Poor CootieBoy. Went to bed last night with a 102.2 fever. I managed to get him to take one of the chewable fever reducer Tylenols that we bought a few months back. He knew it was either chew the tablet or be pinned to the ground and having liquid medicine forced down his throat (which he hates). At some point in the night he woke up and started calling for me, so I crawled into bed with him and he fell back asleep nestled against me. A couple hours later I was barely hanging on to the edge of the bed, CootieBoy’s feverish body pressed against my back. So I got out of the bed, at which point CootieBoy sat up, wide awake, and said, “I want my dad.”
So we went into the master bedroom and Denis and I spent the next 45 minutes attempting to get CootieBoy to take another fever reducer tablet. With a mix of cajoling, begging, demanding and yelling nothing would get him to take that pill. So we pinned him to the ground to get him to take the liquid instead. CootieBoy freaked out and began foaming at the mouth like he did when the pediatrician was working on those absesses a couple months back. So we let him up, and after another protest about taking the pill, I gave him a couple swats on his diapered butt as Denis and I both told him that he WOULD BE TAKING HIS MEDICINE. That got his attention and he finally relented and took the tablet. Hugs and praise all around and a few minutes of quiet cuddling to settle him down. I HATE trying to give CootieBoy medicine. It makes me feel like a horrible mother who is traumatizing her child, but if he’d just sit there and swallow the liquid or pill or tablet then it wouldn’t be an issue.
At that point Denis went to sleep in the guest room, CootieBoy got back into his bed and passed out, and I slept in the master bedroom until the alarm went off 90 minutes later.
ROUGH night. Denis is home with CootieBoy today and I hope it all goes okay and that Denis is patient with CootieBoy and that CootieBoy is a good boy for Daddy.
I don’t feel like a bad dad when I try to make him take his medicine. He needs to learn to do this. Just like he needs to learn how to use the potty or other things for his own good.
You are absolutely right, D. Sometimes we have to do things that are for our own good, even if they hurt or taste nasty. Jaynee, don’t feel guilty because you swatted him to get him to obey. Remember, you are the parents, and you are in charge. CootieBoy is the one in charge as long as you let him get away with not “taking his medicine” whatever that may be.
I hope CootieBoy feels better soon. I understand your frustrations, Jane. Giving Ollie medicine is an absolute nightmare. Although, yesterday, I tasted the baby cold medicine I was trying to give him, and it burned my tongue and made me want to throw up – now I understand why he gags and often throws up when I administer it!
It’s not the swats that make me feel bad. It’s the yelling and “in your face” stuff that is required to get him to obey after all the drama of all other methods (from calmly asking to pinning him down) don’t work. The look on his face last night when both Denis and I yelled at him at the same time was heartbreaking.
I mean, who likes to get YELLED AT and PUNISHED when they are sick? I daresay no one does. And the fact that it’s a 3-year-old little boy makes it even tougher.
Jean – the chewable tylenol that we bought for CootieBoy doesn’t taste bad at all (I’ve tried it) – it’s just that in CootieBoy’s head all medicine is BAD, so he claims he doesn’t like it.
Thanks for the tip on the chewables… hopefully, Ollie will believe it’s a treat!
Jean, we call the chewables “candy” and CootieBoy believed it the first time, but then realized it was medicine and hates them now. However, maybe Ollie will like the taste (which only has a MILD tinge of medicine flavor in it).