Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Stages
  3. Evergreens

How to get your toddler to take medicine – try this simple hack

Here's one way to get your sick toddler to take their medicine

By
Parent taking care of a sick child, helping them blow their nose.
Westend61 / Adobe Stock

There’s nothing worse as a parent than having a sick child, except for having a sick child who refuses to take medicine. If you’ve ever watched your toddler immediately spit out a mouthful of medicine that you know will make them feel better, or refuse to open their mouth at all, then you can relate. Battling a sick toddler isn’t fun.

Unfortunately, kids are magnets for germs and sometimes it’s necessary to give them medicine to help them feel better. Having a sick toddler can mean sleepless nights not only for your child but for you as well, and medicine can often make them feel well enough to get the rest they need to recover. Thankfully, forums like Reddit exist where parents share their simple hacks to get toddlers to take medicine that you won’t believe you didn’t think of first. Keep reading to learn this easy hack to get kids to take medicine.

Recommended Videos

The juice pouch

Reddit can be a wealth of information when it comes to a lot of different things, including parenting hacks that can make your life easier. Redditor HootsWereHad recently posted a simple yet effective method to get a sick toddler to take cold medicine that involves nothing more than a delicious juice pouch.

In the short video, the poster brings a juice pouch to their little guy who is clearly feeling under the weather. However, instead of the straw inserted into the juice pouch, the straw is actually in a dosage cup of medicine he’s holding beside the juice pouch. The toddler doesn’t realize he isn’t drinking the juice and proceeds to drink the entire dose of medicine without incident!

@slackerketo

This #lifehack saved me. If your #sickbaby won’t take their medication trythis. (Thanks @Tara “T” Ippolito ? for the tip forever ago)

♬ Sick kid medicine hack – Russell Wilde

Foolproof?

Others quickly took to the comments section to share their thoughts, with many applauding the poster for their quick thinking, even though a few weren’t convinced the little boy was fooled by the ruse at all! Some were quick to point out how they never have any issues getting their toddler to take medicine, which is precisely what any frazzled parent dealing with a sick child who refuses to down that dropper of meds needs to hear.

Commenters also shared their own hacks, including adding the medicine to applesauce, yogurt, or electrolyte replacement drinks. One thing everyone seemed to agree on was that the little guy in the video looked like he really wasn’t feeling great and he could definitely benefit from that medicine his dad was able to get him to finally take.

Toddler drinking liquid medicine at home
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Being a parent means you sometimes have to get a bit creative, especially when it comes to sick toddlers who seem to get extra toddler-y when they don’t feel well. Hopefully, this hack will come in handy the next time you have to convince a whining, irritable toddler that they’ll feel much better if they just take their medicine and it won’t cause any trust issues as they get older!

Kelli Catana
Kelli Catana
Former Author
Topics
Is your newborn eating too much? What to know about overfeeding
Cues to watch out for to let you know if you're overfeeding a newborn
Mother holding baby in nursery

Every parent knows the excitement and anxiety that comes when it's time to bring their baby home from the hospital for the first time. Besides the sleep schedule, many new parents may be worried about whether their infant is getting enough to eat. But is going the other direction something parents should also worry about? Is there such a thing as overfeeding a newborn? The short answer is yes. Overfeeding a newborn is a possibility, but it doesn't happen often.

Every newborn has differences in appetite where one might drink a bottle or breastfeed longer than another. Before you stress, don't worry. There are signs to be on the lookout for when it comes to giving your little one too much food. Whether it's your first or third child, if you are concerned about overfeeding your newborn, we have the information you need to know.
Why overfeeding a newborn is something you don't want to do

Read more
Recognizing early autism signs in toddlers: 6 things to know
Which toddler behaviors are quirky and which are red flags for autism?
Toddler boys playing a party game

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that about 1 in every 36 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder. If your child is on the spectrum, the initial diagnosis can be upsetting, but early intervention following a diagnosis is vital. The early signs of autism in toddlers, though, can be easy to overlook. If you have a child you think might be on the spectrum, it's best to know the early signs as your toddler develops.

There is a long list of possible signs as the autism spectrum is wide and diverse. One sign may appear in one child, but not in another. Certain early signs of autism are more common than others, which is why knowing the red flags is important. The earlier a child receives a diagnosis, the better the support system will be for them.
Understanding autism

Read more
Can you use a heating pad while pregnant? Here’s what you should know
Heat pads and pregnancy work together, just follow some precautions
Pregnant woman using heating pad hot water bottle

Pregnancy is an exciting time filled with awe and wonder, but it's also painful and uncomfortable. Experiencing all. the changes your body goes through as your baby grows is magical, but it's also kind of a pain. As pregnancy progresses throughout the trimesters, so, too, does the discomfort. From backaches to sore feet and sciatica to insomnia, pregnancy can be very hard on a person's body.
Often, a heating pad can provide some much-needed relief from those pregnancy-induced aches and pains, but many wonder if it's safe to use a heating pads while pregnant. Using heating pads during pregnancy can be an understandable concern.
Despite the relief they may give, many pregnant people are hesitant to use them out of fear the heat they produce may harm their baby. Fortunately, using a heating pad while pregnant can be very safe as long as you do so carefully and take proper precautions.

Why would you need a heating pad?

Read more