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Subject:
From:
"Melinda Hoskins, MS, RN" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 5 Jan 1999 23:35:03 -0800
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The rule that I was taught in nursing school, that I teach to my nursing
students, and that I have raised my three girls with is:

_____You only give kids the choices that they really have._________
"Do you want to put it in your mouth, or do you want me to do it?"
"Shall I mix it in this spoon of applesauce for you to swallow, or do
you want the spoon of applesauce after you swallow the medicine?"

Now it is not always easy to get a protesting toddler to swallow xyz,
but if you have always consistently expected them to do what you ask,
and have always been honest with them everything seems to work better.

Now with regard to whether the medicine should taste good or bad. . .
personal experience on that score is that the very same three year old
who protested vigorously about the taste of one cherry flavored medicine
and really challenged my role in giving it to her as ordered then turned
around and thirty minutes later whilst I was having quiet time with her
9 month old sister (Who had taken to refusing to nurse if other people
were in the room with us at bedtime) and drank half the bottle.  This is
also the same child who drank a small bottle of perfume, ate a lead tube
of watercolor paint, and stuck two different rocks up her nose!  We
really had a reputation in the ER while her father was a family practice
resident!

Giving medicines to infants is fairly simple using the right tools.
Under 5-6 months the infant will probably just suck the medicine down if
a dummy or finger is place in the mouth with the med.  After the loss of
the suck reflex the use of a syringe or dropper to place the med in the
side of the mouth usually works.  The most important part of that is
remembering that small amounts can't be gargled, and will be swallowed
when they pool in the back of the throat.  Does it seem as though the
infant has more protesting arms than you can handle?  Put the right arm
of the child behind your back as you bring him/her close to your chest
with your left arm over the child's left shoulder.  You should be able
to reasonable restrain both arms and the head between your left arm and
body.  Your right arm is now free to deliver the med in a very
controlled fashion.

There will be some protesting from the child, but the adult is able to
help the child to learn that some things that are not pleasant can be
dealt with and that is how life is.  All of this is done very gently,
with a lot of murmuring of love to the child.  As the child becomes of
an age where they can be reasoned with, one can give them the choice of
being held and having the medicine given in this manner, or of taking it
with out protest.  Sometimes mine just wanted to be held anyway!

This same restraining measure can be used to gently clear the nares of
the slimey super glue snot that comes with certain winter viruses.
Instill a 2-3 saline drops in one nare, then use the little aspirator to
remove the snot.  Give some lovies, and then repeat the saline in the
other nare.  This does bring slight protesting, but is really not very
traumatic if done gently.  The hardest thing for most parents is trying
to get the child in a position to use the aspirator.  Parents are
usually amazed when I demonstrate this technique to them, because it can
all be done in less than 3 minutes, and with very little fuss.

Melinda Hoskins, MS, RN
The furnace is cycling even though the auto-thermastat is down for the
night, so I know it must be getting cold in here.  Outside is about 20F.

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