Use Candy to Teach Your Child How to Swallow Pills
Most pediatric medicines are available in chewable or liquid form, but there will come a time when your child has to swallow a pill. And it can be strange, scary. Here’s a pediatrician’s advice to make the fight easier: Practice with candy. Doctors Avani Modi and Lisa Ingersky of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center recommend using the expanding lozenges (PDF) – cupcakes, botanists, mini M & Ms, regular M & Ms, and Good & Plenty – to teach your child how to swallow real pills.
Here’s what to do:
- Demonstrate how to swallow a pill with either one of the candies or a real pill that you must take.
- Ask your child to practice taking a large sip of water (or other non-carbonated beverage that he likes) without pouring his mouth over.
- Start with the smallest candy. Place it on your child’s tongue and have him take a sip of water and swallow the pill. (Be sure to call it a pill, not a candy – you don’t want them to think that aspirin is the same as a pin.) Do this several times to help them gain confidence.
- Move on to the next size of candy. If the tablet does not work, invite your child to take another sip. If they get upset, take a break. Modi and Ingerski write that each session should be 5 to 10 minutes long. It may take several sessions over several days to get the largest pill.
Mostly it is about overcoming anxiety. If your child is extremely resistant, has had a mouth or vomit while trying to swallow a pill in the past, talk to your pediatrician about alternatives. Do not cut or grind medicines without first consulting your pharmacist, as this can be dangerous.