Pill Drill: Teaching Kids How To Swallow Pills

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Teaching kids to swallow pills can be a bitter pill to swallow. Especially those awful chalky ones. I know this because I’ve tasted my daughter’s meds. Not on purpose, but while distractedly multitasking I’ve mistakenly taken her seizure medicine instead of my blood pressure tablets. They…are…disgusting.

Pill swallowing is definitely a skill which requires practise. Even little pills, when your child is first learning, can be daunting. The most difficult pills to swallow of course are the jagged little pills. Just ask Alanis. (If you were born after 1990 you probably won’t get that one.)

Annnnnyway, pill swallowing is tricky for most kids. Throw in motor development, intellectual or other disabilities and it becomes even more challenging.

My daughter is now able to swallow small pills and can actually do it without water. However, that’s not a good idea. My friend swallowed a vitamin once and it got stuck in her throat and burned her esophagus. That can happen apparently. Even if you can swallow a pill without water, don’t do it! Always wash a pill down with liquid.

Switching from liquid meds and small tablets to large pills was difficult for Avery—and for me…just watching her makes me tense. The thought of her choking or the pill getting lodged in her throat freaks me out.

We’ve been practising and have had success with small and medium size pills. The big ol’ multi vitamins and giant omega pills are still scary though. But we’re in no rush. There are plenty of adults who can’t swallow pills.

How To Practise The Pill Swallow:

First, swallow a sip of a liquid to wet your throat. Water works of course, but apple juice, milk, chocolate milk or something tastier or thicker seems to work better for us.
Place a small candy on the middle of their tongue. We started with mini M&Ms and Tic Tacs and moved up to regular M&Ms and then jelly beans.
Take another sip of liquid.
Sit up straight and keep their head level (you might be tempted to tilt their head back but it makes it harder to swallow).
Swallow the drink with the candy whole (do not chew the candy unless you’re the parent and you’ve stashed a handful of candies in your pocket for later.)
Immediately take another sip (or a few sips) to wash the candy down.
Once they feel confident, gradually increase the size of the candy or pill.
They can also try this method: Take a drink without swallowing (hold the liquid in the mouth and tip the chin downward slightly). Pop in the candy and THEN swallow. This isn’t as easy and we’ve had some spillage. It works for some kids though.

Admittedly, it’s more convenient when your child can swallow pills with a quick swig of water. However, using soft foods in place of liquid works very well! Avery puts her bigger pills, whole, on a spoonful of yogurt, apple sauce, pudding, oatmeal or mashed banana. I’ve even stuffed pills inside a piece of soft bread or a cube of cheese. She swallows large pills easily this way.

Pills can also be split into more manageable pieces or crushed, but always ask your doctor or pharmacist if it’s okay to crush or dissolve tablets, pills or capsules before doing so. We use a pill cutter to split Avery’s seizure meds into the correct dose (she needs one and a half pills twice a day) and it works well for us.

Good luck! 💕

If you have any suggestions or strategies, we’d love to hear them! Leave us a comment here or over on Facebook or Instagram.