how do you feed an infant liquid meds?

[echoesofspring]

we just can't seem to give DS medicine, so I'm looking for any tips, how do you get an infant to swallow liquid tylenol, for example or a liquid multivitamin. Any tips? Do you lie them on their back or sit them up? Do you try to keep a pacifier in their mouth while you're squirting the med in? (did that at the dr and it seemed to work well, but mixed at home) TIA!

[jbbhb]

This is what I do at work (peds RN) to give the really yucky meds with the greatest chance of them not being spit in my face.

1. I always use a medicine syringe, they give you the most specific measurement and I find it the easiest to administer medication with them. You can get them at any drugstore. Try to use the smallest syringe that you can fit the whole dose it. I usually use a 3cc syringe.

2. I sit down and hold the child in the cradle hold with their head in the nook of my non dominant elbow. I use that hand to hold down the arm that is away from body. I tuck their arm that is closest to my body in between their body and mine (I hope this is making sense :))

3. I use my dominant hand to administer the medication. I try and get the syringe toward the back of one of their cheeks and squirt in a little at a time. You want to get it back enough so that it bypasses some of the taste buds but you dont want to gag them, so aim for the back of the cheek. I try to give the dose in three squirts (depending on how much it is and how likely they are to spit it out). The more volume you give them at once the easier it is for them to spit. Also, I remove the syringe between each squirt so they can swallow.

If you have a baby that loves a paci then it might work to keep it in her mouth, but I've found it easier just to get the medication down, then give them their paci back. Also, at my hospital we don't recommend that you mix medication in a bottle or food because if they don't finish it all you don't know how much they got.

Sorry that was probably WAY longer a response than you were looking for haha. Good luck!

[echoesofspring]

That was wonderful, thank you!