Administering medicine to your baby

Here are some types of medicines you might need to give your baby, and tips on how to go about it.

Syrups

A syringe or dropper is very useful. Draw up the correct amount of liquid and then slowly squirt it into your baby’s mouth into the side of his cheek.

Ideally, you should have two pairs of hands and a baby blanket. Wrap your child in the blanket so that his arms and legs are tightly contained and he can’t kick or wriggle.

Get your helper to hold him firmly on her lap with his head slightly back, and use a plastic syringe. Try to be firm and you will find it less of a struggle. Blowing on his face will help him to swallow.

Suppositories

To insert a suppository, lie your baby on his back and tuck his legs onto his tummy. Put a little vaseline or KY jelly on the pointed end of the suppository. Insert the suppository gently but firmly into the anus and hold it with the tip of your little finger for a moment. You’ll feel the suppository disappear into the rectum. Don’t be too timid, or the anal muscles will push the suppository out by a reflex action.

Drops

Giving drops can by a tricky business. Again, keeping your baby still and calm is the key.

Nose drops

• Wrap your baby up in a towel or blanket. Ensure that his hands are well out of the way so that he cannot swipe the dropper out of your hand
• Gently lay him down on a firm, padded surface, such as a changing mat
• Tilt his head back slightly. Fill the dropper and position it gently just inside his nostril. Now squeeze out the prescribed number of drops. Repeat in the other nostril.

Eye drops

• Wrap you baby as if you were going to administer nose drops
• Rather than laying him on a flat surface, hold him firmly in the crook of your left arm (if you are right handed)
• Tilt his head back slightly and rest the dropper against the inside of your baby’s nose. This will hold the dropper in place and prevent you poking him in the eye
• Gently squeeze the prescribed number of drops in each eye.

Ear drops

• Wrap your baby as if you were going to administer eye or nose drops
• Place him on a firm, padded surface
• Tilt him to the uninfected side – it may help if you place a rolled up receiving blanket behind his neck, or you can hold his head and neck firmly with your left hand
• Insert the dropper slightly into the ear (about 3 mm) and stop as soon as you meet any resistance. Squeeze the prescribed amount into each ear.
• Gently apply a little pressure on the front of the ear to assist the drops entering the ear