How to give bad tasting antibiotics to a toddler for up to 42 days

We are VERY happy that Jackson only has to take oral antibiotics as the alternative was IV antibiotics from home. I have noticed an interesting difference between the oral and IV versions of this antibiotic.

• IV: GREEN poo. When I say green I mean Enterprise Rent-A-Car green. He is a company man after all:)


• Oral: "Normal" color poo but he has the trots, bad. You know the green apple squirts, the chocolate faucet, liquibowel, the runs, or my personal favorite - mud butt.

• He takes the antibiotics three times a day: 8am, 4pm and 12am. Yes, midnight. We were told by everyone at the hospital that it tastes AWFUL. The CFO and I tasted it. It is not great but I have tasted much worse, some of which was medicine. Oh, come on... you know how it is being a guy. All it takes is some guy saying "WOA! This tastes terrible!" and what does any other guy who still has his man card say...."Here, let me taste it." It does have a bad after taste. So we took the advise from the medical professionals and it is working so far. OK, the CFO took the advice and then passed it along to me in that special way that only a wife can. What, you think I listen to Doctors and Nurses? Yes, I am still a Man:)
  
  So here is the process:
  
• Measure out 8.3 ml of the antibiotic
• Mix with 1.3 ml (approximately) of cherry syrup from pharmacy
• Get half of mixture in medicine dropper (will only hold 5 ml)
• Get a spoon (toddler size) and chocolate syrup
• Get Jackson and give the above in the following order
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate
• Refill medicine dropper
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate
• Medicine
• Chocolate

Easy, right? Well, for the midnight dose you have to a little more. Here is the "Get Jackson" part of the midnight dose.

• Sneak into kid's room. They are all in the same room.
• Get Jackson, Glow Worm, and blanket
• Take him to playroom and change his diaper. This usually wakes him up. It would wake me up:)
• Give him a balloon. This gets him in a good mood.
• Then follow the rest of the instructions.

The only caveat is that after all this he is not ready to go back to sleep, as you can imagine. So I lay down with him on the couch and we wrestle/sleep for a while. Some nights it is 30 minutes, others it is four hours before he will go back to bed or the pack and play. But look on the bright side... I probably only have 39 more nights of this:) But it still beats the hospital!



To achieve the impossible dream, try going to sleep.
Joan Klempner

Al