he has trouble and it starts to dissolve.

I taught my younger brother to swallow pills using winkie candies. Even though they're pretty small to begin with, I cut them into quarters. He experimented with different methods of swallowing (tip of the tongue, back of the tongue, small sip of liquid, large sip, etc.) until he felt comfortable. Then we increased the size of the candy and practiced some more. Once he was able to swallow a whole winkie without any difficulty he was less nervous about swallowing a pill. Make sure that the final size candy your son practices with is bigger than the real pill. He can also do a practice swallow with the candy each time he takes the pill. That will give him more confidence plus reward him for taking the medicine.

Alternatively, he can keep taking the liquid but experiment with different things to disguise the taste. I don't think most juices have a strong enough taste to mask the taste of medicine. Maybe cranberry juice. I know someone who hides her child's medicine in chocolate milk.

You could also have your son pick a treat to eat immediately after taking the medicine. That works with my daughter. She sometimes needs nebulizer treatments and the medicine has a bitter taste. There's nothing we can do to disguise it while she has the treatment because she has to breathe it in, but she enjoys picking out a treat and keeps it handy to take as soon as possible. She likes getting the treats so much that she reminds me when it's time for the next treatment!

MTR

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 4:59 am

The best trick I have ever heard is how my grandmother taught me to swallow pills: using canned corn or peas (one pea, one corn kernel) with a glass of milk. Place pea on back on tongue (if his gag reflex is bad, he can put it on the middle or even front of his tongue) and drink down the milk. The milk is cold and very smooth, and thicker than water, so it washes down the tiny legume very easily. Smile

Took 2-3 tries and that was it.
As another poster pointed out, we swallow things much larger than pills. If your son is afraid of choking, show him that after he chews a piece of food, the actual thing he swallows is still larger than most large pills. That can help too. Hatzlacha!

amother

Blue

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 7:26 am

Childhood Trauma

I don't know how I learned to swallow a pill but I do know that I somehow taught myself when my parents made good on their threat to leave me behind when all my cousins and siblings were taken to Uncle Zemo's Amusement Park. Crying

I had my annual terrible swimmer's ear infection.

I was refusing to take the horrible tasting liquid medicine - I still remember my shock when I watched them all drive away and I was left with whichever aunts had the good fortune NOT to be taking the gang - my parents were generally softies when it came to threats but I guess my health overrode their general leniency. LOL

Anyway from that day, pills were presented as an alternative and have never been an issue.

Can't say I recommend this form of behavioral modification. LOL

m in Israel

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 7:34 am

I taught my son to swallow pills using a cup like this

http://www.amazon.com/OralFlo-.....JJ3C4

it really did help. We started with small candies (like mini m&ms) until he got the hang of it, and then used the cup for the actual pill for a while. By now he doesn't need the cup anymore.

Sanguine

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 8:45 am

amother wrote:

is there someone who I can pay to teach ds (I live in Brooklyn)?.

Well, I don't live on Brooklyn anymore so you can have the advice for free

Chocolate chips. He'll just chew up the first few (I would Wink

). Then tell him to put it near the back of his tongue (not down his throat, just back) and take a drink of water. OK if he chews up a few more too, but keep trying. He should drink a little even before the first try.

amother

Coral

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 9:03 am

m in Israel wrote:

I looked up the oralflo cup, it looks really good, how old was your son when he used it? Has anyone else used it? Did it work?

fbc

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 9:05 am

The water bottle helped because the water shoots straight back into my throat, and takes the pill with it. And it's gone in seconds. With applesauce or ice cream, I'd suck the Apple sauce and ice cream down and still have the pill in my mouth cuz I could feel it inside whatever I put it in, so I still knew it was there, and I stopped it from going down

m in Israel

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 9:21 am

amother wrote:

I looked up the oralflo cup, it looks really good, how old was your son when he used it? Has anyone else used it? Did it work?

My son had just turned 7. The only thing you need to be careful with is that the spout and pill are dry -- otherwise the pill sticks in the spout instead of pouring out with the drink. And as I said, we did practice first with small chocolates because the first few times it didn't always go smoothly. But overall it was definitely worth it.

amother

Amber

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 9:29 am

OK, here is some great advice. So many people tired teaching me, and the first time it worked was at age 14--Here is what works, no fail, always. warning: it is disgusting.
Chew up aprox 1.5 pretzels. Take it out of your mouth. shape it flatter. Hide the pill inside. fold it up so the pill is entirely covered. take a drink to wet your mouth. put the pretzel pill in your mouth. take another drink. swallow. I did this until age 18, until I finally learned how to drink, swallow, drink again throw the pill to the back of my mouth, and swallow again.
Hatzlacha, and whatever you do, don't scream at him like my mother did--"DRINK, DRINK...YOU'RE NOT DRINKING!"

gittelchana

Thu, Jul 02 2015, 1:19 pm

If it's a pill have him put it in his mouth with a little water and tilt his head back. If it's a capsule, have him tilt his head forward.

Pills sink and capsules float.

Tilting your head will make it sink/float to the throat. Then just swallow.

It will take some practice and he may gag the first few times. But it will be well worth it for him to learn this.