Tricking Your
Kids Into
Taking Their
Pills!
A Guide by Dr. Stein
Who's in Charge?
Kids MUST know that their medications
MUST be taken!
The Parents are in charge, and if the parents
say that their kids have to take their pills,
they have to take their pills!
Alternatives to swallowing pills
Many medications can be taken in other
ways than just swallowing pills, such as by
mixing them into the child's food or drink.
Medications can be mixed into:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Applesauce
OREO or other
sandwich cookies
Pudding
Yogurt
Ice Cream
Whipped Cream
Juice
Fruit punch
•
•
•
•
•
PB&J Sandwiches
Mac & Cheese
Oatmeal
Many other things!
Be creative and think about the things
that your child likes to eat!
"Sprinkles" type medications
If your child is taking Depakote or any of the
other "sprinkles" type medications that
come in a capsule, you can take the
following steps to trick your child into
taking their medication.
Step 0: This is the pill
Depakote, as
well as many
other meds,
come in
capsule form.
Tablets can
also be used.
Step 1: Break open pill
Carefully pull open the
pill and dump out it's
contents. If the pill your
child is taking is a tablet,
then you can crush it up
into a fine powder and it
will have the same
effect.
Step 2: Hide the Medication!
Everybody loves sprinkles!
This yummy ice cream topping
can be found at any grocery
store! If your child has special
dietary needs (or you just don't
want them to have all that
sugar), check out organic food
stores such as Sprouts,
Mother's Market, or Trader
Joe's for sugar-free
alternatives!
As you can see, other than the
color, it's pretty hard to tell the
difference between the
medication and the sprinkles!
Step 3: Time for something Yummy!
Mix the pile of sprinkles
and medication with
something that your child
loves! In this case, we
used Yoplait Fat-Free
Yogurt. Bon Appétit!
Using Liquids
If your child is still too suspicious, you can
always mix the crushed medication into a
liquid such as juice or punch.
If the taste of the medication is still too
strong, you can try mixing the crushed
medication into Sno-Cone syrup (available
at Smart & Final).
Make Jello-Medicine Shots!
To make Jello-Medicine shots, start by mixing
hot liquid with the gelatin powder as directed
in the instructions, but add a bit less of the
cool liquid than recommended. Allow the
gelatin a few minutes to cool, then add a
small amount to each of many little cups. Add
1 crushed pill or the contents of 1 capsule to
each cup. Refrigerate until ready, and give
your child one Jello-Medication shot each
time they should be taking a dose of their
How to teach kids to take real
pills
Step 1: Start by having the child swallow a
rainbow or chocolate sprinkle whole.
Step 2: Once they can successfully swallow
the sprinkle, have them swallow a whole
flat cake decorator sugar disc (the ones
that look like confetti).
Step 3: Once they can swallow the confetti
discs, move on to something larger, like
M&M Minis.
How to teach kids to take real pills
How to teach kids to take real pills
Step 4: Take Mike & Ike or Red Hot type
candies, and slice them into thin slices.
Have the child practice swallowing the thin
slices. When they can swallow those, start
slicing them thicker until they can
eventually swallow the entire candy.
If it is still difficult for them to swallow a pill,
try dipping it in honey, jelly/jam, chocolate
syrup or caramel sauce!
Good Luck!
Diane Stein, MD
Board Certified Child Neurologist, Epileptologist
4482 Barranca Pkwy, Suite #130
Irvine, Ca 92604
Phone: 949-743-5678
Fax: 949-743-5682
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.SteinNeurology.com
www.FullSpectrumEEG.com