Cough medicine or relieve...?

Pudding (or applesauce) will mask some flavors, but you should mix it witha very small amount as she will have to to eat ALL of it to get the proper dose. What has worked with my son is 1) have the phramacy flavor the med (they will even do this for OTC drugs) 2) offer a treat after the med. has been taken (my son likes stickers and a sip of Pepsi) 3) Use a syringe and push through the syringe slowly but stadily so they have time to swallow as they go 4)lots of praise when they do it well. 5) tell them calmly that you need them to take their medicine so they will feel better and then hold thier head still and give it to them. Remind them if they spit it out that you WILL give them another dose because thier body needs it to get better. Have a cup ready to take care of aftertaste. Good luck

Also, you might consider some non drug methods for clearing congestion like massage, shower pucks, vapor rub, etc. Drinking losts of water will help thin the mucous and make it clear out of the way faster.

It sounds like it could be Croup. If that's the case cough medicine won't help much. Take her into the bathroom and sit with her while the shower is on and running as hot as possible. After 10-15 minutes take her somewhere she can breathe cold air. The freezer works well, so does the outside air if it's cold, Air Conditioners keep air cool also. Call the doctor and ask the doctor's opinion. If it's a cough from allergies Triminic has new strips (like the Listerine ones) that if you fold them and while she's laying back put it in her cheek pouch she can't spit it out. The pharmacist can mix her over the counter medicine with those flavors they use on prescriptions for I think $2. If you do give her medicine try using a dropper and only give her a little at a time in her cheek in the back by her molars, this makes it harder for her to spit out, but won't necessarily stop her from gaging. Hope that helps!

Mix it in with a food such as pudding, applesauce, ect. (it has to be something of that consistancy).

Get a popsicle and giving her a little bit of the cough medicine at a time. If she swallows a little of the medicine, then she gets to lick the popsicle (or ice-cream cone, whatever she wants). She will think it's a fun game to get a lick of the popsicle everytime she takes a bit of cough medicine.

Get her a small cup and put in some red kool-aid and just mix in the medicine. Give it to her to drink and she won't even notice the medicine is in there.

Melt a bar of regular milk chocolate in the microwave and dip the spoon in it and then put the medicine on it and have her take it that way so the chocolate covers up the taste of the medicine.

Can you get the fast strips for cough medicine? I know they make them for allergy medication and pain medicine, she might do better with that. If you can get it into her mouth, you're almost guaranteed she will get some of it into her system. I don't have suggestions on how to make her take a liquid, you can use a syringe rather than asking her to drink it, but that might just make her mad.

My pediatrician told me that Cough medicine for children is pointless. The cough is caused by sinus drainage and that is where there needs to be something administered. Try sudafed or try to elevate the head of the her bed a little when she goes to sleep and see if that doesn't help with the cough.

I give my son dimatap for his cough. the direction are for older children but my pharmacist said to give about a half a teaspoon. he doesn't mind the grape taste and is able to sleep better. I have also heard that if you give them an ice pop before the med. it helps because the ice pop numbs the taste buds and the med. doesn't taste so bad.

Put a humidifier in her room.

If she is refusing the cough medicine. I suggest not to mix it in her food as then she may not want to eat her food or develop and adversion to the foods she likes. Children's taste buds are much more sensitive then ours and they will detect changes in their juice and foods, and this could cause you food issues as they are very sensitive to changes.

Has the doctor prescribed or recommended the medicine? If not, take the child to the doctor before you despense any medication to the child.

I've always mixed it into yogurt - the kind that has the fruit on the bottom - its a great disguise.

Good luck!

Walgreen's offers to add fruit flavor to kids' medicine for less than $3.00. It really works!