Let me start off by saying that if you think your child is ill, take them to a real doctor. Not a pharmacist. Not a herbalist. Not the old lady down the road who used to be a nurse and who now cultivates a really lovely herb garden. No. Take them to a proper certified, medical practitioner who has experience, preferably, with small children and/or babies. Not animals or children who might be behaving like animals.
My reason for saying this is simple; last Thursday I took our baby boy to a pharmacist and explained all of his symptoms and was told...wait for it...that he's teething. And with teething this can sometimes manifest as a cold. By Sunday Oscar was still not well and had actually gotten progressively worse, so I took him to the same doctor my brother saw as a baby who diagnosed bronchitis and he insisted on testing for a bug doing the rounds called RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), it turns out he has this but thankfully we managed to catch it early on.
So trust your instincts.
The problem with children that are sick, is that they require a conveyor belt of medication. The sicker the child, the longer the conveyor belt. And while children might have opposable thumbs, they can't use them just yet, which makes self-medicating an impossible task. This means that it's our job, as parents, to administer said medication.
Now here in lies the problem; a child, especially mine, isn't stupid, and trying to get 3ml (3ml x 2 or 3 or 4 depending on how much has been prescribed) of liquid medication past the lips of an infant is near impossible the second time around. The first time is easy! The little bugger is trusting and has no idea what's going into his mouth, he just know it's NOT milk and right now he's game for anything that is NOT milk. When the odd taste dissipates and his taste buds return to normal, he's swears blind he's never going to trust you ever again or eat anything you put in his mouth that is NOT milk.
This is where the fun begins.
It would be cruel to pin down your child and force feed them. The thought will cross your mind at around 3am but I urge you to move past it as quickly as possible. Just make sure your child is comfortable, lying in a semi-flat position, I found, works best. It's futile asking your partner to help as it just means the child can move his head from side to side if being held. Your partner will come in handy later on (will explain more).
Make sure you have enough time on your hands. This will really depend on the amount of medication that needs to be given. One type = 5 to 7 minutes.
Make sure your child has had something to eat but wait a little while for it to move through the digestive system. If you thought a red wine stain was a b***h to get out of your carpet you've not had to deal with milk, infused with red cherry cough mixture and a pink hue of Calpol.
Have plenty of baby wipes to hand and place a bib strategically around his neck. It's best if the child isn't wearing his 'Sunday Best'.
Now I've learnt in the space of a week that it's just plan stupid loading up a teaspoon with the medication and trying to get it past Oscar sealed lips. It's not going to work.
A syringe works best. Stock up on these, and as long as you clean / sterilise them they can be used for the duration of your child's illness and discard them once they're better.
Do not fill the syringe with the entire dose. Work with 1ml at a time because you can get more velocity on 1ml than you can on 3ml without causing your child to gag.
Do not let your child see the syringe. Again, they're not stupid, even at 5 months and 8 days old, Oscar has clocked what a syringe IS and what it is used FOR.
With your syringe loaded, your bibed-up darling in a semi-flat position and baby wipes strategically placed nearby, come out of no-where and surprise your child!!! Don't scare them as this will have an adverse reaction. You wanna make him/her laugh, preferably opened mouthed. This is when you pounce, and before they've even realised what has happened you have managed to get the syringe in the back of the mouth against his cheek and emptied 1ml of yucky tasting syrup.
And repeat 6 or 7 or 8 or how ever many times you have to.
This is when a partner does come in handy as you can take it in turns; one of you can be the pouncer (the person with the syringe) and the other can be the pouncee (the person delivering the opened mouthed surprised reaction). It's also handy having a favourite toy nearby so that you can alternate and keep the game going for as long a medically needed. Props come in handy too - I've got a pair of Easter Bunny ears that have been a life saver!
Lots of praise and cuddles are needed afterwards because it is slightly traumatic for you both. It would be a good idea to give your little one a cuddle too although he's not had to do ANY of the work!
Remember that at the end of the day, laughter really is the best medicine so make sure your little one get's plenty of that. So is fresh-air and sunshine, so hit the streets and go for long walks. And remember to seek professional advice from a medically trained professional - I can't stress this enough!
Good Luck. And may the force of the syringe be with you.
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| Oscar's medicine - I must point out that to the left is what the pharmacist gave him and to the right is the real MacCoy. Antibiotics are needed to treat any respiratory virus. |
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| Our little patient this morning - definitely on the mend. Try getting a teaspoon past those lips! |
