Cough Medicine

I have a hard time getting my daughter to take her cold medicine. I dont think its just me though, as I am pretty sure a lot of other parents seem to have the same problem. It is amazing to me that my daughter at one time would put anything she could find in her mouth, but when it comes time to take cough medicine, she acts as if she will be on deaths door if it goes into her mouth. When shes not feeling well, she has to take her cough medicine, but that doesnt mean she is going to make it easy on me. In fact, it is as if she knows I will do anything to get her to take it, and she wants to see how far I will go.

Cough medicine tastes a lot better than it did when I was a kid. One kind I bought for my daughter was bubblegum flavored. I tried it myself, and I had to admit that while it did not taste exactly like bubblegum, it was pretty darn good. She refuses to take it, and makes the most annoying gagging noises if it gets near her. In fact, her gagging is so convincing that I begin to think I am about to throw up. I gave in and bought her something else.

My next cough medicine was Dimetapp. I took this when I was a child, but back then it was prescription medication. Of all the cough medicines I took, I remember that I thought Dimetapp tasted pretty good. You cant tell my daughter that. She whines and carries on like I am trying to get her to eat bugs. I finally told her I was not going out to buy yet another kind of cough medicine and if she didnt take it she was going to have to suffer through the night.

She took it, but it still made her gag. I remembered when I was in college and first took a shot of whiskey. It was horrible, but as long as you had something to chase it with, it was ok. So I offered her choice of juice or water to drink right after she took her cough medicine. She chose water, and we have not had a problem with it since. She now takes her cough medicine, and I get to sleep through the night. If you are having the same problems with your child, you can try the same thing. If water for a chaser doesnt work, offer them a snack you dont normally let them have.