Dear Parent / Guardian,
There is currently a national shortage of liquid antibiotics across the UK. As a result, doctors and pharmacists are keeping liquid forms of the medicine for use in younger children. We are encouraging older children to use tablets or capsules.
Helping your older children to swallow tablets when liquid forms aren't available
There are six easy steps to teaching your child how to swallow pills. This can be done using sweets such as hundreds and thousands, tic tacs or jelly tots, in order to practice and you can do it with them too.
- Step 1 – Find a comfortable place
- Step 2 – Choose your favourite drink, preferably in a sports bottle
- Step 3 – Start with the smallest sweet, let them choose one for you too!
- Step 4 – Place the sweet in the middle of your tongue. Don’t throw your head back.
- Step 5 – Seal lips around the top of the bottle and take three gulps without putting the bottle down
- Step 6 – Try another sweet following the same steps
Remember to keep practising and give them praise for their efforts! Watch the 6-step video here
The above guidance has been take from Kidzmed, a programme developed at the Great North Children’s Hospital, Newcastle to help families teach children and young people how to swallow pills. Click here for more tips and information https://www.nenc-healthiertogether.nhs.uk/parentscarers/medicine-children/pill-swallowing- kidzmed
Yours sincerely,
Maria Bell
Pharmaceutical Adviser to Manx Care
Clare Walker
Head of Health Protection, Public Health