Swallowing capsules is a type of abilities that come naturally for some children, and for others it takes apply. In reality, about 26% of youngsters have a tough time swallowing them. Some are fearful it would get caught of their throats and others have by no means tried it earlier than and due to this fact want a little bit of steerage.
Taking capsules as an alternative of liquid remedy has its advantages: They are simpler to take with you, they go away little to no style of their mouths, and generally it provides medical doctors extra prescribing choices.
If your children are having a tough time swallowing capsules, they’re not alone! The excellent news is that there are tried-and-true behavioral methods that may assist them study. As a pediatric psychologist, listed here are among the suggestions we use to show our sufferers:
TIPS FOR TEACHING KIDS HOW TO SWALLOW PILLS
1. Gather your provides
You’ll want small paper cups to make it possible for they’re not swallowing an excessive amount of liquid, sweet of accelerating sizes, and empty tablet gel capsules. Check along with your pharmacist to see if they’ve any in inventory.
2. Practice after they’re wholesome
The greatest time to apply tablet swallowing is after they’re not below any strain to take medication.
3. Keep the classes brief and enjoyable
Practice on daily basis utilizing the next steps till they’re comfy swallowing capsules. I like to recommend limiting every session to about 5-10 minutes in order that they don’t really feel overwhelmed. And attempt to make it enjoyable! Use completely different candies of accelerating sizes, akin to cupcake sprinkles, Nerds®, Tic Tacs®, mini M&M’s®, common M&M’s®, Good & Plenty®.
4. Use imagery and positivity
Have your children image their throat prefer it’s a water slide, and the tablet is the interior tube gliding down the hill. It can be useful to offer optimistic reinforcement alongside the best way. Older children will profit from having them say issues like “I can do this,” “I will be okay,” and “My body can handle this.”
5. Give them a lot of choices
Giving them choices will make them really feel like they’ve a way of management. “Would you like to sit or stand?” “What would you like it mixed with?” “White cup or pink cup?”
6. Start with water
Have your children begin with a sip of water (with out a piece of sweet) to apply. Make certain that they’re not swishing the water of their mouths.
7. Then dissolve it
Starting with the smallest sweet, have them place it towards the again of their tongues and let it dissolve again there.
8. Increase sizes steadily
Once they’ve mastered dissolving the smallest dimension behind their tongues, it’s time to try to swallow it. Have them place the smallest sweet on the again of the tongues (whereas conserving it flat) after which take a sip of water to swallow the sweet. Repeat this 2-3 occasions in order that they really feel profitable shifting on to larger sizes. It could take a number of drinks and tries to get the sweet to go down, so maintain the encouragement going. They could discover it useful to attempt completely different head positions. Turning the top to the aspect relaxes the throat which may make it simpler for capsules to slip down.
9. Repeat
Continue growing the scale of the sweet till your children can swallow the scale of sweet that is the same as the scale of their capsules. If they attain a dimension they can not swallow, return to the final dimension they efficiently swallowed in order that they’ll finish the session with success. Then return to the method the following day. Once they’re comfy swallowing sweet, they’re able to attempt empty capsules or precise capsules.
10. Make it simpler
Even when children are able to swallowing the biggest dimension sweet, they could nonetheless want some additional assist and methods. Here are just a few to assist make swallowing simpler:
- Put the tablet in a spoonful of Jell-O or pudding, which is able to assist it slide down your baby’s throat. Have them apply swallowing simply the Jell-O earlier than attempting it with the capsules. Do not conceal the tablet within the Jell-O as a result of this could break belief between you and your baby.
- Try coating the tablet with magic shell.
- Dip the gel hole in ice water earlier than swallowing to make it very slippery, or use tablet glide swallowing spray.
- Use a particular tablet swallowing cup, akin to Oralflo.
- Crush the capsules in flavored syrup, if these methods aren’t working. Check along with your pharmacist first to ensure the tablet might be crushed.