There comes a time when every person must learn how to swallow medication or vitamins.
Medications, vitamins, and supplements can be crucial when helping those with developmental and/or emotional disabilities.
The task of swallowing a pill can feel incredibly daunting to a person, especially a child and even some teens.
A child may not understand how to swallow a pill.
There may be be a fear of choking.
Sometimes kids worry about the taste of a pill if it starts to dissolve in their mouths.
Pills comes in all different shapes and sizes, which can be a challenge.
We've experienced all of these situations.
Some of my kids did not learn to swallow a pill until in their teens, others needed to learn much sooner.
How do I teach my child (or teen) to swallow pills?
Here's my go-to method below!
How Do I Teach My Child to Swallow Pills?
Before we go any further, I need to confess, this is not my original idea.
I saw this strategy online years ago and fell in love with it.
When my kids wanted to transition from liquid medications to pills, or when they needed to learn to take medication, I went through the following process with them.
It worked every time!
The first thing you need to purchase is a simple
pill tray for storage.
This is the ultimate storage case for edible items needed to teach your child how to swallow pills.
It cuts down on so much mess and can easily be taken on the go if necessary.
Each day/section of the pill tray will be filled with edible items to use when practicing the art of swallowing a pill.
I love that children can see the progression as they go starting with the first section all the way through to the end.
Each section of tray has plenty of room for as much practice as is necessary.
Spill Swallow Trial 1: Nonpareils or Tiny Sprinkles
In our home we have chosen to use sugary treats to help our children overcome their fears of swallowing pills.
The first pill swallow trial starts with the tiniest sprinkles or nonpareils.
A special thank you to Sarah's Bake Studio for helping me learn the names of each of the different kinds of sprinkles for this post!
These nonpareil sprinkles are big enough to pick up with a finger, but small enough where there won't be a fear of choking.
My kids practiced swallowing nonpareils for several days with a drink of water until they felt comfortable with the technique.
Every child is different, so your child may take a shorter or longer time.
Nonpareils will dissolve eventually leaving the taste of sugar in the mouth, so there's no negative consequence if a child can't manage to swallow the sprinkle for a while.
Pill Swallow Trial 2: Jimmies or Long Sprinkles
Once your child is comfortable and successful at swallowing nonpareil sprinkles, it's time to try swallowing
jimmies or long sprinkles.
These sprinkles are a tiny bit bigger than the last ones, but still pose no threats to choking to those who may fear that.
My most reluctant pill taker took about a week to practice swallowing jimmies with a drink of water.
Again, every child is different.
If you have time to continue to practice before pill taking is necessary, don't rush your child.
In situations where taking pills is a necessity in a very short time frame, try swallowing the jimmies multiples times a day to speed up the process.
Pill Swallow Trial 3: Quins or Big Circle Sprinkles
After nonpareils and jimmies, I introduced
quins or circle sprinkles
The quins are larger than the first two types of sprinkles, but not too big that they scare children too much.
Quins are also a different texture. The texture helps children start to learn that every pill is different.
As with previous steps in the pill swallowing process, allow your child to take as much time as he needs to feel successful at swallowing the quins.
If pill taking is time sensitive, practice multiple times a day.
Pill Swallow Trial 4: Mini Chocolate Chips
You could use
Nerds, or some other candy.
My kids prefer chocolate, so I went that route.
Mini chocolate chips are just a little bit bigger than the quins and introduce a 3D component to a pill.
If your child takes too long to swallow a chocolate chip, it will dissolve. There's no worry of negative flavors no matter what happens.
Pill Swallow Trial 5: Mini M&Ms
After success with mini chocolate chips, it's time to move on to
mini M&Ms or any other candy that is the same shape or size.
Swallowing mini M&Ms was the biggest challenge for my kids. This step took longer than any other step.
If you have extra time to be patient, do so. Swallowing "pills" takes practice!
There are so many steps that we don't think about like the placement of the pill, the tongue, and more.
Let your child take the time to figure it out.
Pill Swallow Trial 6: Tic Tacs
After success swallowing mini M&Ms, I introduce fruit flavored Tic Tacs.
Pills come in all shapes and sizes.
So far your child knows he can swallow a circular pill.
Can he swallow a pill that's a different shape, like an ellipsoid similar to a capsule that may be prescribed?
If the shape of the "pill" isn't a hang up, learning to swallow a tic tac may not take very long, after being successful swallowing a mini M&M.
When a child does struggle with the shape, continue to be patient if time allows.
Eventually the skill will come.
Pill Swallow Trial 7: Reese's Pieces
Once a child can swallow a tic tac, it's time to move up to swallowing a
Reese's Piece, r
egular size M&M, or
Skittle.
For some children this transition will take more time than others because of the size of the "pill."
Other children may swallow the candy easily, because they've gotten the hang of the process.
If your child is being prescribed pills that are much larger than a Skittle, look for candy pieces that are larger to practice with.
Your child may not need to start with the smallest sprinkle.
Every child is different when it comes to sprinkle and candy preferences.
Create a pill tray that's filled with edible candy items your child will love.
Let the process of learning how to swallow pills be as fun as possible.
Good luck!
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