Back to School: Getting your Kids to Take Medicine

As children become older and more independent it’s important to get them into healthy habits of all kinds- including taking medicine. Going back to school means another year of spreading colds, ear infections, and stomach aches along with viral infections like Chickenpox for younger children.

For others it may mean a new challenge of taking medicine at school for a condition such as ADHD. They have to remember to take medications and may even want or need to go to a private location such as a nurse’s office to do so.

Here at e-pill we have scoured the internet looking for ways to help children cope with these problems, and we have summed them up in 5 steps:

1) Encourage them when it is time to take medicines and maybe even reward them.
To help foster independence, give them some control – something as simple as letting them hold the medicine up or putting the medication in a special cup of their own will help. Have them pick out the flavor. You can even teach older kids to swallow pills as early as age 4- start by dipping pills in cold water or Jell-O. Most importantly, explain to children how important their medication is and why they need to take it so often.
2) Find the best taking medicines and see if they can take them less frequently.
Talk to their doctor to see if there is a different dosage children can be taking for less times each day. Doctors may also be able to find alternatives that taste differently.
3) Add the medicine to food or disguise it with food.
Do you remember your mother mixing in chocolate syrup with your medicines? I certainly do. Many medications can eat eaten in or with food to make them more palatable. Some can be taken with milk, orange juice, or yogurt, and the contents of capsules can be opened or poured into applesauce. Check with doctors to see how you can help “disguise” medicine – it can be as simple as putting liquid medicine in a juice box! Products like Dr. Cocoa or FlavorX can also help.
4) Find a caregiver or nurse.
Kids may be more willing to take medicine from someone other than a parent. When your child is sick at 3AM it can be hard to smile and act positive about giving them medication, and they will be more likely to react poorly if you are not positive. Sometimes it helps to have another authority figure administer medication.
5) Find a way to remind them when to take their medications and keep them on a schedule.
Work with teachers during school hours to make sure they remind students when medication is taken. Use visual reminders at home such as sticky notes, a calendar with fun stickers, or reminder apps on mobile devices. You can also purchase a kid’s smartwatch or our Vibrating Pendant Watch to remind them every day.

Taking medication is something we all have trouble with, whether we do not like the taste, side affects, inconvenience, or we simply cannot remember to take them often enough. We hope this article will help you and your children and we wish everyone a healthy Back-To-School season!

Sources:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/kids-health/10-ways-to-get-kids-to-take-medicine.aspx
http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/health/sick-toddler/cleverly-help-medicine-go-down/
http://totallythebomb.com/ways-to-get-a-kid-to-take-medicine
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/adhd/a5249/how-do-i-get-my-child-to-take-their-adhd-medicine/