Kids and Capsules

[rookie]

My six year old son is dealing with migraines. At the suggestion of our Neurologist we are beginning to give him B2 and Magnesium supplements. As a small child he has only ever had liquid medicines. These two only come in small capsule form. In theory he should have no problem swallowing them. And he IS trying. I am very proud of the way he is trying but he just can't seem to do it. And I am having a hard time explaining ways to help.
So.. How do I train a six year old to swallow pills? What tricks, tips or ideas can I use? Thanks


We went through 8 this morning before I opened one up and put the powder in a drink. But that tastes so nasty I don't want him to have to keep doing it this way. I really want him to be able to swallow the capsules.

[andrew_plamondon]

Well, if those pills are big, even if he tries the hardest he can, he might not be able to do it easily since his throat is necessarily narrower than an adult's throat. Maybe putting it in orange juice will mask the taste a little.

[rookie]

They are very small. Maybe the size of two grains of rice put together.

[Cynic]

What I do:

Put the pill in, take water, tilt the head back and let it settle to the back of the throat, then swallow the water.

Don't think about swallowing the pill, think about swallowing the water.

[rookie]

Thanks. Tried that one this morning. More than once. I think I am going to buy some small candies like sprinkles and up form there and let him work his way up. Hoepefully that will work.

[RobLL]

Another trick, if the pills aren't so expensive you can waste a few, just put them in 4 ounces of some favorite beverage, preferably something that is opaque, and just have the child drink it.

a technique people use for dogs could conceivably help BUT ONLY with the permission of the child. You place the pill and the back of the throat, and massage the throat downwardly. I can get our dogs to swallow before they even know they are expected to

You son sounds willing, you will just have to try a number of tricks that will help him succeed. Even bribes, also to be paid for 'good tries'.

I have a granddaughter for whom they just had to give up, she was not willing to take a medication and it was not life threatening.

[Lost Dog]

For dogs, you can hide it in cheese. For kids, maybe stick it in a small spoonful of peanut butter?

[rookie]

Thanks. And yes we have tried all that. Except the peanut butter, he is allergic to peanuts. Did I Mention we are a mess?
I have put it in liquid but it tastes nasty. Even I had a hard time doing it. And he is trying and doing a very good job not giving up. It is more of a swallow control issue than an unwillingness. We started with grains of rice this morning and made progress but are not there yet.

Thanks again.

[Canadian_Bacon]

When I was a kid I had similiar problems, I absolutely hated pills..

I did LOVE the banana flavored antiobiotic liquid though, It made an infection almost worth it.

[Lisa~]

You called it a "swallow control issue" and that's all in the mind, right? It's the idea of swallowing a pill that's the issue.

I explained to my kids that they regularly swallow food in much larger bites than the size of the pill. Just getting them to think of it that way seemed to help. It just feels odd not to chew it first.

I like LD's idea of burying the pill in a food that is not normally chewed. If peanut butter is not an option, can you think of another food that might work? Ice cream might work, especially one that has very small pieces of something in it, maybe cookie dough or mint chocolate chip? But the idea is a good one - a food that he can already swallow but that is not chewed so that the pill is not noticed. I'd suggest using the smallest bite possible that hides the pill.

[Lost Dog]

I forgot about that. We used to put them into spoons of icecream, sherbet, yogurt, etc.

Excellent! Although, my other kid also demanded a spoonful, at the same time...

[RobLL]

Actually I was thinking if they are really small putting them in something like chocolate milk (thickish) whole.

[rookie]

We have tried yogurt and things. I have not tried ice cream yet.
The thing is he does NOT swallow food that is larger. He chews his food endlessly into absolute mush. It drives us crazy at the dnner table.

[Lisa~]

Originally Posted by rookie

We have tried yogurt and things. I have not tried ice cream yet.
The thing is he does NOT swallow food that is larger. He chews his food endlessly into absolute mush. It drives us crazy at the dnner table.

LOL I can see how frustrated you've become with this situation!

Still, he does finally swallow that "mush" and it's larger than those pills, right? This is gross, but have him open his mouth right before he's ready to swallow and stick the pill into the "mush." If you're desperate, that might work.

[Lost Dog]

My son can chew a bite for 10 minutes.

[EdChap]

My son can chew a bite for 3 hours...wait, I don't have a son!

If he can't manage them orally, there's always ana...nevermind.

[RedWifey]

Is there no way a compounding pharmacy could help? This summer when they thought Jack (13 months old) had Cat Scratch fever, we went to a compounding pharmacy where they ground the pill and mixed it with some liquid.

Good luck!

[rookie]

If it comes to that I am sure they can help. I really want him to swallow the capsule. And he wants to too. Thanks

[rookie]

He did it!.. Just one of the four he will eventually need to take but it is a start. He put the capsule in his mouth, took a drink and held it like a swimming pool in his throat with his head tossed back. Then all at once took a big gulp and down she went. Yay. I was so proud of him. He even asked if he could try.

[OldGuy]

Cool. That's how I taught my kids to do it. It seems to work the easiest.

[Lisa~]

Good for him! And good for you too.