Tips for Feeding Meds With a Syringe?

haylyr · August 2016

Hi, ladies -

So we're just back from the doctors, and my little guy has a UTI.

We're giving him his meds with a syringe, and I'm just wondering - does anyone have any tips for helping baby actually consume what's given to him? We're struggling a bit.

=caenis= · August 2016

We had to give our little guy antibiotics recently, which we did with a syringe. It was orange flavored, and he started actually LIKING it. That made things easy. But a few tips I hope will help...

- Give him the meds while he's in a sitting or semi-sitting position. I found it was less likely for them to pop right back out this way.

- Give the meds gradually. I found if I tried to squirt it all in his mouth at once, he'd spit most of it right out. If I let him kind of gum the syringe and injected a little here, a little there, he was better able to swallow it down.

Best of luck with your poor little man. I hope he's feeling much better soon!

smn14 · August 2016

Poor little lad! Hope he feels better soon!

When the doc gave Maisie's oral vaccine, she injected slowly, bit by bit, into her cheek so it was far back in her mouth and harder for her to reject! I do the same when I give her infant paracetamol by syringe and it works well

kinnonam · August 2016

Yup in the cheeks works like a charm

VitaLuna · August 2016

Yep, in the cheek, towards the back, tiny bit at a time.

Tsearfoss · August 2016

Def cheeks and little by little, if my son sits up he spits it back out I have to lay him back on the couch to get him to keep it In

=caenis= · August 2016

Filing away this cheek advice. I'm sure the time will come when my LO won't find his meds delicious. >.<

haylyr · August 2016

Thank you, everyone! Turns out he had a UTI (his first ever - he has hydronephrosis of the left kidney, and unfortunately UTIs are a symptom of that condition). He was rejecting the antibiotic because of his high fever. Now that we have that under control, he takes the meds from the syringe like a champ. We're on day 3 of a 10 day treatment.... ! Sick babies are the saddest thing ever!

A&Lmommy · August 2016

If you have your infant car seat inside the house, sit baby in it while you give the medicine. Since they're reclined back, its easier for it to stay in their mouth before swallowing it.

DrillSergeantCat · August 2016

Put it in a nipple and let him suck it out. I can't get my LO to take medicine from a syringe, but he'll suck it out of a nipple for some reason.

middy411 · August 2016

My LO doesn't have a "hard time" swallowing lol, she outright refuses. She makes a disgusted taste when the Tylenol is in her mouth (even when I squirt in her cheek) and she sometimes waits a minute then spits it all back out lol. I give up.

katieashley13 · August 2016

Caroline's been on Zantac since she was about 2 months old. She was really awful about actually swallowing her medicine. She would also hold it in her mouth looking disgusted. I found that blowing in her face for a quick second made her swallow the medicine. It did upset her a little bit, but she needed that medicine!