This used to happen with both my daughters. Now I tell them that the nail clipper needs to eat or I speak for the nail clipper saying “is it ok if I eat your thumb nail?” and so on. It works well with my oldest who’s now 4. My youngest lets me do it at first but after a bit fights it.

Hooray! That’s great news, Jennelle! Thank you for sharing.

I put him in his room to regroup and read this, about leaving it in his room. I thought it couldn’t hurt to try. I placed the cup of medicine in his room and told him he could come out as soon as he took the medicine. Within ONE MINUTE that little weasel drank it on his own. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

My daughter has NEVER EVER EVER successfully taken medicine. As an infant with fever she would spit up her tempra. Last summer, she swallowed almost none of the antibiotic she was prescribed for an infected mosquito bite. We wasted most of it unsuccessfully hiding it in ice cream. Tonight, she was prescribed antibiotic for another infected bite, though this time it is very close to her eye, and so more concerning.

Her father and I took her out to dinner after the doctor’s appointment, and asked her if she was going to take her medicine, to which she excitedly replied yes. She’s still nursing, and asked if she could nurse, and I said she could after she took her medicine. When we got home, she started immediately moaning and groaning with anxiety. I asked her respectfully what kind of cup she would like it in, but she was too whiny to respond. After a half-hour of positive encouragement, her father told her he was going to squirt it in her mouth if she didn’t drink it. She said she would, but just kept asking for more time( 4 more minutes, then after that, 5 more minutes, etc.) So eventually, against my judgment, we restrained her and forced it in her mouth. She swallowed it, but was so traumatized that she threw it up, along with her supper. We cuddled her, tried to calm her down, and then poured another dose (a little over a tablespoon) into her cup. I spent another hour sitting and waiting for her to take it of her own accord. I kindly explained that if she doesn’t take it she’ll need to get a needle. She just kept saying “I’m not ready yet.” I tried to explain that being brave means doing something BEFORE you feel ready, not WHEN you feel ready. I explained that conquering your fears feels really good, and tried to come up with examples of her conquering her fears in the past. She eventually fell asleep without taking her medicine (or having milk). I’m pretty sure I just heard her say “No, I’m not ready yet” in her sleep.

I believe my daughter might be prone to more anxiety than the average child. If this is the case, I wonder how much treating her with respect can overcome it?

I found with my little girl who had to take a fair bit of medicine at the 6 – through to 15 months months stage, after much trouble similar to what you describe Zoe – I put it in a bottle for her to drink, I also added flavoured milk……. From the health store. This goes against all my princables but I was at my wits end.
I actually tried the medicine myself & totally understood why she was gagging and vomiting – it’s totally disgusting! Good luck!