Image credit: Every Day Health
Having to deal with a baby who is sick and cranky can cause a great deal of anxiety for parents and babies. On top of that, it’s a battle every time you try to give baby medicine. The screams, cries and kicking just adds on to the stress levels.
To ease the situation, check out these useful tips to avoid the power struggles!
1. Feed beyond the taste buds
Using a syringe, slide it along the cheeks, towards the back of the mouth and squeeze it slowly. Or if baby is a little more cooperative, rest the syringe halfway back of the tongue and have baby suck on it.
If baby is screaming and crying, a tip I got from my PD is to wait for baby to take her breath and quickly squeeze a little of the medicine in – baby will naturally take it in.
2. Disguise the taste
Ask your doctor if you can mix the medicine with foods that baby like. Example yoghurt, milk, juice, cereal. Keep in mind that if baby doesn’t finish it, you’ll waste the dosage.
3. Find the right temperature
Some babies prefer the medicine to be cold or a little warm. Stick the medicine in the fridge or warm the liquid bottle a little by holding it in your hands for a bit.
4. Get creative with your feeding methods
If syringe is just too much to ask for, try feeding with a spoon with their favourite snack on it.
5. Distract
Have someone distract baby with a toy or sounds while feeding baby. It will take the focus off the whole process and baby might even break into a smile!
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