Getting A Kid to Take Medicine

Sometimes it is just possible to get a really sick kid. Like a kid with cancer. In this type of case getting your child to take his or her medicine can become a matter of life or death. Even getting a child to take medicine for a cold can be a challenge so medicines for serious disorders like cancer can be even tougher. Sometimes missing one antibiotic dose can make even a simple bronchitis case much worse so it is crucial to know how to convince your kids to take their meds.

On the web site for the National Children's Cancer Society there is a lot of advice on how to get sick kids to take unpleasant medications – especially the life saving ones. Often it is not even the taste of the medication. Sometimes the kid is just defiant because they are at an age where they do not like to be forced to do anything.

Sometimes too it is that they just don't like swallowing pills. Many kids have a fear of choking – a psychological phobia about getting the pill stuck in their throat. Some pain killers like oxycontin are toxic if you crush them. Be very sure to check with your doctor before crushing a pill and giving it to a kid.

One thing you can do is offer the child some other type of food with the medicine. Give the child a choice. Say something like – 'would you like tangerine juice or grape juice with your your medicine.' It makes the kid feel more like they are in control.

If there is a way to make the medication taste better do it. Make sure it is okay with your doctor first. Sometimes you can disguise liquid or powder medications by dipping the spoon into strawberry or chocolate syrup first.

It's also a good idea to establish a routine with your kids about medication. Don't shock or surprise him or her with it. With every dose have them put a sticker up, like a gold star, on a calendar. Try to turn it into a bit of a game. Make the point of the game to reach the end of the medication taking. This helps them feel a sense of achievement for taking the meds. This is a trick too recommended by the Cancer society to help your kid take his or her meds.

The biggest challenge is not to make it into a battle. Give the kids an out. If your child starts becoming angry and combative then allow them to take a bit of a break from you. Let your child have his or her own way every now and then especially if the child is not feeling well at all. This lets him or her feel more in control.

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Do You Think Your Kid Has ADD

If you suspect that a child, or a friend's kid may be suffering from ADD it might be because you are exasperated by his or her behavior.

For instance, your child who you know is quite intelligent might keep coming home with failing grades even though he thoroughly passed a home oral examination with flying colors the night before.

Adults can get I too. Your spouse may repeatedly bouncing checks or forgetting to pay bills even after you have resorted to leaving reminders printed in bold letters taped to the refrigerator. You might be concerned about a friend, who keeps storing her purse in the refrigerator and the milk in the medicine cabinet.

Another common scenario is the co-worker who starts several projects and never finishes them, leaving you to pick up the pieces. In order to cope with the person with ADD, you may have become a codependent or a caretaker who lives in a state of perpetual resentment. This is because you always have to clean up, cover up or fix the perpetrator’s mistakes. This resentment is also always accompanied by a feeling of guilt, as you may feel so baffled, frustrated and weary of your loved one’s antics that homicide is becoming one of your favorite fantasies. It is hard to think about killing your kid every day but that is how frustrating a child with ADD can be.

As the nature of ADD is essentially cunning baffling and confusing, the first thing you need to do is realize that you are feeling the resonance of this disease. You are in the same pickle that partners of alcoholics or manic-depressives are as you can’t help but react to mysterious and hurtful behaviors that seem to be “on-purpose.” If you are trying to cope with ADD by mirroring the sufferer’s own behavior back to them – stop. An individual with ADD almost never learns by example. Put your energy into understanding the disease and learning not to take it personally. The most important thing you can tell yourself is “This is not about me.”

As with most behavioral or psychological disorders, the symptoms of ADD are engaged according to the degree of severity. Everybody at one time or another displays at least one of the major traits of an ADD sufferer. We all get distracted, impulsive and restless. The difference between a so-called normal individual and an ADD sufferer is the frequency, duration and length of these symptoms.

I think my nine year old has ADD but I am sure he thinks I have it too. If you have a kid that doesn't seem like he or she is listening to you then before you jump to conclusion figure out if he or she is just mirroring you. How often are you listening to your kid? It may not be ADD at all but just a reflection back of what your child has learned from you.

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