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Syrups and drinkable solutions
Sit your baby or place him in a semi-sitting position to give him his liquid remedies: lying down, he risks the “wrong way”.
With a spoon. Place it on the edge of his mouth in a slightly tilted position so that your child can “lap up” the product.
With a syringe. Handle it with care to avoid the “wrong path”. Place the syringe (often supplied with the syrup) on the side of the mouth, at the corner of the lips, facing the inside of the cheek and not facing the windpipe. Slowly squeeze the pump to allow the baby to suck on the mouthpiece and check that he is swallowing well.
With a pacifier-medicine (sold in pharmacies). Thanks to its reservoir, it allows you to treat your child while soothing him by sucking. The trick: To get your baby to open his mouth, tickle his chin. As for plugging his nose so that he opens his mouth, a barbaric and dangerous practice of the past, that is out of the question!
Nasal sprays
More than a simple toilet, the nose wash is a real care for the baby: regularly removing phlegm avoids ENT complications. And before any care related to your child’s eyes, nose and ears, wash your hands thoroughly.
1. Gently instill half a pipette of physiological saline or sea water spray into one nostril: this will make him sneeze to evacuate the phlegm.
2. Raise a little and turn your baby’s head in the opposite direction of the said nostril so that the phlegm is evacuated on the other side.
3. Then straighten your baby or turn his head so that the phlegm does not go back down into the back of the throat.
4. You may want to use a “handkerchief” made from a small piece of cotton rolled between your fingers to clean your baby’s nostrils.
5. Use a nasal aspirator if the little one has a too crowded nose.
6. Administer the medication (drops or sprays) without pressing down too much on the spray and keeping your head upright for a few moments, without moving.
Eye drops
1. Clean each eye with a sterile compress soaked in physiological saline. Always work from the internal angle (the wing of the nose) to the external angle to avoid clogging the tear duct with impurities.
2. Gently instill the drops of eye drops in the tear duct, that is to say in the inner corner of the eye (on the side of the nose).
The trick: so that your baby does not close his eyes when receiving the eye drops, hold his eyelids open between your thumb and forefinger.
Drops in the ears
1. Clean first and without forcing the pinna and the entrance to the ear canal with dry cotton rolled into a wick.
The trick: if a little cerumen remains stuck, it must be slightly moistened.
2. Heat the bottle for two minutes between the palms of your hands: surprised by the cold, your little one may make a sudden movement.
3. Hold your baby’s head firmly to the side, gently insert the tip of the bottle and pour in the eye drops.
Suppositories
1. Hold the baby’s feet firmly and lift them onto his tummy so that he does not rear up. Regardless of the direction of introduction, the new suppositories have two square ends.
The trick : smear the suppo with a little petroleum jelly or wet it so that it is less irritating to the mucous membrane.
2. Squeeze his buttocks for a few seconds so that he does not expel the suppository.
How do you get her to swallow a drug that tastes bad?
For starters, be determined! And explain to your child, even if he is very small, that he must take his medicine, because it is necessary for his health. Here are some tips anyway: you can pour its remedy in a little raspberry or forest fruit syrup, or coat it in jam or honey. Avoid dissolving it in his bottle because if he does not finish it he will not receive his full dose of medicine.
How long should I keep the started medication?
All eye drops expire two weeks after opening. Some started antibiotics can be kept in the refrigerator for ten days, no more. For sachets, suppositories and ointments, respect the expiry date stated on the packaging. A syrup can be stored all winter. To preserve the environment and avoid the risk of poisoning, do not throw medications in the trash and return them to your pharmacist so that they are sorted and destroyed as they should.