Teaching kids to swallow pills

[Purple_Scrubs]

Anyone have any resources for parents on helping them teach kids to swallow pills, especially any that are in English and Spanish? I know it's a long shot, but if anyone has them, it would be you all! :redpinkhe

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

I have one kid like that, no matter how many times we go over it he just does not get it. I review the steps before each and every use, but he only gets it right about 50% of the time.

On the bright side, my kiddo who couldn't swallow pills now has a daily patch, so that problem is solved!

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

So I need help teaching one of my students how to use a MDI. I went over the steps with him time after time. We even practiced and he's still not getting it ! Instead of him inhaling the medication into his lungs, he blows it straight out.

I keep telling him to inhale, hold breath for 5 seconds and then exhale. I think this kid needs a spacer but unfortunatley don't have one. He's in second grade but I have kindergardners that know how to use their inhaler !

Nursing student 19, have the student completely empty his lungs (blow out all the way) right before discharging the inhaler. That way he's got nothing to blow out. He'll inhale quickly at first but you can then refine it from there.

[vashtee, RN]

My daughter took Depakote sprinkles capsules when she was young. She started off with us sprinkling the medication onto her food. When the doc wanted to switch to a non-sprinkle form, we continued sprinkling the medication we still had on hand on her food, and then put the capsules back together again (empty) so she could practice swallowing them whole. (The capsules dissolve because I think they are made from gelatin.) We just put the empty capsule on the back of her tongue and had her gulp water. No problem.