We’re so excited to share the latest episode of our Moms on Call parenting podcast, all about babies and toddlers!
Having a sick kid can be stressful enough, but it's another ballgame when they do not take their medicine! A mother in North Carolina has difficulty getting her 10-month-old daughter to take her medicine. So what is the secret to getting your little one to take what the doctor prescribed? Chocolate! Since we are on the subject of medicine, Bailey in Texas is wondering what kind of supplements and vitamins she should be giving her 18-month-old. There are so many conflicting reports out there! Today on the Moms on Call podcast, we will tell you what is important for our littles early in life regarding health and nutrition.
Giving Your Kids the Medicine They DO Need and the Vitamins They DON’T Need
Intro: Whoever said babies and toddlers don’t come with an instruction manual never met the Moms on Call. For nearly 20 years, Jennifer Walker and Laura Hunter have helped over half a million families navigate parenthood with their best-selling books, online courses, apps, and network of certified consultants. And now they have this podcast to talk directly with you. Ask your questions at 888-234-7979. Welcome to the Moms on Call podcast with Jennifer Walker and Laura Hunter.
Caller 1: Hi, this is Lauren from North Carolina. We are desperate for help getting our ten-month-old daughter to take medicine. She refuses to drink it from the syringe or those tiny medicine cups. We also tried mixing it with some applesauce or other purees, but that did not work either. And I'm worried that she is not getting the total dose or that it is not as effective if we mix it. Do you guys have any tried and true tricks for this? And any help is much appreciated.
Laura Hunter/Jennifer Walker: Oh, we have the magic! Oh my gosh! And it is going to make you so happy. This makes so many people happy! Now I am not a big fan of chocolate. I like it. I will eat chocolate, but it is not my favorite. Please give me a big bag of potato chips, and I am good to go!
Mix with Chocolate!
Laura Hunter/Jennifer Walker: We can not mix the medicine with potato chips! However, and this is what the scientists have said, there are actual studies that they did to help children because so many of them did not want to take medicine to mask the flavor of medicine. And what was number one on the list? Chocolate! And you can get liquid chocolate, also known as squeezable.
Laura Hunter/Jennifer Walker: You asked a great question. So will mixing it affect the effectiveness? The answer is no. No, it won't at all. So it is totally fine to combine that. Now we have a couple of options. We can absolutely mix it with chocolate, which covers the taste better.
Laura Hunter/Jennifer Walker: We can! Also, some compounding pharmacies can put it in flavors she might enjoy, like bubble gum. And then, there are some tips and tricks for getting them to take it in a syringe.
Tips and Tricks for Getting Your Baby to Take Medicine
Laura Hunter/Jennifer Walker: One of the things I think we do as parents is sometimes shoving the medicine syringe right in the center of their mouth and squirt it straight to the back of their throat. They start gagging and fighting it and throwing a fit. But one of the ways that we have found works is by taking that syringe, and putting it more towards the cheek and then back of the mouth, and doing tiny amounts at a time, just a little bit at a time, a little bit at a time, a little bit at a time, sometimes pinching those cheeks almost like a fish face will help them to have to swallow. It's almost like a reflex. So they will swallow so that they can't spit it out everywhere.
Laura Hunter/Jennifer Walker: It is essential, Jennifer, to talk about our body language and the atmosphere we create because I get it. If you have to give a kid antibiotics twice a day, and you are fighting them, and you are exhausted, and you have been up all night, and here it is, one more time to have to do this, our body language, we can look pretty frustrated, and we can be. So if we can work on setting that atmosphere, try to make it just as fun and silly, even as she is kicking and screaming and throwing a fit, blowing on their belly and kissing their little forehead, we should be able to get that in reasonably quickly. But I would try some chocolate!
Which Vitamins and Supplements are Best?
Caller 2: Hi, Laura and Jennifer; I hope you are doing well. This is Bailey from Austin, Texas, and I have a seven-year-old, an eight-year-old, and a surprise 18-month-old. So a lot has changed since my oldest kids were babies, especially regarding vitamins and supplements for kids. Is there anything you guys recommend for toddlers or young kids I should be given my 18-month-old? Everything seems expensive, so I am trying to figure out the most important things to give my daughter at 18 months if anything at all. I am sure I did not give my older kids anything, so I need some clarification. What is the most important thing that I should be giving her as far as the vitamins go? Anything we should watch out for or avoid? Thank you so much. I appreciate your help.
Laura Hunter/Jennifer Walker: Yes! This is a fantastic question, and the answer is real food. What do you need to give them? Real food.
Laura Hunter/Jennifer Walker: Real food. Variety. Variety, variety. Now the next question you're going to ask is, but what if they don't seem to eat anything?
Laura Hunter/Jennifer Walker: It always seems they're not eating enough. We are a nutrition-obsessed culture. We just are. And I understand that there is so much information available to us all. So we want to give you a couple of guidelines, and one of the things is yes, whole foods, real foods with variety, those are the things that we need that have never changed. A few things have changed since your seven-year-old was here, and now we have options to get some common allergens into our kids' diets. Yes. Which is in the form of Puffs and whatnot to get enough of the peanut and some of the shellfish. And so we do have those options, and we've partnered with some really great companies that create these things to reduce the incidents of allergies.
Mission MightyMe is one that I really think has done such an incredible job not only
creating a wonderful product, but also teaching and encouraging families.
Laura Hunter/Jennifer Walker: That is an easy way to do it! But more important, feed your kids! Get that variety, and feed them those high-allergen foods as well. And yes, we understand that your pediatrician occasionally recommends an iron supplement according to those checkups. So when you need something more than what food is given, your pediatrician is the best to look at that.
Not going and grabbing the newest vitamin gummy that's out there. Let's look at their diets first, and then let's work with our pediatrician to try and fill in any gaps that may be there.
