Procedure Preparation Archives

Many kids are scared of swallowing pills. If this is the case for the child in your life, please know that this is normal. If your child is able to eat by mouth and is allowed to have candy, I encourage you to try the steps below.Materials Needed: Candies in increasing sizes- sprinkles, Nerds, mini M&M’s, Tic Tacs, Mike and Ikes Something to drink A positive attitude Before You Start: Determine the size of the pill you need your child to swallow then choose a similar sized candy and use that candy as the final goal. Instructions:Starting with the smallest candy (i.e. sprinkles) encourage your child to do the following: Place the candy on the middle of their tongue Take a sip of water (or their drink of choice) Swallow the water and the pill Take another sip After they successfully swallow the smallest candy several times, repeat these steps with the next biggest size candy and so on until they have swallowed the candy resembling the size of their pill.Helpful Tips to Keep in Mind: Be honest about why your child needs to take the medicine. When children understand, they feel more empowered to take control of their own health. Give your child realistic choices when possible such as: which beverage, would they like the beverage in a cup or bottle, sit or stand, the beverage in their mouth first and then the pill or vice versa. Practice when both you and the child are in a calm mindset. Avoid practicing right before a child needs to take a scheduled medication as this will put additional stress and pressure on both of you. Positive reinforcement is key. Praise them when they successfully swallow a candy and praise them when they try even if they are not successful. The goal here is to empower them to take the medicine they need to help their body. If you find that yourself or the child are getting upset, it is okay to stop and try again later. Provide encouragement. Remind your child of all the other skills they have learned. Swallowing pills is another skill they can learn! Never crush, break, cut, or dissolve pills unless your doctor or pharmacist has told you to.