How To Make Kid Liquid Medicine Taste Better

Need a clever way to make medicine taste good so your kids will take it? Giving medicine to kids can be annoying and frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be!

Making liquid medicine taste better for kids makes everyone’s life so much easier. Having a sick kid is hard, the last thing you want is for your baby to cry and feel miserable. You cuddle with them, cover them with a blanket, get them to feel comfortable and then the medicine comes out.

Trying to give kids medicine is like getting kids to move faster because you’re running late-impossible. They clinch their mouth so tight and wiggle their body to see if you’ll give up. I don’t blame them, medicine tastes horrible!

I have some amazing tips on how to make medicine taste better. Your kids will thank you instead of fighting you, and you can feel relieved and not dread giving medicine ever again.

PIN for later when your kid is fighting you to take medicine

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How To Give Your Baby Liquid Medicine

Babies can be a little difficult because they love to throw their body and do whatever they can to avoid getting medicine. They have no idea how strong they are and they do not like being held down.

So to make it a little easier and a lot more comforting for them, wrap them in a blanket with their arms tucked in. Have them sit sideways on your lap so their arm is up against your chest. Be relaxed so they stay relaxed, they can sense your anxiety.

Put the syringe in their mouth and aim it at their cheek, never squirt the medicine straight down their throat to avoid choking and aspirating. Squirt a little so they can taste it. Especially if it’s something that is actually good like Tylenol, most of the time they will see that it’s good and they will be willing to take the rest.  

If they do fight lean them back a little in a cradle position, and squirt it fast but a little at a time in their mouth and make sure they swallow it. After it’s done give them a big hug and comfort them.

How To Give Your Kids Liquid Medicine

Giving toddlers and bigger kids medicine can be a little easier than babies, IF they know what the medicine is and know it tastes good.

Just like when you give the baby medicine, aim the syringe at their cheek. Try to stay calm and they will stay calm. Try talking up the medicine saying it tastes so good and it’ll make them feel much better.

If they don’t know the medicine or they know it tastes horrible, then that is when these insanely simple tricks come in handy.

How To Make Medicine Taste Better So Your Child Can Get Better

Make medicine taste better with yogurt

Just about every kid loves yogurt. You can mix just about any medicine in yogurt to make it taste good. If your kid needs to take a pill you can crush it up and sprinkle in right into the yogurt. This is great for antibiotics that are super bitter.

Make medicine taste better with smoothies

You can’t go wrong with smoothies. They think they are getting a treat but really they are getting their medicine AND fruits and veggies! WIN WIN!

TIP: Make the smoothies with apple juice instead of milk, because if they take a while to drink the smoothie, it might start to taste bad. Also orange juice is okay, but from personal experience, if your kid isn’t feeling good his tastes buds might be off and orange juice doesn’t taste the greatest when you’re sick. Apple juice is the way to go.

Make medicine taste better with popsicles

Popsicle are another great “treat” to give your kids and hide their medicine in. However, make sure to ask your doctor first, because some medicine can not be frozen because it can mess with the medicine components- make it too strong or not effective.

Make medicine taste better with applesauce or ice cream

Babies and kids almost never turn down applesauce or ice cream. Make them think they are getting a special treat and hide their medicine in there. Mix it good so they don’t see it-because you know they can’t find their shoes, but they can find everything in their food!

Make medicine taste better with Koolaid

This one is the ultimate trick! Just recently I was taught about this from a my son’s nurse. This will make any liquid medicine taste a million times better. The first time I gave my son his antibiotic he threw it all up. But once we added Kool-Aid powder into the medicine, he loved it!

This is a perfect method because it makes it tastes amazing without adding extra volume, it’s fast and it works every time!

Now no one will have to hate when it’s medicine time anymore. Your child will be begging to take their medicine because now it tastes like candy- keep it out of reach!

There you have it, I hope this makes giving meds a little more enjoyable and a lot less stressful.

What are some tricks that you use with your kids? Leave a comment and let us know.