Comments on: Unboxing the Kids

By: Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home

Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:45:35 +0000

LOL, I’m eager to see your woven hair and flax creations! I like the ice cream/whipped cream substitution (frugal? no, but yummy, yes), and I’m sure you’ll grow lovely tomatoes with all those homeschool books- now why didn’t I think of that?

As for pills, I could never do it as a kid. What I did was practice at dinnertime, swallowing peas and corn whole. Eventually, I moved on to very small pills, like Gravol, or painkillers cut in half. I’m not really into medications anymore, and I realize your thinking vitamins, so perhaps you can find a vitamin that is very small, just to get them started?

By: Carol

Carol — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:32:08 +0000

I can’t remember taking pills when I was young, but I do remember making EVERYTHING out of big cardboard boxes (free from the stores), and doll beds out of oatmeal cartons. My Mother grew up in the depression and really knew how to work what we had.

By: Richelle F

Richelle F — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:55:46 +0000

Those are great!! Very creative (especially trying to get out of homeschooling?)

By: Ewokgirl

Ewokgirl — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:54:30 +0000

That list is hilarious! You have very creative kids!

I couldn’t swallow pills at all, no matter how small. I also couldn’t eat apples with the peel still on because it got caught in my throat. It wasn’t for lack of trying; my tonsils were just too big. Once they were removed, I could swallow pills and eat apples, and actually, a whole new world of food opened up to me. I didn’t eat much before because swallowing was never easy.

By: Melinda

Melinda — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:34:28 +0000

I second the M&Ms, but also have their favorite drink to help them “practice.”

And Lura, I agree for the most part, but sometimes, children really do have to take medicine. For example, my youngest who has a history of kidney reflux and takes a preventative antibiotic every single day. Right now, it’s in liquid form, but who knows what our future holds?

Melinda

By: Dee Ann

Dee Ann — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:23:16 +0000

My husband’s mother had him practice with cherrios. They are the right size and disintegrate before they get stuck in your throat.
I think that age has a lot to do with swallowing pills. I thought that my youngest would never learn and then one day he was just old enough to do it on his own.

By: warillever

warillever — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:03:01 +0000

Drug stores sell pill-grinders for about $3.
Grind the pill into a fine powder, then sprinkle onto a bowl of applesauce. Or (if the medicine doesn’t taste too horrible, mix powder with a spoonful of chocolate syrup.

My children did this for almost a year with a medicine that did not come in a liquid version.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:53:01 +0000

I guess I will forever be drinking warm drinks.I live in North Carolina and it never snows!!

Turn old socks into puppets.-Probably the most realistic idea up there.

My son was around 10 years old before he started taking pills,so no help there.

By: Lura

Lura — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:32:03 +0000

Sorry to burst anyones bubble, but I went to a seminar on getting drugs out of the workplace. (I work in healthcare). The lady that led the seminar said that there have been studies done and the longer you can keep your children from swallowing pills the better. There is some correlation between the age they start swallowing pills and higher drug use. (It should go without saying that not every kids who swallows pills at an early age will become a drug user). I thought this was very interesting. I don’t have a link or anything, but might be worth looking into. I know her comments have stuck with me.

By: Sharon H.

Sharon H. — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:43:09 +0000

To swallow a pill, put it in the back of your mouth, take a mouthfull of water, and bend over 90 degrees so you make a right angle. Swallow.

Your throat opens up so much you don’t notice the pill going down. It’s how my kids learned to swallow pills.