Today many pharmacies have prescription flavoring options for parents to get their children to take their medications. As a baby, Z4 had no problem taking her penicillin, however, as she got older and was hospitalized taking those medications by mouth was not happening. She would refuse, spit it out and just have a tantrum. We’d often have to hold her down not only to take her medicine but to even get an IV in her arm too. So I’m not going to say the success of her taking her medicine now is my success story or do to flavoring either. Instead, I’m going to tell you the truth of the matter is I turned to the only expert I knew and that was my lovely mom.
My deaf mother raised three kids who all had Asthma really bad and during those times there was no prescription flavoring options for us. My mom had her own methods to get us to take it that worked 100% of the time. So after holding Z4 down a few times, I asked my mom for help. She told me to let her take over a few days and she would solve this problem. My mom came the next day with a jar of grape jelly, strawberry jelly, a large bottle of orange juice, and one cup of banana pudding and one cup of grape Jell-O and promptly told me to leave.
Her plan was to give Z4 a baby spoon full of one of these sweet remedies of her choice after taking the medicine successfully. My mom studied to be a nurse so she knew the medicines that had a strong bad taste and others that didn’t. So my mom would suggest to Z4 which one to try to get rid of the taste the best and of course because Z4 loved Granny so much, she’d listen. The doctors had no complaints because my mom used a baby spoon to give her whatever sweet remedy chosen. The most my mom would give her too was 2 spoons full because she knew from experience what it took. Afterward, she would teach Z4 how to say in Sign Language; I am smart and strong!
I returned the next day and witnessed her taking her medicine and asked my mom what happened. My mom smiled and told me she did what worked with us taking our Prednisone all those years. I just laughed and hugged her. And although, Z4 is now 5 and no longer needs the sweet remedies for bad tasting medicine; she still says “Remember Mommy, I am smart and strong” in Sign Language!” I would sign back to her; “You sure are, baby! And Granny would be so proud of you!