“How do I get my kids to take medicine?” is one of the most common questions parents ask Dr., pediatrician at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. But as children’s medicines and supplements are increasingly designed to appeal to children — think sweet scents and gummies — another concern has arisen: What happens if your child likes the taste of medicines too much?
“Giving children medicine is difficult because many medicines taste bad, so to get them to take medicine, we usually season it and make it look appetizing like candy,” Dr., pediatric emergency specialist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, tells Yahoo Life. National pharmacy chains like Walgreens even offer options for parents to pay extra for scents like “Awesome Apple,” “Blastin’ Bubblegum” or “Giggly Grape.”
“Unfortunately, some children cannot distinguish candy from medicine and when they should take them,” says Kink. In his 14 years working in a pediatric emergency room, he says, he has seen a rise in poisonings — from intentional overdoses, to teenagers trying dangerous social media experiments like the Benadryl challenge, to accidental ingestions among young children who mistook melatonin with cannabis. gums for sweets – this aligns with national trends.
Want to keep your children safe around medicine? Here’s what experts recommend.
Store medicines out of the reach of children
Medicines should be kept out of the reach of children, Langlois told Yahoo Life; this could involve placing a lock on the case to create a physical barrier. She reminds parents to always know where their medicine is and remember to return it to a safe place after administering it.
Parents should ask visitors and overnight guests to make sure their medications are inaccessible, Kink adds. This includes grandparents who may have medications in a bag they have placed on the floor where they can be easily reached by a curious child.
Most importantly, “If you are concerned that someone may not be able to stay safe on medications, whether it’s your child impulsively thinking that everything is an M&M or your teenager engaging in self-harm, block the medications and make sure they’re talking to someone about it,” Shannon Houriganchild psychologist and psychiatry instructor at Harvard Medical School, told Yahoo Life.
Use medicines carefully
“Use your medication judiciously from day one,” Langlois told Yahoo Life. This includes over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol, as well as vitamins and supplements. In general, other than a vitamin D supplement for breastfed babies, most children with well-balanced diets do not need separate vitamins and supplements.
Instead of reaching for Tylenol first, Langlois encourages parents to try alternatives. A teething baby, for example, can be soothed with a cool cloth or teething ring.
When a child has a fever, the rule of thumb is to look at and treat the child rather than the temperature on the thermometer, adds Langlois. “If you have a child who has a fever, but he’s eating well, drinking well, sleeping well, playing well, you don’t necessarily need to treat that with Tylenol or ibuprofen because fever is our body’s natural way of fighting bodily infections. .”
Kink has similar advice. “I always use and recommend medication as a last resort,” he says.
Parents should also consult their pediatrician before administering any medications, vitamins, or supplements, especially if their child is taking prescription medications, as there may be a potential interaction.
How to respond when your child asks for medicine
“Children, for the most part, don’t understand medicine,” says Hourigan. “They can understand ‘I understand this when I’m sick’ [or] ‘It helps me feel better’ but they don’t understand ‘If I take too much it could make me sick’.”
For younger children, some medications may seem like a special treat, especially since most of them taste like candy. “If your kindergartner is asking for Tylenol, that in itself is not a cause for concern,” says Hourigan. In many ways, it may even be developmentally normal, such as when a child asks for a bandage even when it is not necessary.
Hourigan recommends that parents pay attention to the whole picture so they can better understand the context of why a child is asking for medicine. Does a younger child want Tylenol because they want to taste something sweet, because they don’t feel well, or because they want the extra attention they can get when they are sick?
If you don’t think medicine is medically necessary, she suggests using these contextual clues to guide a response. If a child is seeking attention, you can say, “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well,” and then offer to cuddle or spend time together in another way. If an older child has a headache or tummy ache on Sunday nights or before a big test or game, it could be anxiety or stress.
Before dispensing medication, Hourigan suggests that parents acknowledge the symptoms, open a dialogue for children to process their feelings, and make it clear that there are other ways to treat these symptoms besides medication — like a soothing headache pad. Parents can also acknowledge their children’s emotions and express confidence in them by saying, “I know this may be difficult, but I know you can handle it.”
It’s also important to recognize that there are times when children need medications and that parents should teach them how to ask for them appropriately, says Hourigan. If your child has allergies that appear in the spring, they need to know how to recognize the symptoms and ask for medications that can alleviate the discomfort. Or, if your teen has menstrual cramps or your son is squeezing his braces, they need to know when and how much Advil to take safely.
Teach children to take medicine responsibly
“Part of parenting is having someone who can tolerate having a bottle of Advil on the counter and not feeling like they can handle it all,” says Hourigan. She believes it is a parent’s job to teach children how to order and use medicine responsibly.
She recommends that parents start having clear, explicit discussions about medicine when their children are young. Tell them that “it’s okay to take medication when your parents give it to you, because we know your doctor told us what the right amount of this medicine is, but too much medicine can make our body very, very sick and too much medicine can make us sick. that our body becomes very, very sick. bodies stop working.”
These initial conversations should emphasize not taking medication unless a parent gives it to you. As children become older and more independent, they can learn to manage their medications on their own, including using the correct dosage, storing them safely, and only taking them when they really need them—and not because they are needed. tasty treats or to participate in a risky social activity. media challenge.
Finally, if you think your child has taken too much medicine, call poison control by calling 800-222-1222, even if they have no symptomsS. In the case of an apparent overdosecall 911 for immediate medical attention.
